IFDH is Moving Fast!

“The secret of making progress is to get started.” Mark Twain

Greetings, IFDH Members!

And…we’re off!! It’s only been 5 months and your IFDH team has hit the ground running. Actually, sprinting is more like it! Let’s go!

Welcome New Members

We are so thrilled to welcome our new members – dental therapists, oral therapists and oral health therapists! Each of us plays an important role in oral healthcare and joining together will ultimately enable us to improve the health of the public. Several of our countries have utilized dental therapists for many years and some have already included joint membership in their strategic planning. If you’re unfamiliar with the duties and scope of practice of our new members, please see the explanation provided by Jessica Pennay in this edition of ENews and on our website. We look forward to working with all!

White Paper Series Progressing

Have you seen the newly published White Paper, “Oral Health During Pregnancy & the Role of Dental Hygienists”? It is truly outstanding. Co-authored by Dr Hyewon Lee & Dr Alice Horowitz, it is filled with practical and useful information about pregnancy and pre-natal oral health and the challenges of integrating dental hygienists into primary healthcare systems.

But the overall take-away from the paper is how dental hygienists ARE highly qualified to work in healthcare settings that treat pregnant women, and how we can make a difference. The future of dental hygiene practice lies in medical/dental hygiene integration, and this is one area where that can occur. Be sure to download the paper from the IFDH website.

Share this excellent resource with others and stay tuned for 5 more White Papers to come over the next year. The topics include:

• Behavioral Change
• Aging & Oral Care
• Oral Health for Medically Challenged Patients
• Impact of Sustainability
• Cost Effectiveness of Prevention

Sending My Virtual Greetings

An expression we often hear is FOMO – Fear of Missing Out. Oh, how I wish I could travel to each of your countries and visit with every one of you! Of course, that’s not possible, but I was able to share virtual greetings with our colleagues in Spain, Italy, the UK, and Russia.

All these dental hygiene organizations held annual congresses over the past few months and I’m sure they were filled with excellent learning, networking and fun. And congratulations to the Canadian Dental Hygienists’ Association who held their first in-person annual conference since 2019 in beautiful Niagara Falls. If you’d like to request a Presidential visit or virtual greeting, please fill out the attached form. I will do my best to honor your request!

IFDH Invited to the First-ever WHO Global Oral Health Meeting

One of the most exciting events to happen in years was the first-ever WHO Global Oral Health Meeting! It was amazing to interact with representatives from over 110 countries, representing YOU….our members, as well as participating on two panel discussions.

The beautiful city of Bangkok, Thailand, welcomed us with open arms, and the atmosphere was electric. Everyone present sensed that history was being made as the Bangkok Declaration was signed, a document that solidified commitment to the WHO Global Oral Health Action Plan. See my article and photos in this newsletter for a full overview of the meeting.

On an Expert Panel with ACFF

The Alliance for a Cavity Free Future (ACFF) is a partner of IFDH in promoting educational initiatives about caries. The organization has set an ambitious goal that every child born in 2030 and thereafter should remain cavity-free during their lifetime. As IFDH President, I participated in their Expert Panel, and in November we held our annual meeting via Zoom. The ACFF has chapters around the world, and if you’re unfamiliar with them you may want to check out their website.

Lots of Hard Work by Our Committees & Board

Our IFDH committees are hard at work with various initiatives and projects. I cannot thank them enough for their hard work, as they are the backbone of all we do. Your Board has held 2 meetings since July and we, too, are working hard to elevate our profession. We hope to have some new, exciting initiatives to share with you soon.

We are focused, strong and definitely moving…#UPWARD!

Jill Rethman, RDH, BA, FADHA
IFDH President, 2024-2026

I welcome any and all comments, ideas and suggestions. Please reach out if you’d like to share! My virtual door is always open. Please email me.