Dental Health Foundation Publishes First-ever Guide for Healthcare Workers.

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Jan. 19, 1999--The Dental Health Foundation (DHF) announced today that it has published the Physician's Guide to Dental Emergencies, the first-ever oral health emergency guide for primary healthcare workers.

In partnership with the Arizona Department of Health Services, it is distributing one courtesy copy to every state dental officer in the United States. The 46-page booklet is a guide for physicians, other emergency-room workers, school nurses, and any primary care health worker. It provides detailed information on identifying teeth, instruments required, clinical presentation, and step-by-step immediate treatment for the most common oral disorders. Information is presented in a readable format and ranges from treating a simple loose tooth, to soft and hard tissue infections, lacerations, and post-dental work complications.

"This book fills a therapeutic reference void and is long overdue," said Dr. Larry J. Platt, Executive Director of the Dental Health Foundation, and a former practicing pediatrician. "A child's tooth is struck by a baseball; an adult is rear-ended while driving and her mouth hits the steering wheel; it is 2 am and a young man suffers an excruciating toothache. This booklet is about helping physicians save teeth and manage pain."

Dr. Platt noted that physicians and many other primary healthcare workers and school nurses receive minimal training in the care of oral health problems. DHF is making this book available at a nominal fee to assist these workers and promote improved care of the mouth. "It is priced so that every healthcare worker can and should have one on his or her desk," he added.

The book was written jointly by Carla Lidner, D.S. S., M.S., a dental consultant at Loma Linda University, and Don Altman, D.D.S., M.P.H., Chief of the Office of Oral Health in the Arizona Department of Health Services, under contract by the State of Arizona, and was published with funds from the DHF.

Copies of the book are available for US $6.00 plus shipping from the Dental Health Foundation at 4340 Redwood Highway, No. 319, San Rafael, California 94903; [phone]; [e-mail].

The Dental Health Foundation is a non-profit corporation founded in 1985, to promote the oral health of the public. It provides advocacy, education and public policy development that promotes community-based strategies to prevent oral health problems and increases access to oral health services. DHF services include workshops, technical consultants, research & training.