December 23, 2009

2009 Graduates: Win a Free Pair of Orascoptic Loupes!
Maintain your connection to the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and the dental hygiene profession by transitioning your membership from student to active. If you transition your membership through Dec. 31, 2009, you will be entered into a raffle for a custom pair of loupes – up to a $1,500 value!

The transition from student membership to active is simple and free - all we need is your license number. Just follow these easy steps: You can login online to your ADHA account and click the "Convert to Active Member" link OR call ADHA at 312-440-8900 and press 1 OR email your name, ADHA member ID number, license number and state of licensure to member.services@adha.net.

As an active member, you will have even more opportunities and benefits. With ADHA, you will increase your professional edge by taking advantage of state and local networking and continuing education opportunities. You can also explore your career options by using our Employment Guide, online Career Center and local job postings on your state website. In addition, you will continue to get discounts on professional items such as loupes, books, scrubs, car rentals and insurance just to name a few. You will find all of your member benefits online at http://benefits.adha.org.
Now that you have begun your dental hygiene career, remember to take advantage of this opportunity to transition your ADHA student membership to active – you might be the lucky winner of a new pair of loupes!

Institute for Oral Health has a New Look!
ADHA’s Institute for Oral Health is pleased to announce the launch of its new website at http://www.adha.org/ioh. 

Some of the cool new features you’ll find at the IOH website include:

• A new look and feel
• A user-friendly navigation that gets you the information you need in a single click
• Search functions powered by Google to help you find what you need
• Increased flexibility when making your donations – with more than 10 categories for you to choose where your dollars go

Come explore http://www.adha.org/ioh and see for yourself the many ways in which the Institute empowers, supports and develops YOU!

ADHA Awards Corner – Applications are due!  Don’t delay, apply today! Time is Running Out…Act Now! 
Don’t miss out on an exciting opportunity to be recognized by your colleagues. Visit the Awards Corner at www.adha.org/awards to view the 15 awards in six categories to find the award that best fits you!  Many of the awards provide financial assistance to attend ADHA’s 2010 CLL at the 87th Annual Session next June in Las Vegas.  Upcoming deadlines: Irene Newman Award and Alfred Fones Award applications are due by Dec. 30, 2009. Other application deadlines quickly approaching!

ADHA 2010 CLL at the 87th Annual Session – Course Information NOW Available! 
Come be a part of the LARGEST dental hygiene event June 23-29, 2010 ~ Caesars Palace, Las Vegas!  The CLL at the 87th Annual Session is designed to support YOU through networking opportunities, develop YOU through fantastic education, and empower YOU through the Annual Session Business Meeting…all at an affordable price!  Check out the seven program tracks with a variety of course offerings to earn up to 20 continuing education hours, all at an affordable price.  Visit us at www.adha.org/annualsession to view course offerings and read speaker bios!  Registration and housing open in mid-January. Mark your calendars to take advantage of the online special from January 15 - February 19!

WIN!!! A $500 Visa Check Card – 1st Ever You Tube CLL/AS Video Contest
Are YOU creative?  Have YOU dreamed of being a movie star?  Are YOU excited about attending ADHA’s 2010 CLL/AS in Las Vegas next June? Why not spread the word and have FUN while doing so!  Express why you are excited and why your colleagues should attend the 2010 CLL at the 87th Annual Session and be eligible to win a grand prize of a $500 Visa Check Card!  All videos will be posted on the ADHA website to be viewed and voted on by YOU and your colleagues, family and friends.  Get creative and have FUN…video submissions due Jan. 8, 2010!  Visit the Annual Session website for contest details and rules!

Interested in Running for an ADHA Office?
This is the time to consider running for elected office or applying for a council position for the 2010-2011 year. The president-elect usually begins considering council appointments shortly after the first of the year.

Also, in 2010, the ADHA House of Delegates will be electing a president-elect, a vice-president, a speaker of the house, finance committee members and ethics committee members from Regions A and C.  For more information on running for office, please refer to the Guidelines for Election Campaigns on page DM-II-A-15-18 of the Standing Rules or call Karen Caspers at Central Office.

To run for office or to be considered for a council position, submit your bio-data form to ADHA’s Central Office by Feb. 1, 2010.

Vacancies on National Board Test Construction Committees for 2011

The Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE) is pleased to announce five vacancies on the National Board Dental Hygiene TCCs for appointment in 2011. The specific test construction committee vacancies are noted below.

Applicants need not be nominated. An interested individual must meet the Selection Criteria and submit a PDF to be considered for appointment. Please note that curriculum vitae are not acceptable. All application materials, including the Selection Criteria for National Board Dental Test Constructors and Personal Data Form, are available on the ADA web site at http://www.ada.org/goto/testconstructor.

The PDFs must be submitted by Jan. 29, 2010. The Committee on Examination Development or the Committee on Dental Hygiene will review the qualifications of all applicants. Based on the committee’s recommendations, the JCNDE will approve the appointments during its meeting on April 14, 2010. Applicants will be informed of the status of their applications in late April.

          VACANCIES IN YEAR 2011 ON THE NATIONAL BOARD
                    DENTAL HYGIENE TEST CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEES

The Academy for Academic Leadership (AAL) is now accepting registrations for two phases of its popular Institute for Allied Health Educators (IAHE) online program to be held in 2010.

