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ADHA Celebrating Profession’s Second Century at Its Center for Lifelong Learning

Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Chicago (June 16, 2014) — The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) is highlighting the start of the dental hygiene profession’s second century as the organization hosts the 2014 ADHA Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL) and 91st Annual Session (AS) at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Nearly 2,000 attendees are expected to attend over the course of the week-long event, which takes place June 18-24, 2014.

Education, Involvement and Exhibits Take Center Stage at CLL

“There are six fantastic continuing education (CE) 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 CE tracks, more than 30 CE programs will be offered during the CLL portion of the event, including five sessions featuring either hands-on or interactive elements. Programs will 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,” noted 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.”

One event that benefits tremendously from the involvement and attendance of members and students at CLL is the ADHA’s Community Service Day, which will take place on June 18, 2014. The ADHA, with sponsorship from the Wrigley Company Foundation and support from numerous corporate partners, will demonstrate a commitment to giving back to the community by providing oral health education to homeless teenagers in Las Vegas at the Shannon West Homeless Youth Center — a residential facility for teenagers who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Dental manufacturers 3M ESPE, ACT, Colgate, Crest Oral-B, Hu-Friedy, Johnson & Johnson and Premier have all donated generously to ensure that the youths receive home-care products to reinforce what they will learn at the event.

The media will have two unique chances to get a better understanding of the dental hygiene profession during the 2014 ADHA CLL. On June 20, 2014, from 10:45-11:30 a.m., media will have exclusive access to the ADHA/Henry Schein Dream Center, with the opportunity to learn about the unique technologies on display at each station and their role in improving oral health; and on June 21, 2014, a special ADHA Media Roundtable — including ADHA President Denise Bowers and ADHA senior staff — will be held from 12-1 p.m. highlighting some of the key achievements and initiatives undertaken by the ADHA on behalf of the profession over the past year. Media members who have an interest in either of these programs should contact ADHA Director of Communications John Iwanski for these RSVP events.

Some of the other exciting happenings during the 2014 ADHA CLL include:

·         The DENTSPLY/ADHA Graduate Student Clinicians Research Program Awards Banquet, which takes place June 19, 2014, to acknowledge the effort and achievement put forth to advance the profession and improve oral health.

·         On June 20, 2014, 13 poster presentations will be on display for the sixth year of this master-level student research poster competition, affording attendees the chance to walk through the DENTSPLY/ADHA Graduate Student Clinicians Research Poster session.

·         The ADHA Institute for Oral Health (IOH)/President’s Reception held June 20, 2014, helps generate awareness and support for the IOH’s mission to advance the profession of dental hygiene, and the benefit raises significant dollars to help support the dental hygiene scholarship, research-grant and community-service-grant programs.

“To connect with hygienists from all around the country, to partake in cutting-edge CE courses, to dialogue and make decisions about the future of the profession — this type of experience is priceless,” said ADHA President-Elect Kelli Swanson Jaecks, RDH, MA. “Every dental hygienist who attends has the opportunity to be a part of transforming our profession.”

ADHA 91st Annual Session Highlights Organization’s Renewed Focus on the Future

The ADHA 91st Annual Session House of Delegates officially takes place June 22-24, 2014, 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, 2014. The topic of the Association Update will be the ADHA’s discussion with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) 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 their 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 2:30-4:00 p.m. in the Forum 12 Ballroom at Caesars Palace.

Attendees with 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 Ann Battrell’s Annual Report to the House of Delegates; a farewell address by ADHA President Denise Bowers; and the Installation Luncheon, where President-Elect Kelli Swanson Jaecks will be installed as ADHA president.







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