The Bulletin - Issue 31 July/August 2014

Issue 31 July/August 2014

The official newsletter of the Dental Hygienists’ Association of Australia Inc.

Whiter than White The pros and cons of laser whitening CHARTING FOR SUCCESS A process that’s definitely worth you learning

Love you, Long Tan One hygienist’s dream trip to a Vietnam clinic Page 14

INTRODUCING THE NEW STANDARD picture box OF Close CARE IN CAVITY PROTECTION here for non bleed item

PROVEN BY 14,000 PEOPLE AND 8 YEARS OF CLINICAL RESEARCH

• 4X Greater Remineralisation*1 • Reduced early decay by half †2,3 • 20% less new cavities at 2 years ‡4,5

COLGATE. COMMITTED TO A CAVITY-FREE FUTURE. *Results from a remineralisation study vs a regular fluoride toothpaste, both 1450 ppm fluoride. †

Results from a 6-month study to assess improvement in enamel caries using the QLF™ (Quantitative Light-induced Fluorescence) method vs a regular fluoride toothpaste, both with 1450 ppm fluoride.

‡

Results from a 2-year clinical study vs a regular fluoride toothpaste, both with 1450 ppm fluoride.

QLF is a trademark owned by Inspektor Research Systems BV. Scientific works cited: 1. Cantore R, Petrou I, Lavender S, et al. J Clin Dent. 2013;24(Spec Iss A):A32-A44. 2. Yin W, Hu DY, Fan X, et al. J Clin Dent. 2013;24(Spec Iss A):A15-A22. 3. Yin W, Hu DY, Fan X, et al. J Dent. 2013;41(Supp 2):22-28. 4. Kraivaphan P, Amornchat C, Triratana T, et al. Caries Res, 2013; doi: 10.1159/000353183. 5. Data on file. Colgate-Palmolive Company, 2013.

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This is your Bulletin – keeping you informed Welcome to the second edition of the Bulletin for 2014. The new editorial team of Yvonne Flaskas and Erika Pope have done a fantastic job, and as we expand the team, the Bulletin will only continue to get bigger and better!

Since becoming President I have often been asked: “Why should I become a member of the DHAA? What’s in it for me?” Well, this issue highlights many of the benefits to membership. The DHAA provide free industrial relations support, and in this issue Katrina Murphy answers some of the common questions that are posed by our members through the Industrial Relations advice line (page 8). We also provide high quality continuing professional development, with discounted rates for members.

The National Symposium will be held in Canberra in November, and as always promises to be a great opportunity to learn about the most current, evidence-based research and techniques, complete your requirements for registration, as well as catching up or networking with colleagues.

Hellen Checker discusses the important role the DHAA plays in building collaborative partnerships (page 20). While the Australian Dental Council and the Dental Board of Australia have both provided important information in this edition (page 4). We will continue to work with these organisations, and others to advocate for preventive oral health services.

For our cover story, dental hygienist Yen-Lam describes her experiences volunteering in Long Tan, a project that receives support from the DHAA (page 14).

The DHAA communicates with its members regularly to ensure you are all up-to-date with the important issues. Many of you use our Facebook page to communicate, and in this issue we explore a couple of trending topics: the use of lasers (page 18) and regular periodontal charting (page 12). Happy reading!

On a final note, I would like to wish immediate Past President Hellen Checker all the best as she relocates to Dubai. She was an inspirational leader and has been a great mentor for me in these first few months as President. She will be sorely missed.

Contents 03 President’s Message Look left!!!

04 Setting the Standards Keep up with the changes.

06 DHAA News Rounding up the best bits.

08 Know your Rights!

FAQs get answered.

10 Canberra Countdown Symposium 2014 is coming!

12 Charting for Success Get to know the process.

14 C OVER STORY Love you, Long Tan One members tale of personal achievement.

18 Laser Whitening Discover the facts.

20 Collaborative Partnerships Discover the benefits.

22 State of the Nation A state-by-state round-up of what’s been going on.

26 Event Planner Check what’s happening for the rest of 2014.

Melanie Hayes DHAA National President

National Executive PRESIDENT Mel Hayes CONTACT

VICE PRESIDENT Jo Purssey CONTACT

TREASURER Cheryl Day CONTACT

NATIONAL ADMINISTRATOR Patricia Chan CONTACT

IT Rep Josh Galpin CONTACT

The Bulletin is an official publication of the DHAA Inc. Contributions to The Bulletin do not necessarily represent the views of the DHAA Inc. All materials in this publication may be readily used for non-commercial purposes. The Bulletin is designed and published by eroomcreative.com

RE-Setting

the

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Accreditation Standards review Dr John Boucher reports on the Australian Dental Council review of Accreditation Standards relating to dental programs Dental practitioner programs in both Australia and New Zealand are accredited using Australian Dental Council (ADC)/Dental Council (New Zealand) (DC(NZ)) Program Accreditation Standards for dental hygienists and dental therapists, dentists, dental prosthetists and dental specialists. These standards identify the knowledge, competencies and professional attributes required of graduates to register as a dental practitioner.

January 2014 to over 70 stakeholders in the first round of public consultation. A stakeholder survey has been posted on the ADC website since January 2014 and will remain open until 30 May 2014. All responses submitted to the survey are published on the ADC’s website: www. adc.org.au/Accreditation/Accreditation Standards.