The IAHE is a professional, online development program designed to prepare faculty in allied health professions education for successful academic careers. Over the past three years, with the assistance of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry, 97 allied health educators have participated in the IAHE. The 2009 class on Teaching Foundations was the first to experience the Institute entirely online, with four synchronous sessions and three self-study modules. The new approach gave participants maximum flexibility and convenience and garnered very positive evaluations, including the following:

A very approachable form of distance learning. Very knowledgeable faculty.
-- Carol Brightwell RDH, BS, Clinical Professor, Tyler Junior College

Excellent program for new as well as experienced educators. Has allowed me to better assess and further develop my teaching skills.
-- Wendy M. Garcia, RDH, MSEd, Clinical Instructor, University of Bridgeport, Fones School of Dental Hygiene

An OUTSTANDING course. Extremely well-organized with expert instructors, relevant and applicable material and engaging open forums which allow you to provide and hear useful feedback.
-- Marianne Contino, RDH, Clinical Instructor, University of Pennsylvania

To give even more allied dental educators the chance to experience this program, the Teaching Foundations sessions will be provided again in January 2010, and the all-new Advances in Educational Methods for Allied Health Educators will be offered in June 2010.

Educators enrolled in the IAHE, whether new to academia or seasoned faculty in need of a mid-career boost, will gain experience with key classroom and clinical teaching practices. Applications for phase one will be accepted until Dec. 28, 2009; phase two will be open for registration until May 31, 2010.

Each session will be archived, so if registrants miss a session, they can view a podcast that features all of the slides, video and audio. They also can correspond with the instructors between sessions to clarify any lessons they wish. The 2009 class reported great satisfaction with these features.

Information about the 2010 programs and registration forms for both phases is available at the AAL website: http://www.academicleaders.org/iahe.html.

For more information about the IAHE, contact AAL Chief Operating Officer George Weinstein at gweinstein@academicleaders.org or (404) 350-2098.

Research that Develops YOU!
Challenges in Quality Assessment of Dental Care
James D. Bader J Am Dent Assoc 2009; 140: 1456-1464. [Full Text] [PDF]
Dr. Bader explores why dentistry is limited in its ability to assess quality of care and suggests initial steps dentistry should take to improve quality assessment of dental care.

Virtual Reality Distraction for Pain Control During Periodontal Scaling and Root Planing Procedures
Elena Furman, T. Roma Jasinevicius, Nabil F. Bissada, Kristin Z. Victoroff, Robert Skillicorn, and Marc Buchner
J Am Dent Assoc 2009; 140: 1508-1516. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
The authors evaluate the analgesic effect of immersive virtual reality during periodontal scaling and root planing procedures.

Broken Local Anesthetic Needles: A Case Series of 16 Patients, With Recommendations
M. Anthony Pogrel
J Am Dent Assoc 2009; 140: 1517-1522. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  
Dr. Pogrel reviews all cases of needle fracture that were reported during a 25-year period in one academic institution.

Dentist Workforce Trends in a Primarily Rural State: Iowa: 1997–2007
Raymond A. Kuthy, Susan C. McKernan, Jed S. Hand, and David C. Johnsen
J Am Dent Assoc 2009; 140: 1527-1534. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  
Dr. Kuthy and colleagues describe the creation and monitoring of an enhanced surveillance system concerning Iowa’s dentists and identify state trends in dentist workforce composition.

Developing Your Staff Into a Patient Education Team
Gordon J. Christensen J Am Dent Assoc 2009; 140: 1536-1539. [Full Text] [PDF]  
Dr. Christensen describes staff members who work in every dental office and have the potential to provide patient education, suggest methods that can be incorporated into dental practices to educate patients about oral preventive and treatment procedures, and outlines methods to educate dental staff members to the level at which they can assume a proactive part in the patient education process.

The Benefit of Delegation
Roger P. Levin J Am Dent Assoc 2009; 140: 1541-1542. [Full Text] [PDF]  
Dr. Levin explains how delegation helps maximize productivity and profitability in the dental office and how sharing projects among team members frees the dentist to focus on patient care and other clinical duties.

Tobacco Atlas Now Available
The Tobacco Atlas, Third Edition, published by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation, was recently released and is a valuable resource for dental hygienists engaged in tobacco control activities.  The Tobacco Atlas can be accessed at http://www.tobaccoatlas.org/.  Limited copies are availablein print for free.  The website also contains research and data to assist with tobacco control efforts.

Additional information about tobacco cessation is available at www.AskAdviseRefer.org, that website operated as part of ADHA’s Tobacco Intervention Initiative (TII).  The website contains information and resources for dental hygienists who stage tobacco interventions or assist patients with tobacco cessation efforts.  Information and resources can be accessed for free and are tailored specifically to dental hygiene professionals.  Visit www.AskAdviseRefer.org today for more details!

Spread Instant Cheer with America’s Toothfairy® Holiday Cards!
Two shopping days until Christmas— are you still scrambling to cross everyone off of your holiday list? America’s Toothfairy holiday cards are a perfect way to instantly send holiday cheer to friends, colleagues and loved ones across the country and around the world! Surprise everyone this year with a card that celebrates the holiday season as well as your dedicated commitment to compassionate oral health care. Each day, dental hygienists make a difference in patients’ lives by reinforcing the importance of maintaining a healthy smile, and our holiday cards help spread your critical message far beyond the dental chair.  Visit www.AmericasToothfairy.org/your-support/tribute-cards/ today to choose from four festive, exclusive cards that can be emailed directly to everyone on your list, just in time for Christmas.

E-NEWSLETTER DISCLAIMER
To ensure you continue to receive our newsletter, please add broadcast@adha.net to your recipients list (not bulk or junk folders), and log in to your membership record at www.adha.org to update your contact information. The newsletter is sent to the email address on file. Do not reply to this email to update your email address.