ADHA leads the way into a new century of dental hygiene

“There are six fantastic continuing education (C.E.) tracks designed to meet the needs of all oral health professionals,” said ADHA President Denise Bowers, RDH, PhD. “There is an amazing exhibit hall featuring the industry’s top dental companies. There are also various receptions and networking opportunities where you can celebrate accomplishments of your colleagues, reconnect with past friends and develop new relationships.”

Within those six C.E. tracks, more than 30 C.E. programs will be offered during the CLL portion of the event, including five sessions featuring either hands-on or interactive elements. Programs include trends in periodontology, comprehensive health prevention for older adults, new curricular domains and models for dental-hygiene education and management of dental pain. The courses can be taken in specific tracks, or attendees can mix things up, depending on their focus and educational needs. A specific track for dental-hygiene students also is available.

In addition to the educational sessions and nationally known presenters speaking at this year’s event, the CLL also features a product exhibition hall showcasing nearly 120 companies involved in oral health and dental hygiene.

And for the fifth consecutive year, the exhibit hall will feature the ADHA/Henry Schein Dream Center — an interactive, unique, hands-on operatory experience that allows attendees to visit six different product stations where they can utilize the latest dental hygiene technology and equipment.

“We truly hope that everyone enjoys their time at the ADHA Center for Lifelong Learning and Annual Session,” said ADHA Executive Director Ann Battrell, MSDH. “Some of the best things about our meeting are the people who attend, as well as the conversations that emerge from our numerous networking sessions and social events.”

Annual session highlights organization’s renewed focus on the future

The ADHA 91st Annual Session House of Delegates officially takes place June 22–24 and will focus on the business-related activities of the organization, including forums, workshops and committee sessions centered on the ADHA’s critical role in representing the more than 185,000 dental hygienists in the United States.

Some business-meeting-related programs, such as the District Discussions and Association Update Workshop, begin on June 21. The topic of the Association Update will be the ADHA’s discussion with the Federal Trade Commission about accreditation standards for dental therapy education programs and the resulting revision of the draft standards by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).

As a result of the ADHA’s outreach and education efforts, the FTC responded to a draft version of the standards with 15 pages of commentary. Among the recommendations for the revision was the development of standards that do not effectively and unnecessarily constrain the discretion of states to determine dental therapy scope of practice and authority.

CODA has circulated revised standards for comment and will be holding an open hearing on June 21 during the ADHA meeting. Meeting attendees will have the opportunity to share their concerns about the standards in the open hearing session, which takes place from 2:30–4 p.m. in the Forum 12 Ballroom at Caesars Palace.

Attendees will have the opportunity to work with each other and the organization as the ADHA builds on its new strategic plan focused on education, alliances and advocacy; its new core ideology to lead the transformation of the dental hygiene profession to improve the public’s oral and overall health; and its new vision statement, which says dental hygienists are integrated into the health-care delivery system as essential primary care providers to expand access to oral health care.

Other business meeting highlights include Executive Director Battrell’s annual report to the House of Delegates; a farewell address by ADHA President Bowers; and the installation luncheon, where President-Elect Kelli Swanson Jaecks will be installed as ADHA president.

(Source: ADHA)