The ADC held a second round of consultation via stakeholder fora in

“ Key themes included support for one set of standards across the dental disciplines; embedding the attributes and competencies for each profession as a reference point in the accreditation standards.�

The ADC is currently in the process of reviewing the Accreditation Standards applied to dental programs. In accordance with the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 (National Law) the Standards must be approved by the Dental Board of Australia.

The ADC is aiming to complete the review of the Accreditation Standards by November 2014.

A discussion paper was circulated in

Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth in March - April 2014, and the DC(NZ) held a forum in Wellington in April 2014. These fora discussed the format of the revised standards, the domains and requirements that they will encompass, and how to move to a more outcomes focused and evidence based set of standards. Key themes identified during the fora included: support for one set of standards across the dental disciplines; embedding the

attributes and competencies for each profession as a reference point in the accreditation standards; support for the primacy of patient protection in the standards; and support for streamlining of the number of standards and for better alignment with other standards frameworks.

The ADC looks forward to releasing the first draft of the revised accreditation standards in June/July 2014 for public comment. There will be a two month period of consultation on the first draft of the accreditation standards. The revision of the accreditation standards will then be finalised following consideration of stakeholder feedback.

For enquiries regarding the review of the Program Accreditation Standards, please contact Dr Jasen Burgess, ADC Director Accreditation at jasen.burgess@ adc.org.au. n

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standards ‘Scope of Practice’ gets a revision Get along to your nearest forum and find out your obligations and responsibilities The Dental Board of Australia has released revised Scope of practice registration standard and associated Guidelines – Scope of practice registration standard. The documents are published on the Board’s website at www. dentalboard.gov.au.

The revised registration standard and associated guidelines will come into effect from 30 June 2014 and will replace the previous version of the registration standard.

The standard has been revised to be clearer, improve consumers’ access to oral health services and provide certainty to dental practitioners on the: • Scope of practice for the different dental divisions, and • Level of education and training expected for each division.

Forums The Dental Board is committed to working with the profession over the

coming months, to support the implementation of the revised registration standard and guidelines to ensure all dental practitioners are aware of their obligations and responsibilities.

The Dental Board will commence forums in July 2014. All dental practitioners are invited to attend the forum relevant to their jurisdiction. Our stakeholders will also be invited to attend the forums.

Forums will be held in: • Perth – 17 July • Melbourne – 25 July • Sydney – 31 July • Canberra – 1 August • Adelaide – 7 August • Hobart – 8 August • Darwin – 14 August • Brisbane – 15 August Please register your interest in attending a forum via email dentalboardforums@ahpra. gov.au providing your name, contact details, and location of the forum you wish to attend.

FAQs What must dental practitioners do?

Dental practitioners should read the standard and guidelines published on the Board’s website.

What does the Board require of dental practitioners?

All dental practitioners are members of the dental team who exercise autonomous decision making within their particular areas of education, training and competence, to provide the best possible care for their patients. The standard provides details on which dental practitioners practice as independent practitioners.

Dental practitioners must only perform dental treatment: • For which you have been educated and trained in programs of study approved by the National Board, and • In which you are competent.

You are responsible for the decisions, treatment and advice that you provide.

You as a dental practitioner must not direct any person whether a registered dental practitioner or not to undertake dental treatment or give advice outside that person’s education and competence.

Information on the Dental Board website: • Scope of practice registration standard (effective 30 June 2014) under the Registration standard tab • Guidelines – Scope of practice registration standard (effective 30 June 2014) under the Policies, Codes, Guidelines and FAQ tab • FAQ on the transition from the current to revised / new documents under the Policies, Codes, Guidelines and FAQ tab. n

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Left

The DHAA stand proved popular; Above L to R Patricia Chan, Cheryl Dey, Nik Karadoukas, Margie Steffens, Rebecca Millful

Dental exhibitionists The DHAA presence at the ADX14 expo was a huge success

Earlier this year the DHAA was invited by the Australian Dental Industry Association to have an exhibition booth at one of the dental industries biggest events.

ADX14 was held on March 21-23, at the new temporary Sydney Exhibition Centre on Glebe Island, over 8000 dental and industry stakeholders viewed products from over 120 exhibitors.

It was a great weekend with numerous

networking opportunities. Our stand was very busy; with lots of people dropping by to ask who we are, enquire about membership and to take a flyer for the National Symposium in Canberra.

On the other hand, Rebecca Milfull (Sponsorship Officer) and I got to visit every stand, meeting so many reps and giving out details of the association and our upcoming Symposium.

Thank you to all the volunteers who manned the stand over the three days: Rebecca Millful, Nik Karadoukis, Patricia Chan, Margie Steffens, Yasue Nakaie, Ian Epondulan, Rebecca Chen, Kim Ryan, Angelee Murdoch and Emily See. Thank you to the ADIA for the opportunity to promote The DHAA to this kind of audience. We are looking forward to heading back to Sydney for ADX16. n

Ex-President, Hellen Checker, heads to Dubai I wish to thank the DHAA and all of my DHAA colleagues for a wonderful six years in office – both in South Australia and nationally.

I became passionate and inspired again about my profession and opened myself to new challenges and experiences by participating as an active member of our association.

In late July my husband Craig and I are moving to Dubai, UAE. We are looking forward to the move and I am excited about future opportunities. If any of my wonderful colleagues are passing through Dubai please do not hesitate to contact me.

I am still a passionate supporter and will of course be returning to

Australia in November for the National Symposium in Canberra and travelling from Dubai for a week in the Long Tan Clinic in Vietnam at the end of August.

