Abstract Over the past several decades, a political movement has evolved whose agenda is to end community water fluoridation. Despite decades of data demonstrating safe and effective reductions in dental caries, anti-fluoridation activists continue their efforts globally. Under the banner of concerned citizens, the activists lead with emotionally charged fears (e.g fluoride causes cancer, fluoride … Read more
Consider the type of patient you would like in your practice. Stop spending time putting out fires that consume valuable time and energy, with problem patients. Spend more time with your preferred patients and their friends. Birds of a feather really do flock together. Patient surveys show that the majority of patients find out about … Read more
Why would a dental practice require an eye wash station? Is it required by law? And if so, what type of equipment is needed? Although the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario recommends the installation of eye wash stations in dental offices (Infection Prevention and Control in the Dental Office, 2010), there is still … Read more
Providing clean, safe dental water is critical to implementing and maintaining effective infection control protocols. Exposure to poor water quality can pose a health risk for people and conflicts with universally accepted infection prevention protocols. Noted most recently, in 2011 was the fatal case of an 82-year-old otherwise healthy woman who developed Legionnaire’s disease after … Read more
Members of the Niagara Dental Health Coalition are calling on Niagara MPPs to support the expansion of public dental programs to adults and seniors who cannot afford to pay for private dental health care. OHIP does not provide health coverage to prevent and treat diseases of our teeth and gums. As a result, between two … Read more
The merger of DENTSPLY and Sirona at the beginning of the year created the largest manufacturer of technologies, equipment and consumables in the dental sector. The company is now working together as one combined force to develop solutions for the current challenges in dentistry, including products for enhanced hygienic safety in practices. The recently published … Read more
Dentistry is part art, part science, but all about people. In dental school, the people part of the equation was overlooked, and it takes a number of years in practice to realize its importance. Dentistry is a service business, and communication is paramount to success. Communication, by definition, is “the exchange of ideas, messages, or … Read more
Every dentist has experienced it: a choppy hygiene report that creates chaos, patient confusion and a ripple effect of schedule delays. When it becomes chronic, it has a deleterious effect on your entire operation. How to fix this common but potentially dire problem? As with just about every aspect of practice development, consistent process is … Read more
The success of a modern dental practice is entirely dependent on how effective it is at influencing its patients to say yes to optimal dental health. It’s simple consumer economics: no matter how exceptional the practice, if the patient rejects the recommended treatment and won’t (or can’t) pay us more than it costs us to … Read more
Imagine the impact increasing your patient treatment acceptance rate by 10 to 15 percent would have on practice productivity. Now imagine getting paid for those services in an efficient manner! These components of your practice have significant influence on practice growth and are critical to ongoing practice success. KNOW YOUR NUMBERS In order to track … Read more
Our success in life depends greatly on how well we communicate in our personal and professional lives. When we communicate positively and effectively we inspire connections and build happier, healthier and higher performing relationships. Our ceiling of success then becomes like the old expression, the sky’s the limit. Unless you live in some remote jungle, … Read more
Technavio analysts forecast the global mouthwash market to grow at a CAGR of 4.59% during the forecast period, according to their latest report. The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global mouthwash market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers revenue generated from the retail outlets. The … Read more
Colgate today revealed the results from a national oral health care survey of more than 3,000 multicultural Americans, specifically Hispanics, African-Americans, Asian Americans and Native Americans. The survey sourced questions from leading dental associations including the American Dental Association, Hispanic Dental Association, and the National Dental Association, which promotes oral health equity among people of color. … Read more
Dental hygienists are critical partners who share Colgate-Palmolive’s commitment to help patients achieve optimal oral health. As part of its continued commitment to improving oral health in the community, Colgate-Palmolive has named 12 hygienists from a wide range of communities across the United States to its 2016 Colgate Oral Health Advisory Board. The board convened … Read more
No says the Ontario regulations, and those of many Canadian and US jurisdictions. Yes says a new study in Scotland which tested the ability of dental therapists to reliably diagnose dental decay, and then compared this ability to dentists. Indeed, the therapists were more consistent and accurate in their diagnosis of a cavity than the … Read more
American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) advocates for dental hygiene practice that is both evidence-based and patient/client-centered. ADHA’s newly revised Standards for Clinical Dental Hygiene Practice emphasize that the dental hygiene care plan be personalized according to the individual’s unique oral health needs, general health status, values, expectations and abilities. Not all adjunct devices are appropriate … Read more
Bringing “virtual dental homes” to schools, nursing homes and long-term care facilities can keep people healthy — reducing school absenteeism, lessening the need for parents to leave work to care for an ailing child, and helping to prevent suffering for millions of people who have no access to a dentist, a six-year study by University … Read more
An increasing percentage of American seniors are working rather than retiring. A recent report shows that almost 1 in 5 are working full time or part time; this amounts to 9 million Americans. The trend to seniors’ working is a long one (see chart) and contrasts with younger age groups where the percentage with jobs … Read more
When we graduate from dental hygiene school and enter the workforce, it is the skills that we attained and the desire to help people that drive us. We do not think when we meet a potential employer to ask about workplace dynamics, ethics, and values. We talk about office hours and salary. We do not … Read more
When Colleen Leduc’s patients enter her room, she dims the fluorescents and hits the sparkly lights switch. As a dental hygienist and a mother of 19-year-old Victoria, her non-verbal autistic daughter, Leduc knows getting people with intellectual disabilities to even enter a dentist’s office can be a challenge. “Some people want to sniff the entire … Read more