Dental hygiene: a historical review of our professional accomplishments as we prepare for our exciting future.

"Sooner or later--those who win are those who think they can." (1)

Dental hygiene is a wonderful profession. Not only does it offer so much opportunity to do more preventive and therapeutic services for our patients, it also gives us a way to develop ourselves as professionals as we strive to expand our scope of practice for the future. If you are not excited about being a dental hygienist, you will be after you have read our cover feature, Dental Hygiene: Reflecting on Our Past, Preparing for Our Future," by Rhoda Gladstone, RDH, MS, and Wendy Garcia, RDH, MSEd. Gladstone and Garcia tell us what the dental hygiene profession was like in the past, examine where we are today and discuss preparing for our future. Dental hygiene has been and will continue to be a driving force in educating our clients on the importance of oral health, preventing dental and periodontal diseases, providing preventive services to people who cannot afford dental insurance and earning respect from our colleagues in health care.

Clinical Feature--Aphthous Ulcerations 

Many patients have this recurrent oral care condition. Lisa Dowst-Mayo, RDH, BS, provides us with an overview of aphthous ulcerations and what dental hygienists can do to identify them, their pathophysiology and etiology, and treatment options to consider with your patients.

Special Features Articles--Not to Be Missed!

This month we have an exciting selection of special feature articles for you to enjoy! Christel Koppel Autuori, RDH, BS, writes about the Forsyth Project, which many of you may not be aware of. This project began in 1949, with 12 dental hygienists from the Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene specially taught to provide restorative dentistry and dental hygiene care to children. This short-lived project was followed by another attempt in 1972, with Autuori as a participant. Neither project resulted in dental hygienists being allowed to perform restorative services on a permanent basis, but both of them showed the fact that additional training for dental hygienists to increase their scope of practice has the potential to decrease the dental disease decay rates.

Smoking Cessation

C. Austin Risbeck, RDH, writes "ADHA Smoking Cessation Initiative Part II--Partnering with Tobacco Quitlines" to help our readers understand the importance of working with a Tobacco Quitline organization within your constituent and utilizing ADHA's Smoking Cessation Initiative Web site at Ask.Advise.Refer.com. Risbeck highlights two state programs, The New California Gold Rush and The Empire Challenge in New York, which may serve as examples for other constituents wanting to move this initiative forward in the future.

Bioterrorism

Winnie Furnari, RDH, MS, forensic dentistry expert and member of the Access Editorial Advisory Board, writes "Disaster Preparedness: Your Role as a Dental Professional and Community Member," which will really raise your awareness about preparing for natural disasters, biological agents and potential terrorist activities within the United States. Does your office have a plan for a disaster? Do you have an emergency preparedness kit? What do your team members need to do and how can this help your community? Let us know your thoughts after you have read this special feature article.

ADHA Membership

Why is ADHA membership important to practicing dental hygienists? Mary Calka, RDH, writes "ADHA Membership-Its Impact on Your Future and Your Career." Calka tells us how membership in ADHA has helped to empower her to be more fully involved in dental hygiene through her constituent and on the national level, and she explains the intangible benefits it provides to all members, not the least of which is the opportunity for professional development. Also included are Calka's interviews with ADHA President Jean Connor, RDH, and President-Elect Diann Bomkamp, RDH, BSDH, CDHC.

More Great November Columns!

"Strive--The Student View"--James Duncan writes about his student involvement with the Hopi Health Care Center and the Winslow Indian Health Care Center in our student column.

"Infection Control"--Lou DePaola, DDS, MS, and Jackie Fried, RDH, MS, write another fabulous article entitled, "Hand Hygiene: The Most Effective Way to Prevent the Spread of Disease." After reading this article, you may want to review or change the way you are preventing the transmission of disease in your practice. Please take the Hand Hygiene Survey online at ADHA's Web site after you have read the article.

"Technology Update"--Lorne Lavine, DMD, helps us understand best practices in implementing office software not only effectively, but also safely, in this article on "Fraud Prevention."

"Working"--Learn how membership in ADHA helped Linda Belaus, CDA, RDH, create her company, Dentaljobs.

"Profile"--Learn what Jill Gauss, RDH, thinks about the dental hygiene profession and how it has helped her patients' overall health as well as her own development as a leader.

I want to wish all of our readers a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I know I have a lot to be thankful for, and I am sure you do as well. Let's be thankful for being able to provide quality care to our patients, being helpful to those in need, working with our professional colleagues collaboratively and successfully and enjoying the wonderful moments we will share with family and friends. Then get ready for wonderful December issue on Evidence-Based Decision Making in practice.

Reference

(1.) Canter J, Switzer J. The success principles--how to get from where you are to where you want to be. New York, HarperCollins, 2005, 37. Quote from "Jonathan Livingston Seagull," best-selling novel by Richard Bach.

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

Christine Hovliaras-Delozier, RDH, BS, MBA

Editor-in-Chief, Access

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