Thank you again for all your support in my tenure as president and congratulations to Melanie Hayes for her new job in Melbourne and well done in the first quarter as president!

07 DHAA DISPLAY ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Persistent performance receives award In February this year Curtin University held its Student Award night for the first batch of 32 graduates of Bachelor in Oral Health Therapy for 2013.

Wendy Wright presented the Dental Hygienists’ Association of Australia (WA Branch) Inc. Prize for the student demonstrating the most improved performance throughout the Oral Health Therapy Course to Brianna Stenhouse.

Brianna was highly commended for her persistence and effort firstly in her determination to apply for this course and her dedication and hard work throughout the three year course.

She finished with commendable results in both theory and clinical practice and we warmly welcome her into our membership and wish her ongoing success in her career in dentistry.

Congratulations Brianna!

Margie becomes an Honourable Bachelor We extend our congratulations to Margie Steffens, an Adelaide dental hygienist, who recently completed her Honours Degree in Bachelor of Science in Dentistry.

Margie has long been involved with the Dental Hygienists’ Association of Australia, with SA Branch, and also with National. Her thesis was on discrimination in an Aboriginal birth cohort from Darwin Base Hospital, looking at associations between access to dental care and self-perceived discrimination.

Margie continues her exceptional work towards the fundamental principle that preventive health services, in particular oral health services, should be accessible for all.

ABOVE A very happy Margie at her graduation ceremony at the University of Adelaide (May 2014) and MAIN A full-length Margie with her parchment.

8 INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS QUESTION TIME

Know your rights!

Katrina Murphy quashes a few industry myths Am I meant to get a payslip?

Yes, you are if you are an employee. In Australia, minimum content for payslips is regulated by law. Payslips must have: employer’s ABN; employee’s name; date of payment; the period that the payment is for; gross and net pay; loadings (casual, shift); allowances, bonuses; incentive payments; penalty rates (overtime); the ordinary hourly rate; the number of hours worked at that rate; the amount of pay at that rate; the amount and details of any deductions from the employee’s pay; superannuation contributions and the name of the fund.

Aside from the Regulations, it is best practice human resources for employees to fully and easily understand their payslips.

Regrettably, I often see payslips that have only a name, date and gross and net pay. Or payslips that are so complicated that I have no idea what they mean. This is an area of HR that all employers can fully control.

When do I get compassionate leave?

Compassionate leave is paid leave for permanent employees. It does not accrue. It does not have a maximum limit per year. In Australia, it is available as two single days or a period of two days on each occasion when an immediate family member or a member of the employee’s household contracts a life threatening illness or injury or dies. ‘Immediate family member’ means a spouse, de facto partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent or grandchild of the employee, or a child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling of a spouse or de facto partner of the employee. And

yes, employers can ask for proof. Many employers do ask to see death certificates.

In KMIR’s view, this is insensitive and unkind unless the employer has very strong grounds to suspect the employee is lying.

Casual employees are entitled to the same compassionate leave but it is unpaid.

What entitlements do I get if I am a casual employee?

Casual employees are entitled to some, but not all, National Employment Standard entitlements.

These entitlements include: •T wo days unpaid carer’s leave •T wo days compassionate leave per occasion •M aximum weekly hours •C ommunity service leave (except paid jury service) •T o ask for a day off on a public holiday If a casual has been employed for at least 12 months, on a regular and systematic basis and have an expectation of ongoing employment, the casual is entitled to unpaid parental leave.

A casual employee is also now eligible to request flexible work arrangements. As with permanent employees with 12 months service. Eligible circumstances are: •B e parents/carers of school age or younger children (NB used to be younger than school aged - this was altered in 2013) •H ave disabilities •B e aged 55 or over •B e carers to an immediate family member

• Be employees experiencing domestic violence or are carers of an immediate family member who is.

Employers can refuse the request on reasonable business grounds including too costly, no capacity to change the working arrangement, or that the new working arrangement would result in a significant loss in efficiency or productivity.

The employee request must be in writing with reasons and the employer has 21 days to respond in writing.

A difference between casual and permanent employment in Australia is that hours of a casual engagement can be readily increased, decreased and varied on a day-to-day basis. The exception to this is if the reduction or change is being made for an unlawful reason such as the employee’s trade union membership, pregnancy, recent WorkCover claim etc. A casual can only have their hours changed or reduced for operational or genuine performance or poor conduct issues. If evidence exists that an unlawful ground was the true reason for the employer’s action, the casual employee can make an adverse action claim to Fair Work Commission.

How many days do I have to decide if I want to lodge a claim for unfair dismissal?

Employees have 21 days from the date of written notification of termination to lodge an unfair dismissal claim with the Fair Work Commission.

The time limit is also 21 days from the date of notice of termination to lodge an adverse action claim with Fair Work Commission where the adverse action complained of is dismissal. It used to be 60 days but the time limit reduced in 2013. The time limit is 21 days for all other types of adverse actions (such as loss of promotional

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opportunity or reduced hours) under the Fair Work Act general protections provisions.

What does probation mean?

Australian employers are still continuing to wrongly insert clauses in permanent employment agreements which purport to allow “extension” of probation periods beyond a period of six months.

The fact is that this is not going to work. Former casual employees will still be subject to the Fair Work Act 6-month qualifying period if they are offered and accept permanent employment.

Transferring permanent employees cannot be subject to “probation.” Fixed term employment also cannot be subject to “probation”. Everyone wants to be sure that their new employees are going to be successful. Associated contractual documentation should maximise the opportunities of the qualifying period under the Fair Work Act.

