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July 21 ADHA 2007-2008 Leadership
Chicago—July 12, 2007—Jean Connor, RDH, Cambridge, Mass., was elected the 2007-2008 president of the Chicago-based American Dental Hygienists’ Association on June 26, 2007, at the association’s 84th annual session held in New Orleans, La. “This is an exciting time to lead the American Dental Hygienists’ Association,” Connor said. “I am honored to oversee the new branding initiative and welcome all dental hygienists as we continue to advance the profession, finding new equitable solutions for expanding access to oral health care.” Connor has served in numerous positions within ADHA including five years as district I trustee, director of the Oral Health Institute, ADHA delegate and student alternate delegate, as well as both the president-elect and vice president. She served four years as treasurer of the dental hygiene political action committee. Connor has also served as president for both the Massachusetts Dental Hygienists’ Association (MDHA) and the Middlesex component. Connor has served on a variety of educational, public health and healthcare committees including the advisory boards at Forsythe Dental Hygiene Program at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Science and Middlesex Community College Dental Hygiene Program. Her contributions have lead to her recognition as hygienist of the year by the Middlesex Component and MDHA along with the Massachusetts Dental Society. Most recently, Connor was honored by her alma mater with the 2007 Outstanding Alumni Award. Connor succeeds Margaret Lappan Green, RDH, MS, of Yorktown, Va., as president. Green remains an ADHA officer as immediate past president as well as the 2007-2008 chair of ADHA Institute for Oral Health. Additional ADHA officers installed at the annual session include: Diann Bomkamp, RDH, BSDH, CDHC, St. Louis, Mo., president-elect, Lynn M. Ramer, LDH, of Logansport, Ind., vice president, Hope Garza, RDH, BS, Houston, Texas, treasurer. Remaining in her position as Speaker of the House is Kimberly Hickman-Bowen, RDH, BSDH, MA, Middleton, Del. The newly installed district trustees for 2007-2008 are as follows: Denise E. Bowers, RDH, MEd, of Lima, Ohio, District V (Ind., Ky., Mich., Ohio); Bonnie Flanagan, RDH, of Tulsa, Okla., District IX (N.M., Okla., Texas); Catherine Kelly Draper, RDH, MS, San Jose, Calif., District XI (Ariz., Calif.). Re-elected district trustees for 2007-2008 are as follows: Beverley C. Litchfield, RDH, BS, EdD, of Scarborough, Maine, District I (Maine, Mass., N.H., R.I., Vt.); Pamela L. Quinones, RDH, BS, of Rockville, Md., District III (Del., Washington, D.C., Md., Va., W.Va.); Linda M. Jorgenson, RDH, BS, of River Falls, Wis., District VII (Minn., N.D., S.D., Wis.). District trustees continuing their term for 2007-2008 are as follows: Sherri L. Meyers, RDH, MS, of Wind Gap, Pa., District II (Conn., N.J., N.Y., Pa.); Linda Swarts, RDH, BHS, of Jacksonville, N.C., District IV (Fla., Ga., N.C., S.C.); Catherine Ellington, RDH, BS, of Metairie, La., District VI (Ala., Ark., La., Miss., Tenn.); Mary C. Kelly, RDH, BS, of Des Moines, Iowa, District VIII (Ill., Iowa, Kan., Mo., Neb.).Laurie K. Ghigleri, BS, RDH, of Colorado Springs, Colo., District X (Colo. Mont., Utah, Wyo.); and Susan Savage, RDH, BSDH, of Ellinsburg, Wash., District XII (Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Nev., Ore., Wash.). ADHA is the largest national organization representing the professional interests of the more than 120,000 dental hygienists across the country. Dental hygienists are preventive oral health professionals, licensed in dental hygiene, who provide educational, clinical and therapeutic services that support total health through the promotion of optimal oral health. For more information about ADHA, dental hygiene or the link between oral health and general health, visit http://www.adha.org.
