IFDH eNews: June 2023
Member News
Canada
CDHA Gives a Voice for Oral Health in Canada
On April 4, as a kick-off to National Dental Hygienists Week, CDHA held a very successful press conference in the parliamentary press gallery in Ottawa, generating coverage from Canada’s major newspapers, radio, and television. CEO Ondina Love and Director of Dental Hygiene Practice Sylvie Martel shared the results of a national public opinion poll conducted for CDHA on oral health care. Highlights included findings that 88% of people support the federal government’s national Dental Care Plan, news that there is a growing trend in the utilization of services of Dental Hygienists who own their own practices and concerns regarding the current levels of oral health care for seniors in Canada. Watch the full Press Conference here and, for more information, download the media release, or the polling data.
NEW Online Course: Oral & Oropharyngeal Cancer Screening
CDHA recently released a four module online course designed to elevate Dental Hygienists’ awareness of the incidence, mortality, and morbidity of oral and oropharyngeal cancers so that they can effectively transfer this knowledge to their clinical practice and clients. The course also includes a variety of valuable clinical and educational resources. As primary oral health care professionals, Dental Hygienists have the responsibility and opportunity to make a powerful impact by increasing the early-stage discovery of these cancers. Will this be the year you save a life? Denmark
A Pill Against Caries
Danish dental hygienist and dentist, Camilla Juhl Poerksen, has studied the effect of a lozenge against the development of caries among almost 300 Danish children. The study shows positive results. The lozenge consists of a combination of two different kinds of lactic acid bacteria LGG® and L. CASEI 431® (probiotics) and of arginine (prebiotics). Data is still being processed and analyzed. However, initial results have shown that the children in the test group who had taken a lozenge with pre- and probiotics daily for 10-12 months had significantly less caries, at the final examination, than the children who had received the placebo tablet. The Danish Dental Hygienists are looking very much forward to welcoming Camilla Juhl Poerksen at our annual major Dental Hygienists’ Conference in Copenhagen, September 2023, where she will reveal more details about the results from the study.Better Oral Health for Disabled People at Residence Homes
Oral health is of great importance for a person’s well-being in everyday life and for the health of their body in general. It is important to be able to use your mouth without experiencing pain and discomfort. But infections in the mouth do not only affect functionality. They can lead to inflammation and disease that will spread to the rest of the body. With this project, we want to support the staff in the work when caring for the disabled people at residence homes. The aim is to educate the staff to ensure the oral health of residents who suffer from a disability and therefore live in residential care homes. The assumption in the initial phase of the project is that among the staff there may be a need for more knowledge and more know-how of how to help the residents to keep their mouths healthy.Israel
We recently visited all 4 dental hygiene schools to recruit new student members to the IDHA, and we hope they will attend and enjoy this exceptional event.
In addition, we are collaborating with companies such as Colgate and Oral-B on a webinar series for Hygienists which are considered continuous professional education.
Our Social Responsibility Project is also underway, which involves Dental Hygienists visiting mental health care centers to provide guidance and instruction on proper dental care and oral hygiene to mentally challenged patients and their caregivers. Preparation for beginning the project includes a series of relevant webinar lectures aimed at Dental Hygienists to tend to this vulnerable population on their specific needs which involves specifically promoting their oral health. We are looking forward to significant participation and success on this project.
Italy
Interdisciplinarity: An Opportunity in the Management of Periodontal Disease is the title of the Congress which was held in Bari in May with participation of over 300 Dental Hygienists. Thanks to the presence of important speakers from various professional realities, the importance of interdisciplinarity in the management of all pathologies and specifically of periodontal disease is now an established fact. The central theme of the Congress dealt with how fundamental it is to use up-to-date and appropriate techniques, methodologies, and technologies in a clinical situation to guarantee the patient’s bio-psycho-physical well-being. It also highlighted how the relationship of trust with colleagues of all professions based on information and sharing, collaboration and cooperation in multi and interprofessional work, are the basis of therapeutic success.
United States
Celebrating 100 Years!
2023 marks 100 years of oral health leadership for ADHA! As part of our celebration of this incredible milestone, we are proud to launch the new ADHA Professional Fellows Program to honor our distinguished members and the collective achievements of the Dental Hygiene community. As a Professional Fellow of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (FADHA), you represent exceptional achievement in our profession, demonstrated a commitment to your own education and to the practice of dental hygiene, maintained a stellar reputation in areas of ethics, professional responsibility, and professional standards. 
