The American Dental Hygienists’ Association and the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company Sponsor National Distribution of “Quit Now” Cards with the First National Tobacco Quitline

Chicago—September 14, 2005— The American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA) is delighted to announce that through the generous sponsorship of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, ADHA will be providing 750,000 “Quit Now” cards for distribution in each state this October for National Dental Hygiene Month (NDHM), in conjunction with the 2005 NDHM focus on tobacco use, heart disease and oral health.

The first national toll free number 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669) is a single access point to the National Network of Tobacco Cessation quitlines. As the first national quitline number, callers are automatically routed to a state-run quitline. If there is no state-run quitline, callers are routed to the National Cancer Institute quitline.

Distribution of the “Quit Now” cards will be coordinated through ADHA’s national Smoking Cessation Initiative (SCI) and Ask. Advise. Refer. (AAR) program, designed to promote cessation intervention by dental hygienists. The SCI is made possible through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Smoking Cessation Leadership Center at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The UCSF center designed the card for distribution to tobacco users by health professionals and to promote the new national quitline. The cards are the size and feel of a plastic credit card.

The objective of ADHA’s SCI is to increase the number of dental hygienists who perform tobacco cessation interventions with their patients. In accordance with the AAR approach, dental hygienists refer their patients who use tobacco products to quitlines, as well as to Web-based and local cessation programs.

“By working together, state quitlines and dental hygienists have an unprecedented opportunity to reduce cigarette consumption and consequently the burden of illness, economic costs and death resulting from tobacco use. ADHA has recognized the overwhelming success of quitlines and is dedicated to providing every patient in every state with this important tool,” said Katie L. Dawson, RDH, BS, ADHA president. “Quitlines are a significant and reputable resource universally available to dental hygienists and their patients. Too many tobacco users are unaware of quitlines and too few smokers recognize dental hygienists as health care professionals with the skills to offer cessation assistance.”

A national network of state SCI liaisons will coordinate distribution of the “Quit Now” cards in their state, as well as work with their state quitline to track referrals made by dental hygienists to measure the outcomes of card distribution. Each liaison will receive 5,000 cards initially.

For more information, visit www.askadviserefer.org. Dental hygienists or consumers interested in receiving additional information should contact Carol Southard, ADHA SCI project manager, at 312-440-8920 or at carols@adha.net.

The Wrigley Company is a leading confectioner and the world’s largest manufacturer of chewing gum. The Wrigley Oral Health Care Program works hand-in-hand with dental professionals by investing in support programs for the dental team and the wider community. Wrigley also promotes good oral health through education and providing chewing gum products with dental and oral health benefits. For more information about the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company’s Oral Healthcare Program, visit http://www.wrigleydentalcare.com.

The strengthening of partnerships and collaboration between dentistry, dental science and commercial companies helps create supportive environments for promoting oral care today, and to help achieve better oral health in the future.

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 ADHA at http://www.adha.org.

-30-

Editor’s Note: Katie L. Dawson, RDH, BS, ADHA president, is available for interviews on smoking and tobacco cessation, as well as a wealth of oral health topics. Please contact Pam Anton at 312-440-8943 or media@adha.net to schedule an interview. Check ADHA’s Press Room for press releases, fact sheets and backgrounders: http://www.adha.org/media/. A rendering of the “Quit Now” cards can be downloaded from the Press Room.