May 07 ADHA Seeks Input of ADHP(Copied from ADHA's website: See more on this at www.ADHA.org) ADHA Seeks Input on Updated Draft Curriculum for the Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner (ADHP) In an effort to address the severe oral health disparities plaguing millions across the U.S., ADHA adopted three key resolutions at its 81st annual session that set the stage for creating an advanced dental hygiene practitioner, which will impact the oral health of the public. Already a major topic among those in dentistry, the draft curriculum establishes key points on the level of care this new professional will provide to the public and the respective education required, including:
The advanced dental hygiene practitioner (ADHP) curriculum has moved into the second phase of development. Based on feedback from members and the ADHP advisory committee, a revised draft curriculum has been developed that includes a vision statement, background information, domains and competencies. The task force will be devoting considerable time to reviewing and evaluating the feedback related to the curriculum and preparing the next version. Members are encouraged to provide feedback. Simply review or download the Draft ADHP curriculum and provide your comments on the feedback form. You may type your comments directly into the electronic document and select the “save as” button to save the document to your computer and return to ADHA via electronic mail. Alternatively, you may fax or mail the completed form to ADHA. Please return the completed feedback form by October 10, 2006 to: Colleen Schmidt, RDH, MS, Director of Education Or mail to: ADHA May 05 Let's BLOG all about it!After several months of ATTEMPTING to blog at Blogger, I am frustrated with it. I moved the pertinent previous posts here today - and will start anew. As a practicing hygienist in the state of Kentucky, I plan to use this forum for discussion of any problems, issues, concerns, questions - you name it! If it affects you as a practicing hygienist or as a dental patient - bring it here. We'll find answers, solutions or suggestions together - as I certainly don't claim to have ALL the answers myself. But - I will try my best to locate them for you!! Infective EndocarditisFor decades, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommended that patients with certain heart conditions take antibiotics shortly before dental treatment. This was done with the belief that antibiotics would prevent infective endocarditis (IE), previously referred to as bacterial endocarditis. The AHA's latest guidelines were published in its scientific journal, Circulation , in April 2007 and there is good news: the AHA recommends that most of these patients no longer need short-term antibiotics as a preventive measure before their dental treatment. The American Dental Association participated in the development of the new guidelines and has approved those portions relevant to dentistry. The guidelines were also endorsed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.
The guidelines are based on a growing body of scientific evidence that shows the risks of taking preventive antibiotics outweigh the benefits for most patients. The risks include adverse reactions to antibiotics that range from mild to potentially severe and, in very rare cases, death. Inappropriate use of antibiotics can also lead to the development of drug-resistant bacteria. Scientists also found no compelling evidence that taking antibiotics prior to a dental procedure prevents IE in patients who are at risk of developing a heart infection. Their hearts are already often exposed to bacteria from the mouth, which can enter their bloodstream during basic daily activities such as brushing or flossing.
The new guidelines are based on a comprehensive review of published studies that suggests IE is more likely to occur as a result of these everyday activities than from a dental procedure. The guidelines say patients who have taken prophylactic antibiotics routinely in the past but no longer need them include people with: mitral valve prolapse rheumatic heart disease bicuspid valve disease calcified aortic stenosis congenital heart conditions such as ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
The new guidelines are aimed at patients who would have the greatest danger of a bad outcome if they developed a heart infection. Preventive antibiotics prior to a dental procedure are advised for patients with: artificial heart valves a history of infective endocarditis certain specific, serious congenital (present from birth) heart conditions, including unrepaired or incompletely repaired cyanotic congenital heart disease, including those with palliative shunts and conduits a completely repaired congenital heart defect with prosthetic material or device, whether placed by surgery or by catheter intervention, during the first six months after the procedure any repaired congenital heart defect with residual defect at the site or adjacent to the site of a prosthetic patch or a prosthetic device a cardiac transplant that develops a problem in a heart valve.
The new recommendations apply to many dental procedures, including teeth cleaning and extractions. Patients with congenital heart disease can have complicated circumstances. They should check with their cardiologist if there is any question at all as to the category that best fits their needs.