What is paid parental leave all about?

Australian employers and employees remain confused about the interaction between the Federal Government’s current (as of June 2014) Paid Parental Leave Scheme and employee entitlements - either NES, EBA or policy.

The Paid Parental Leave scheme provides employees with Parental Leave Pay - this does not give the employee an entitlement to leave. This means that the Government scheme ‘supplements’ rather than ‘substitutes’ for any pre-existing employee entitlements.

Eligible employees can access up to 18-weeks of government-funded Parental Leave Pay in addition to and not instead of their existing employer-provided paid or unpaid leave.

Employees can take their Government Parental Leave Pay before, during or after any paid or unpaid maternity or parental leave or other employer-funded leave entitlements such as annual leave or long service leave. Employers should remember that if currently providing paid maternity or parental leave through an EBA or other contractual document or agreement, then, for the life of the agreement or contract, the leave entitlement cannot be withdrawn.

The Government Parental Leave Scheme scheme does not change any existing employer-provided leave entitlements.

Do I get a casual loading if I am ‘award free’?

“Award free” does not mean that employers can simply forget about the casual loading.

From 1 July 2014, casual award-free employees are entitled to a 25% casual loading. Prior to 1 July 2014, it was 24%.

Employers who announce that the loading is “included” into the “flat” rate of the employee are not doing the right thing. The employer must provide clear documentation to specify the permanent rate and the casual loading. Award free employees who are casual are entitled to a genuine casual loading and documentation of this, just like any other employee.

Am I entitled to my old job back when I return from parental leave?

When an employee comes back from unpaid parental leave to return to work, they must go back to the position they were in immediately prior to commencing that leave, or a very close equivalent if that position no longer exits.

This applies even if someone else has been doing that role in the meantime.

This includes if the employer thinks that someone else has been performing that

role better in the meantime. Where that position genuinely no longer exists, the employee is entitled to an available position nearest in status and pay to the job they had prior to the parental leave. The upshot is, as required in the Act, that an internal or external person brought in to backfill a period of parental leave, must be told that the situation is only temporary. The return to the same or very similar job guarantee for women who return from parental leave is strongly protected under Australian law. This provision can be more complex to apply than it seems at first glance especially when considered together with the obligation of employers to consider flexible work requests (such as part time hours) for family caring purposes.

What are new fathers entitled to?

Under the Fair Work Act, new fathers are entitled to up to eight weeks concurrent unpaid parental leave (used to be only three weeks). Dads can take this leave in separate periods of at least two-weeks within 12 months of the birth/adoption of the child.

Up to 10 paid “keeping in touch days” are permitted during the 12-month block entitlement to unpaid parental leave. These can be taken one-at-a-time or as part days.

They must be paid at the employee’s usual rate. If there is more time than this worked, the entitlement to 12 months unpaid leave may be affected. Therefore any agreement for this time to be worked should be in writing with the usual time and wages records kept.

DHAA Inc members should seek further information and advice on these issues from the DHAA IR Advice Line. Go to the IR tab on the DHAA Inc website and follow the easy prompts. n

CANBERRA

COUNT DOWN The clock is ticking and the National Symposium is getting nearer. Kathryn Novak provides an update

A

s I write, we are one hundred and fifty four days away from Symposium. Autumn has well and truly hit Canberra and the colours of the deciduous trees have been breathtakingly beautiful. Hot air balloons hover in the skies over Lake Burley Griffin every morning.

While it is early days yet, and the program is not finalised, I thought I’d let you in on some of the speaker topics we already have confirmed, as well as the range of professions that will be represented.

I’m proud to say we have four dental hygienists speaking about the ‘Sun Smiles Program’, community outreach, the effectiveness of oral health promotion and environmental sustainability in oral health.

How exciting it is that our profession is

expanding from the traditional clinical setting.

We have a speech pathologist who is a great supporter of our profession and is developing a training package for hygienists, therapists and OHT’s in orofacial myology. She already has a therapist on her team.

There is a link between nutrition, exercise and inflammation and a physiotherapist will be explaining that connection to us.

With the ever-changing world of drugs intent on confusing us we thought we should hear from a clinical pharmacologist to make things clearer, and speaking of change, who could use a bit of advice from a life coach to help us become more adaptable and take what life throws at us personally and professionally with grace and confidence?

On a more specifically dental note, we have a speaker who specialises in early diagnosis and

Image reproduced courtesy of Steve Keogh

“ We have four dental hygienists speaking about the ‘Sun Smiles Program’, the effectiveness of oral health promotion and environmental sustainability in oral health.” treatment of oral cancers, and an oral pathology specialist to link systemic disease with what we may see in the oral cavity on a daily basis.

As you can see we have a varied and interesting range of topics and it doesn’t stop there. We still need to include those speakers supported by our generous sponsors. All I can say is keep watching and checking the website www.canberrasymposium.com as we load the speaker biographies. We expect to be able to provide at least 16 CPD points for those of you

that take advantage of the entire two and a half day program.

Please also consider attending both our social functions, which are the welcome drinks at the Crown and our Gold themed Gala dinner and dance. We are pleased to be able to offer a range of venues to enable delegates to have a more varied and touristy experience.

Registration is open now. We are looking forward to seeing you in Canberra in November.

