Access attends the Academy of Laser Dentistry meeting.

I had the wonderful opportunity of being invited to attend the Academy of Laser Dentistry (ALD) Meeting April 9-12, 2008, in San Diego, Calif., by Executive Director Gall Siminovsky, CAE, and with the assistance of Angle Mott, RDH, auxiliary chair of the ALD board.

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This was a fabulous three-day educational symposium of the leaders in laser dentistry and laser dental hygiene. I attended many interesting presentations that included topics in the areas of caries management, endodontics, periodontology, soft tissue surgery, photobiomodulation, prosthodontics and implantology. Several key moderators included John Featherstone, MSc, PhD; Donald Coluzzi, DDS; Angle Mott, RDH; Joel White, DDS, MS; Constanza Martinez, DDS, MSD; Giuseppe Iaria, DDS, DMD; Peter Rechmann, DDS; Frank Yung, DDS: and Tony Hewlett, DDS. There were many national and international speakers who presented case presentations in laser dentistry to show the benefits of this technology in practice.

Many dental professionals (dentists/dental hygienists) attended this meeting to attain standard and advanced proficiency in lasers. There were student scholarship presentations, hands-on workshops with laser manufacturers and an interactive discussion forum where laser experts addressed leading-edge laser questions.

Dental Hygienists' Role in ALD

Dental hygienists played an important role in this meeting with their dental hygiene hands-on course that was moderated by Angle Mott, RDH; Nora Raffetto, RDH; Teri Gutierrez, RDH; and Mary L. Smith, RDH. Dental hygienists were allowed to use many different types of lasers on pig jaws in an interactive process.

There was also a dental hygiene discussion forum attended by many dental professionals on the last day. Angle Mott, RDH, was the moderator of this forum, which included the following presentations by dental hygienists:

Jeanne Godett, RDH--Light Years Ahead: The Use of Locally Applied Antibiotics and 810-nm Diode Lasers

Nora Raffetto, RDH--The Good, Bad and the Ugly--810-830-nm Diode Laser Therapy for the Perio Patient Who Smokes

Mary Lynn Smith, RDH--Time Efficiency and Results: Active Phase Periodontal Therapy Using Detocused CO2 Laser Angle Mott, RDH--Periodontal Laser Therapy--Three-Year Comparison

These four dental hygienists gave outstanding presentations that targeted the use of laser therapy in dental hygiene practice and using this technology to improve oral health of diseased periodontitis patients.

Team Collaboration

I was very impressed by the professionalism and respect that the dental hygienists who are members of this organization received from the other members of ALD. It was a very collaborative and productive meeting, and everyone worked well together.

Corporate exhibitors were available during this meeting to discuss new products, technology and tools with participants as well as during workshops.

As we continue to work together to expand the scope of dental hygiene practice, laser therapy is another avenue to provide quality technology to treat oral diseases and the oral health of our patients. There are 21 states in the United States that allow dental hygienists to be certified in laser technology in soft-tissue curettage or periodontal therapy. But there are more states where this technology needs to be discussed (see Table I on page 16).

I want to thank the ALD Board for inviting me as a guest to represent one of ADHA's official publications, Access, at this meeting. For more information on laser certification, please contact the ALD at www.laserdentistry.org, and for questions about laser usage in your state, contact ADHA at www.adha.org.

By Christine A. Hovliaras Delozier, RDH, BS, MBA 

Table I. Lasers to Perform Soft Tissue Curettage or Periodontal Therapy

State     Yes        No        No     Policy/Comments
                            written
                            policy

AL                [check]             Only use lasers for diagnostic
                                        purposes. Rule 270-x-3.10(h)
AK      [check]             [check]
AR      [check]
AZ      [check]                       R-4-11- 601B
CA      [check]                       1764 (c)
CO                [check]             1235-124, 1235-125, 12-35-128,
                                        1235-127
CT                [check]   [check]
DC      [check]             [check]
DE      [check]             [check]
FL                [check]             Chapter 64135-16.006 Only DDS
                                        can do.
GA                [check]             150-5-.03(6)
HI                          [check]
IA                [check]             Position statement 4/17/03
ID      [check]                       IDAPA 19030.03.A
IN      [check]             [check]
IL                [check]             Section 25 (18)
KY      [check]             [check]
KS                [check]   [check]
LA                [check]   [check]
MA                [check]   [check]
MD                          [check]
ME      [check]             [check]   Must be laser certified.
MI      [check]             [check]
MN                [check]   [check]
MO      [check]             [check]
MS                [check]   [check]
MT      [check]             [check]
NC                [check]   [check]
ND      [check]             [check]
NE      [check]             [check]
NH                [check]   [check]
NJ                [check]   [check]
NM      [check]             [check]
NV      [check]                       NAC 631.033, NAC 631.035
NY      [check]             [check]
OH                [check]             P. 39 ORC-4715-11-06
OK      [check]             [check]
OR                [check]   [check]
PA                [check]             Subchapter C 33.201
RI                [check]   [check]
SC      [check]   [check]   [check]
SD                          [check]
TN                [check]   [check]
TX                [check]             22 TAC Sec.115.1
UT                [check]             R156-69.22
VA                [check]   [check]
VT                [check]   [check]
WA      [check]             [check]
WI                [check]   [check]
WV                [check]             Position statement 12/4/2004
WY                [check]   [check]

This information was obtained via direct contact with state dental
board office personnel by ADHA Governmental Affairs division staff.
www.adha.org April 2008