The full report is available to download below, along with supporting charts. If you have any questions about these guidelines, please feel free to contact the ADA Division of Science via e-mail or by calling 312-440-2878. ADA members may use the Association's toll-free number and ask for x2878.
Infective Endocarditis Guidelines PDF file/148k Legal sidebar PDF file/18k
Table 1: Summary of 9 Iterations of AHA Recommended Antibiotic Regimens from 1955 to 1997 for Dental/Respiratory Tract Procedures* PDF file/53k
Table 2: Primary Reasons for Revision of the IE Prophylaxis Guidelines PDF file/58k
Table 3: Cardiac Conditions Associated with the Highest Risk of Adverse Outcome from Endocarditis for Which Prophylaxis with Dental Procedures Is Recommended PDF file/61k
Table 4: Dental Procedures for which Endocarditis Prophylaxis is Recommended for Patients in
Table 3 PDF file/50k
Table 5: Regimens for a Dental Procedure PDF file/52k
Table 6: Summary of Major Changes in Updated Document PDF file/77k Small Bacteria - Big ImpactFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 10, 2007 SMALL BACTERIA – BIG IMPACT
Two studies look at the possible connection periodontal bacteria may have with other systemic conditions CHICAGO – Two new studies in the Journal of Periodontology explore the possible link between periodontal bacteria and coronary artery disease as well as periodontal bacteria and preeclampsia. These studies found that periodontal bacteria, which are often invisible to the naked eye, may account for big effects on general health conditions.
Periodontal bacteria have often been thought to play a role in many of the possible connections between oral health and overall health. Two of the studies in this month's issue of the JOP further the understanding of these potential connections. One study looked at patients who had been diagnosed with coronary artery disease and examined the bacteria found in their arteries. They were able to identify periodontal pathogens in the coronary and internal mammary arteries in 9 out of 15 of the patients examined.
A second study looked at women who had suffered from preeclampsia during their pregnancy, a condition characterized by an abrupt rise in blood pressure that affects about 5% of pregnancies. The study found that 50% of the placentas from women with preeclampsia were positive for one or more periodontal pathogens. This was compared to just 14.3% in the control group. Both of these studies support the concept that periodontal organisms might be associated with the development of other systemic conditions such as coronary artery disease and preeclampsia.
“These studies are just a few in the growing body of evidence on the mouth-body connection. More research is needed to fully understand how periodontal bacteria travels from the mouth to other parts of the body as well as the exact role it has in the development of these systemic diseases,” said Preston D. Miller, Jr., D.D.S., and president of the American Academy of Periodontology.
“In the meantime it is important for physicians, dental professionals and patients alike to monitor the research in this area as it continues to grow so they can better work together to achieve the highest levels of overall health.”
To find out if you are at risk for periodontal diseases please visit the AAP's Web site at http://www.perio.org/consumer/4a.html and take a free risk assessment test. For a referral to a periodontist and a copy of the free brochures titled Periodontal Diseases: What You Need to Know please visit www.perio.org or call toll-free 800/FLOSS-EM (800.356-7736).
The American Academy of Periodontology is an 8,000-member association of dental professionals specializing in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the gums and supporting structures of the teeth and in the placement and maintenance of dental implants. Periodontics is one of nine dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Kerry Gutshall The American Academy of Periodontology Phone: 312.573.3243 Fax: 312.573.3234 http://www.perio.org
EDITOR'S NOTE: A copy of the JOP articles titled Correlation between atherosclerosis and periodontal putative pathogenic bacteria infections in coronary and internal mammary arteries and Evidence of periopathogenic microorganisms in placentas of women with preeclampsia are available to the media by contacting the AAP Public, Practice and Scientific Affairs Department at 312/573-3243. The public and/or non-AAP members can view a study abstract online, and the full-text of the study may be accessed online for $20.00 at http://www.joponline.org/
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