For all enquiries head to the website. n

Charting

Periodontal Charting is an important process to understand in the constant

A

s dental health professionals, we know that periodontal charting is essential to the accurate and timely diagnosis of periodontal disease. A full periodontal chart at regular intervals, based on unique patient risk factors, is as important as the initial periodontal examination and an important component in periodontal health maintenance. The American Academy of Periodontology recommended in 2010 that “patients should receive a comprehensive periodontal evaluation and their risk factors should be identified at least on an annual basis.� 1 However it has been recently been discussed, amongst our colleagues of general practice, that regular periodontal charting is often omitted due to a lack of time and assistance, but primarily due to objection regarding the diagnostic charge.

Lack of time and assistance are issues that often originate from management.

It is essential that we assist our teams in seeing the benefits of including this examination in our routine care. We place a change for diagnostic tests such as radiography therefore the assessment of periodontal disease should be no different.

Ask you management for an extra 10 minutes, support of the staff (or a digital periodontal charting system) and let them see the results.

If you saw 8 patients a day, 5 days per 48 working weeks and completed a periodontal examination for only half of your patients, at $45 each, you would see yearly $43200 increase in production. Not to mention the undoubtable increase in non-surgical periodontal treatment plans, and increase in acceptance of treatment through proper diagnosis and related education.

So with the functional issues sorted and support from management it is then our responsibility to handle patient objection. Often protests represent a lack of education, and appropriate discussions and explanations can lead to acceptance.

Presentation of diagrams of the disease process, providing tangible examples of long term effects and initiating discussion of the systemic risks of periodontal disease prior to periodontal charting will help justify your actions. Listen to your patients, give them a chance to respond or ask questions and you will likely find dental motivators to support your message. n 1. The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP). Comprehensive Periodontal Therapy: A Statement by the American Academy of Periodontology. Journal of Periodontology.

2011;82(7):943.

Sophie Lymbery [BOH, BHSc(Hons)] works in private practice as a dental hygienist and is a clinical demonstrator for the ADOH at RMIT Melbourne.

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for success

battle against periodontal disease

Love You

DHAA member, Yen Lam, re-visits her youth in Vietnam and

V

ietnam has always been a place close to my heart.

During my childhood I was fortunate enough to visit quite regularly, and these visits, during different stages of my life, gave me a special appreciation towards my cultural heritage.

A little older now, I graduated as an Oral Health Therapist and had always wanted to give back to this wonderful country. Upon joining DHAA, I was given this opportunity and immediately signed up my name.

Months down the track, I was to go on my first volunteering expedition to

Vietnam. I had mixed feelings, such as excitement and worry, but after meeting my wonderful team, these feelings quickly dissipated.

Meeting in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), we were driven down to Ba Ria in a matter of 90 minutes. We stayed in a relatively developed area and thus were close to markets, stores and restaurants.

When we were first introduced to the Long Tan Clinic, it was not as rudimentary as I had imagined. I would summarise the working conditions to be adequate, albeit compromised by the climate. We worked as a team with the very lovely staff at the Long Tan Clinic,

who were always smiling and willing to provide a helping hand.

The week we had chosen to arrive was not the best to see children, as it was the summer holidays for the students in the area, but this did not deter us from our purpose. We treated approximately 50 patients with their ages ranging from nine to eighty years old. The message that we were here was spread through family and friends and the main types of treatment completed were examinations, scaling and ART. This eased the team into what working at Long Tan was like.

And of course with work, there would always be play. During the long

LONG TAN

helps out the local residents at the Long Tan Dental Clinic THAILAND

TN

CAMBODIA

AM

Bangkok

Pnom Penh Ho Chi Minh City

VIE

“ The message that we were here was spread through family and friends and the main types of treatment completed were examinations, scaling and ART. ”

Gulf of Thailand

LONG TAN

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The relaxed Vietnamese culture gave us loads of time to chill, see the sites, and enjoy the local cuisine.

Dr Colin Twelftree – A true devotee of the Long Tan cause The DHAA Inc. wish to congratulate Dr Colin Twelftree OAM (2014) for services to dentistry and particularly AVVRG and DHAA Long Tan Clinic Project.

Twelftree has contributed significantly to preventive dentistry in Vietnam and together with Lesley Denny (DHAA) continues to facilitate volunteer dental teams to Long Tan and work closely with the Vietnamese government to provide essential preventive dental services to the children in the Province.

Together they have raised funds and purchased equipment for the surgeries.

Dr Twelftree’s impressive roll call of achievements include: • Clinical Senior Lecturer, • President, Australian Society of Adelaide Dentist School, Orthodontists, SA Branch, since 1998.

1984-1985 • President, Australian Vietnam • President, Australian Begg Veterans Reconstruction Group Orthodontic Society, (SA Branch); 1980-1982; • Sponsorship Officer, • Treasurer, Australian Dental since 1996.

Association (SA Branch), • Fellow, International College 1988-1994 of Dentists, • Chair, Australian Society of since 2003 Orthodontists National Congress, 2004.

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lunchtimes we spent relaxing or eating at a nearby restaurant. They were long because the Vietnamese culture is known for their siestas and stress-free and carefree daily life. Following a hard day’s work, we often spent time exploring the local area or heading down to the coastal area of Vung Tau, which was more tourist-orientated. Here we immersed ourselves in the natural coastal beauty.

Too soon, the week was over and it was time to say goodbye…

What I took away from Long Tan is the beginning of something special.

