2004 ADHA Center for Lifelong Learning Regional Symposium

> See event photos below

ADHA's Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL) built on its previous success, hosting the sold out, second annual regional symposium, "Trends and Techniques in Technology," for more than 500 attendees at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill's School of Dentistry, November 5 - 7, 2004. The three-day event included commercial exhibits, hands-on technology demonstrations, panel discussions sessions, and continuing education (CE) courses centered around the use of technology in the practice of dental hygiene. "[CLL is] an example of many different entities working together to provide quality continuing education," says ADHA Assistant Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Education Ann Battrell, RDH, BS.

ADHA's Council on Education developed CLL, which first met last year at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis to help encourage the educational development of dental hygiene professionals. Attendees say that CLL draws on a wide variety of resources and knowledge to provide them with cutting-edge CE courses in an intensive, participatory environment.

To ensure an opportunity for dental hygienists in all parts of the country to take advantage of this opportunity for education and professional networking, ADHA will offer the lifelong learning symposium at an educational setting located in a different region of the country every year. Each educational setting chosen for CLL, Battrell says, will provide a clinical environment for convenient, progressive learning with high-quality and cost-effective courses, as well as access to relevant expertise from other academic departments.

The 2004 symposium built on the "total immersion" model of its predecessor, offering attendees group activities, didactic courses, and intensive instruction from experts in the oral health care field.

Saturday, November 8 offered discussions on a wide variety of issues affecting the practice of dental hygiene. The morning featured Ray Williams, DMD, distinguished professor and chair of periodontology at UNC, lecturing on periodontal and systemic health, a central focus at this year's symposium. Heather Jared, RDH, MS, addressed periodontal disease and its effect on pregnancy outcomes, while James Beck, PhD, MS, distinguished professor in the dental ecology department at UNC addressed the current state, future direction, and clinical implications of periodontal and cardiovascular disease.

Janet Southerland, DDS, MPH, assistant professor of dental ecology at UNC, who did a presentation on diabetes, says she thought that the symposium was a great experience. "I really enjoyed the participants. . . they were very interactive and interested in the subject matter." Attendee Joe Sutterlin, BS, MCE, MDiv, RDH, of Charlotte, North Carolina found Southerland's lecture particularly informative, adding that he now plans to "start asking questions about diabetes and check with the patients on the likelihood of diabetes running in their family."

Another popular workshop, led by Dave Paquette, DMD, MPH, DMSc, assistant professor of periodontology at UNC, was titled "Innovative Therapies for Chronic Periodontitis." The session, which explored alternative treatments for patients with chronic periodontitis, included the use of products containing aspirin and triclosan, a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent found in many household cleaners. Researchers now believe that aspirin's antiinflammatory properties inhibit prostaglandins that trigger bone resorption, and studies have indicated that triclosan can significantly reduce plaque and gingivitis and enable production of specific cytokines. Rebecca Wilder, RDH, MS, associate professor and coordinator of the master of science degree program in dental hygiene at UNC presented on adjunctive therapies for chronic periodontitis.

Also included in the Saturday session was a special review session designed for dental hygiene students preparing to take the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination. Led by Nancy Cherner, RDH, MS, founder and president of Educational Horizons, Inc., which created the first review course for the Dental Hygiene National and Regional Board Exams, the session reviewed topics including test-taking strategies, case studies, clinical dental hygiene, and radiology. Dental hygiene student George Byrd agrees that the review would be a valuable tool, adding that, "There were a lot of things I picked up on [at the session] that I didn't realize [and] every student has the opportunity [CLL sessions], because the cost to come here is so reasonable."

Sunday's clinical session sponsored by DENTSPLY Professional, one of the many companies that helped to make the event possible, featured an event to educate dental hygienists about the advances being made in the use of ultrasonic and hand instrumentation. Combining didactic lecture, group discussion, and hands-on clinical exercises, the workshop was designed to explore the change in ultrasonic instrument technologies, which is considered a major advance in the administration of dental hygiene services, because their ease of use reduces operator fatigue and debridement can be rendered comfortably without tissue trauma.

Candy Hazen, RDH, of Bloomington, Minnesota, who also attended last year's session, said that she was excited to return this year. "It offered courses I was very interested in," she says, "and it presented the perfect opportunity to catch up with friends and staff at ADHA." The seminars provided practical insights that she is already using in practice, she adds.

Hazen believes that CLL presents a unique opportunity to dental hygienists everywhere. "The speakers are always interesting and have up-to-the-minute information to share, " she says, "It's a great opportunity to meet new people in the profession."

Battrell notes that collaboration with host-school UNC and its dental faculty enabled ADHA to offer "nationally known and well-respected speakers in the field of oral health." This year's success leaves both organizers and participants eager to see what next year's symposium will offer. "ADHA looks forward to expanding the CLL and providing excellent quality continuing education to dental hygienists throughout the country," Battrell says.

--Daniel Bond

ADHA's Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL) second annual regional symposium, November 5 - 7, 2004.	Student participants, including Ismael Gutrerrez (left) and George Byrd (right), were a major part of the meeting.
Student attendees at the National Dental Hygiene Board Review on Saturday, November 6.	Up-to-the-moment education in ultrasonic instrumentation was available in a hands-on interactive format.
Commercial exhibitors found an audience among lifelong learners.	The opportunity to participate in top-notch continuing education programs drew an audience from across the nation.