OSAP Symposium attendees ‘shake it up’

Each year, world-renowned experts share up-to-the-minute news, best practices, new guidelines, and other essential information. The symposium also includes a healthy dose of fun, including a dine-around event, networking opportunities, and the popular auction, which this year raised a record-breaking US$150,000 for the OSAP Foundation.

This year’s program was packed with dynamic and relevant information that really ‘shook things up.’ OSAP offered complimentary pre- and post- conference sessions for consultants and educators that drilled into specific issues and provided needed resources. Added this year was a Global Summit on Dental Patient Safety addressing this important World Health Organization (WHO) initiative, and a New Product Forum, where the presenting companies received the Movers and Shakers Award; a giant glass salt shaker filled with OSAP M&Ms.

Dr Michael Glick, dean of SUNY Buffalo Dental School, officially kicked off the program with a riveting session addressing dentistry’s potential new role in identifying chronic diseases in dental facilities. Masterfully wrapping up the first day of the symposium was Dr Kathy O’Loughlin, the executive director of the American Dental Association, presenting OSAP’s annual Dr John Zapp Memorial Lecture.

The program was chock-full of lectures to increase the knowledge and skills of all those who daily fight the battle for infection control and safety in dentistry. Dr Dominick DePaola, president of the Santa Fe Group, delivered a special presentation on leadership that especially resonated the mission of OSAP.

One of the speakers, Dr David Reznik, director of the Oral Health Center of Grady’s Infectious Disease Program and president of HIVDent, said, “An absolute pleasure … great meeting, great people, GREAT organization!”

OSAP was founded in 1984, and the non-profit association is known as dentistry’s premier resource for infection control and safety information. Through its publications, courses, a website and worldwide collaborations, OSAP and the tax-exempt OSAP Foundation support education, research, service and policy development to promote safety and the control of infectious diseases in dental healthcare settings worldwide.

The next OSAP Symposium will be held 9-12 June 2011 in Plano (Dallas), TX, USA.

(Edited by Fred Michmershuizen, DTA)