I feel empowered and inspired to do

“ Following a hard’s day work, we often spent time exploring the local area or heading down to the coastal area of Vung Tau, which was more tourist-orientated.”

this many more times because I feel that not only was I able to utilise my language skills but also give back to my heritage with the same passion in what I carry out every day at home in Melbourne. Without my family there to guide me, I gained so much more confidence to simply interact and get to know the local people. I now feel enriched by the culture of the Vietnamese in a way that I hadn’t before.

Special thanks to DHAA and AAVRG for giving me the opportunity to make a bigger difference by spreading our message of oral health internationally. n

Laser UsE Where do you stand on the use of lasers in the dental workplace? Stella Bassos discusses the use of lasers use by the hygienist

T

he use of lasers in general dental practice is growing.

Laser use by the dental hygienist in Australia is an ambiguous topic as there are no specific guidelines as to whether or not a dental hygienist can implement a laser for periodontal treatment in either private or public practice. That aside, lasers are becoming common practice on the international stage, with dental hygienists in North America practicing the FDA approved laser assisted new attachment procedure (LANAP).

LANAP is a protocol that was originally designed by Dr. Robert Gregg and Dr. Delwin McCarthy in 1991 in Cerritos, California. Their aim was to achieve predictable outcomes that were consistently effective with regards to the treatment of periodontal disease.

The surgical therapy known as LANAP was developed to treat periodontitis via regenerative means as opposed to traditional respective means. The US Food and Drug Administration deemed the LANAP protocol suitable for treating periodontal disease in 2004. Its presence

“ Lasers are becoming common practice on the international stage.� since then has become well recognised world wide and continues to flourish.

The procedure itself appears to be relatively straightforward. After probing depths have been established the laser, a thin optic fiber, is seated adjacent to

the root surface. The initial phase of laser troughing is complete when a short pulse has been administered. Pathologic proteins and periodontal pathogens are destroyed on a selective basis due to the limitations of the laser. This is referred

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White or wrong

to as “bacteria kill� or tissue ablation.

Controversial to the ill informed is whether or not the laser removes healthy supportive structures of the periodontal ligament. The answer is no it will not.

The laser does not absorb connective tissue. It is transparent to the cell walls of helper cells such as endothelial cells and macrophages as well as being transparent to water.

The LANAP procedure is supported by PerioLase MVP-7, which was designed to treat moderate to severe periodontal disease. It does not always eradicate the need to mechanically remove calculus, however its use prior to debridement significantly reduces the tenacity of root surface deposits. Passing the laser over debrided pockets after calculus removal encourages haemostasis via a thermal

fibrin clot. Post-operative instructions include optimal oral hygiene in conjunction with ongoing periodontal maintenance.

Ideally patients are required to return for a review in as little as one week, then one month and then every three months for regular periodontal maintenance.

Even though this phenomenon is growing in North America, Australia is yet to outline a written policy stipulating whether or not a laser can be used to perform soft tissue curettage or periodontal therapy by a registered dental hygienist. Defined under the Dental Board of Australia scope of practice registration standard, dental hygienists may exercise autonomous decision making but only in those areas in which they have been formally educated and trained. Laser training for dental practitioners is offered by the University of Queensland. The course is suited to dental hygienists and is designed to fulfill legislative requirements from Radiation Health Queensland. n Please note: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, Stella Bassos, and are not necessarily endorsed by the DHAA.

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COLLABORATIVE

PARTNERSHIPS Hellen Checker explains the benefits of collaboration to achieve the wider goals of the Dental Hygienists’ Association

Collaborative Advantage describes strategic alliances between the National Branch of the DHAA Inc. and other organisations and the realisation of achievements which could not be achieved by one organisation exclusively.

(Huxham & Vangen 2010 p72) (Teng 2003) The DHAA Inc. National has formed collaborative partnerships with organisations such as the Australian Vietnam Volunteer Resources Group under the guidance and leadership of Dr Colin Twelftree and Lesley Denny to realise a sustainable dental program for children in the Long Tan Ba Ria province of Vietnam.

The DHAA collaborative partnerships also include the Australian Health Care Reform Alliance and Friends of the National Rural Health Alliance advocating for improved oral health and recently advocating for water fluoridation in Queensland and for improved general health and access to health services within our communities.

Other collaborative partnerships include the National Minimal Intervention Dentistry chaired by Dr Hanny Calache and working with Department Health Service Victoria and the newly established Australian chapter of the Alliance for a

Caries Free Future, chaired by Dr Wendell Evans and supported by Dr Susan Cartwright and Jenny Morgan from Colgate.

The DHAA National Branch also has collaborative partnerships with Universities and State DHAA Branches.

Partnerships such as these have produced the “Oral Health for Those Who Care Package” with DHAA Inc. (SA Branch) and the University of Adelaide These resources are now available for $108.00 www.dhaa.info/store The DHAA continue to work with professional associations, ADOHTA, ADA and AOS to provide combined Continuing

“ The DHAA continue to work with professional associations, to provide combined Continuing Professional Development Programs and member benefits...”

Professional Development Programs and member benefits and work towards achieving common goals.

There is a complexity to collaborative partnerships and even the most successful partnerships may experience inertia. Collaborative inertia describes the impeded progress of alliance outcomes.

(Huxham & Vangen 2010 p72 ) Huxham describes particular contributing factors to inertia as, unable to agree to common goals, lack of trust, partnership fatigue and an environment of continual change.

(Huxham & Vangen 2010 p72-84 ) The DHAA is reliant on the National Executive and National Council members volunteering their time and expertise to attend collaborative partnership meetings, often travelling interstate.

