President’s Message:

As the New Year begins, many people decide to make a list of resolutions. As a licensed health care professional dental hygienist, you should put becoming an ADHA member at the top of your resolution list. If you are currently a member, I urge you to become active by playing a leadership role within our component. There are numerous reasons/excuses for not becoming active; but this time I challenge you to list the positive reasons why you should be an active member.

Several people tell me they're not interested in politics. This is something I hope all hygienists are aware of considering the successful passage of the Public Health Dental Hygiene Practitioner Bill (PHDHP). However, without everyone’s assistance, working together as a supportive team, mentally, physically, and monetarily, our career could very well be at a substantial risk. Since the unanimous passing of the PHDHP bill, the Pennsylvania Dental Association (PDA) has submitted complimentary legislation amendments which include the following:

1. Permitting dental assistants to provide a complete dental prophylaxis under direct supervision, up to 17 years of age.

2. Allowing dental assistants to apply fluoride treatments and varnishes under direct supervision

....and perhaps most disturbing of all the possibility of .....

3. Allowing Expanded Functions Dental Assistants (EFDAs) to perform supragingival scaling!!

Help protect your PATIENTS and our livelihood!! If this bill is passed, our patients will receive inferior care and our career loses credibility; it goes right down the cuspidor! These patients would be provided services by people that did not undergo the strenuous curriculum we have and are not trained to provide these medical services. The first 2 changes were discussed and approved by the State Board of Dentistry in December; they will affect you personally very soon.

Please become active and do not allow yourself to believe "someone else will take care of this for me, I don't have to do anything." Everyone has a voice and we need to be heard! This is where being an ADHA member becomes critical. The Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists' Association (PDHA) is the only organization which speaks for the profession with over 7000 RDHs in PA and is committed to helping to preserve our scope of practice for all dental hygienists. Your ADHA /PDHA dues actually determine our ability to monitor and respond to legislative efforts which will help maintain your professional dental hygiene career in the future.

Contact your legislator to inform him or her of your opposition to the first suggested legislative change expanding scope of Dental Assistants; they are unlicensed, non-scientifically educated and unregulated. They have NO education in oral health care and should not be practicing alone on patients. Go to: www.findyourlegislator.com or www.google.com and type "find your legislator" then click on the appropriate area to get started. These are representatives that care about your opinions; after all, they are representing YOU. They appreciate being contacted and informed about bills legislation in the Senate and House. If you need assistance with the process, please contact me or our Trustee: Shanna Richards at the following email address: rdhrich@dejazzd.com and we will help you.

PDHA has made wondrous advancements to the profession with the unanimous passage of Senate Bill 455. This bill states that hygienists in Pennsylvania may practice in a public health setting without the supervision of a dentist by becoming certified as a Public Health Dental Hygiene Practioner (PHDHP). There is no additional training required to become a PHDH so get involved; you’ll find out how easy it may be to find a day/week employment in public health,

We need to move forward TOGETHER and we need your help; it will be that much easier to make a difference in the oral health of our patients, our families and our communities.

Here's to a rewarding year of active participation in Dental Hygiene!

I can’t wait to meet you,

Keri A. Kilgore, RDH, BA
President
Lancaster, Lebanon, York Area Dental Hygienists’ Association
Email Brush.It.Off@hotmail.com