Sharing DHAA common interests including improved health outcomes and searching for innovative solutions and achieving results that could not achieve without successful strategic alliances and DHAA Inc. recognises that integrity and transparency in communication is essential in establishing trust with your partners (Firth 2004) and the DHAA also recognise the fragility of trust in the success of collaborative partnerships.

(Firth 2004) n

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University of WA

Alliance for Caries Free Future

Australian Health Care Reform Alliance

Australian Osseointegration Society

University of Adelaide

Australian Vietnam Volunteers Resource Group

Oral Health Therapist Graduate Year Program

Minimal Intervention Dentistry

DHAA State Branches

National Rural Health Alliance

National Oral Health Plan

Health Workforce Australia

Firth-Cozens, J. 2004, ‘Organisational trust: the keystone to patient safety’, Quality & safety in health care, 13, 1, 56-61 Huxham, C. Vangen, S. 2010 ‘Doing things collaboratively: Realising the advantage of succumbing to the inertia’ in Z Van Zwanenberg (Ed.) Leadership in social care (Vol. 51).

London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Teng, B 2003 The Collaborative advantage of strategic alliances: Value creation in the value net Journal of General Management Vol. 29 No 2 Viewed 25th March 2014

A full state-by-state run-down of Association happenings around the country

NATION STATE Queensland

WEBSITE

dentalhygienist.com.au

>

CONTACT

Email Queensland

>

“ Plans are being finalised for our upcoming Regional Roadshow, entitled ‘Teeth to Toes’. The 2014 RHCE2 Round 5 Rural Grant is funding our regional touring CPD event.”

DHAAQ’s first continuing professional development event was held on April 5.

Our Colgate sponsored half day seminar, titled ‘What’s in the Pocket’ was held at the Women’s College Playhouse Theatre at the University of Queensland.

We had the pleasure of two fantastic speakers present. UK trained Dental Hygienist, Mary Mowbray provided some extremely educational evidence regarding the importance of accurate radiographic techniques for evaluation and interpretation of periimplantitis. Tasmanian based Periodontist, Emma Megson presented “Inside my brain - How to think like a periodontist”. This was a fantastic opportunity for delegates to get back to basics in effective treatment planning. Emma highlighted effective communication as the essential element to successful periodontal treatment and maintenance, between the hygienist and patient, periodontist and patent as well as within the hygienist/periodontist team.

DHAAQ joined Oral B, ADAQ, Queensland Health and The University

of Queensland, to attend Homeless Connect at the RNA showgrounds for its third year. All involved work as a co-ordinated team, providing a range of assistance to visitors including dental products, oral health screening, emergency treatment and dental educational.

This event is a wonderful opportunity for DHAAQ to work with students as well as other professional dental bodies and associations to give back to members of the Brisbane community that need it the most.

Plans are being finalised for our upcoming Regional Roadshow, entitled ‘Teeth to Toes’. The 2014 RHCE2 Round 5 Rural Grant is funding our regional touring

CPD event. The Roadshow will take in Rockhampton and Hervey Bay on July 25-26, then Townsville and Cairns on August 1-2. The Regional Roadshow will facilitate the dissemination of information related to diabetes. Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease which can affect the entire body. ‘Teeth to Toes’ will investigate current research and broaden local networks for practitioners.

Attendance is worth six hours of CPD and we hope that our interstate members will take the opportunity to enjoy some of the fantastic Queensland holiday destinations this event will offer – details for this event are available on our website and registration is now open!

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Our annual Hygiene Horizons full day continuing professional development event will be held at the Novotel Brisbane on September 20. We thank Colgate for the gold sponsorship of this event and appreciate their continued support of our association members’ continuing professional development.

DHAAQ has secured four fantastic guest speakers, focusing on the theme of Special Needs Dentistry. Dr Mark Gussy, PhD, Med. is the Head Professor of Oral Health in Dentistry and Oral Health at the La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University.

Dr Helen Marchant BDS (Birmingham), MSc (London) FRACDS (SND) is a Specialist in Special Needs Dentistry,

Royal Dental Hospital Melbourne & Lecturer at University of Melbourne. Dr Daniel Ford BDSc (Hons); BSc (Hons); MDSc (Paed); FRACDS is a registered specialist in Paediatric Dentistry practicing in the Brisbane and Toowoomba areas. Ms Natasha Atkinson is a Conjoint Fellow at the School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle. Ms Atkinson is a practicing Senior Occupational Therapist at the Calvary Mater Newcastle.

Registration for this event will be opening soon so please visit our website (www. dentalhygienist.com.au) for further details.

Debbie Holliday DHAA QLD President

The 2014 Teeth to Toe s Regional Roadshow is presented by the DHAA Q, providing profession al development to region al members.

The Regional Roadshow will visit: Rockhampton - The Rock hampton Leagues Club , Friday 25th July Hervey Bay - Pepper’s Pier Resort, Saturday 26th July Townsville - Jupiter’s Casin o, Friday 1st August Cairns - Pullman Resort, Saturday 2nd August

The Regional Roadshow will facilitate the dissem ination of information diabetes. Diabetes is the related to fastest growing chronic disease which can affect body. Teeth to Toes will the entire investigate current resea rch and broaden local for practitioners in a relaxe networks d atmosphere. This event is also worth 6 hours of CPD.

Final program details for each venue with guest speakers will be provided.

Members - $125 | Stud ents - $60 | Non-mem bers - $170 Registration closes Sund

ay 13th July

www.dentalhygienist.c

om.au

South Australia WEBSITE

dhaasa.asn.au

>

CONTACT

Email South Australia

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“ SA Health are actively seeking expressions of interest to engage in a partnership with the State Government to deliver an integrated dental clinical teaching facility.

This may mean major changes to the existing School of Dentistry in Adelaide – we hope the impact will not be too dramatic.”

Winter has well and truly set in for South Australia, the mornings are cold and dark but we are as enthusiastic as ever!

The year began with our inaugural New Graduates Supper at The Maid. The event was a meet-and-greet for the new graduates, dental company representatives and the DHAA SA executive. It was well attended by new graduates of both ADOH and BOH. Past and present executives spoke about their career experiences and on the association at both national and state levels. We hope to continue this as an annual event.

The last few months has seen a lot of event planning.

Our next event is the ever-popular June Dinner Meeting to held at the Hilton Hotel. Dr Alex Du Bois will be presenting on “Dental Implants and Managing PeriImplantitis”. This event was booked out within two weeks of registrations opening and is promising to be a wonderful evening.

At the Adelaide University Campus, on Friday 5 September, we will once again be hosting the National Council Meeting in

conjunction with our full day CPD event. This is a superb opportunity to get together with other state executives and discuss the trials and successes each state is facing.

SA Health are actively seeking expressions of interest to engage in a partnership with the State Government to deliver an integrated dental clinical teaching facility. This may mean major changes to the existing School of Dentistry in Adelaide and we await the outcome and hope the impact on dental training will not be too dramatic.

SA is pleased to welcome our immediate past president Jacquie Biggar to a new role as our Website Officer.

Her past experience on the executive is highly valued and we are very happy to have her back within our team.

October 2014 will bring our combined event with ADOHTA to be held at The Lion Hotel, North Adelaide.

We are pleased to work in partnership with ADOHTA to provide an annual combined event for the benefit of our members and strongly value the relationship.

Tracey Herman DHAA SA President

Western Australia WEBSITE

dhaawa.com

>

CONTACT

0449 910 455

“ Please mark your diary to attend “Wellness Day” which has been specially designed for each and every one of us.”

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The study club in Perth was well attended

Members enjoying the excellent whitening course

This half-year has been a challenging and yet rewarding months.

This could be the last article for me as President as I may be stepping-down at our AGM on Sunday 24 August.

Full details of our AGM – notice, nomination forms, proxy form etc. – will be sent to members soon.

Feel free to contact me directly if you wish to provide some volunteer time to the Branch over the next year.

It is the sharing and caring moments that have been shared among committee members that make me feel sad to leave. I hope this culture and team-work will continue after I stand down.

Please mark your diary to attend “Wellness Day” which

has been specially designed for each and every one of us. Our thanks must go to Simone Mayne, the Chair of Organising Committee for this event and currently return as our CPD Event.

Welcome back, Simone.

My own experience of managing chronic spinal pain – caused by whiplash injuries in a few minor rear car accidents – has made me realise the importance of looking after our own health if we wish to continue practising our career, especially spinal health.

The next committee meeting will be on July 30.

Please contact the branch at dhaawa@netscape.net to communicate any issues to the committee so that

they can be included in the meeting agenda.

Due to a number of personnel changes we have needed to re-shuffle the WA committee.

Firstly, we have accepted the resignation of Vice President Lenny Angulan (Skinner). Natasha Hunt will take over the vacant role.

Rhonda Kremmer, a former Melbourne committee member, will bring her valuable experience to our Branch as the Alternative National Council.

We also welcome back our Immediate Past President to the roll of coordinator of CPD. The WA committee members are as follows; President: Emily See Vice President: Natasha Hunt

Secretary: Vacant (Emily See) Treasurer: Joey Chia Membership Officer: Karen Lam Web Officer: Shubh Patil National Councillor: Wendy Wright Alternate National Councillor: Rhonda Kremmer CPD Event: Simone Mayne CPD Event1: Stefanie Pearce Editor: Vacant Southwest Liaise Officer: Belinda O’Brien Cherie Rayner (on maternity leave) Finally, I wish to thank our members and committee who keep our branch going and going!

Keep warm and keep smiling!

Emily See DHAA WA President

The 2014 CPD Events calendar. Full details at www.dhaainfo/events MONTH DATE/TIME

EVENT

VENUE

JUN 2014

30 June 8.45am-5.00pm

CPDent: Looking Ahead: Managing Peri-Implantitis and Periodontitis

Dental Simulation Clinic, University Of Adelaide, North Terrace Campus

JUL 2014

5 July 8.15am-5.00pm

Paediatric Pulp Therapy

Dental Simulation Clinic , University of Adelaide, North Terrace Campus, Adelaide

5 July 8.30am-4:00pm

Panoramic Radiography for Licensing

University of Adelaide Dental Simulation Clinic

July (TBA)

LA Workshop

University of WA

3 July

ADAVB CPD and Training: Introduction to Practice Accreditation

ADAVB Meeting Room

11 July 8.45am-5.00pm

CPDent: Oral Medicine

Sebel Playford Hotel, North Terrace

17 July 6.30pm

ASP: Getting to the Root of the Matter, Joint Paediatric and Periodontal Management

University House at the Woodward

25 July, 14 July & 2 August

DHAAQ Regional Road Show

Rockhampton (25/7), Hervey Bay (26/7), Townsville (1/8), Cairns (2/8)

26 July - 27 July 9.00am-5.00pm

TAFE SA: Panoramic Radiography

TAFE SA, Gilles Plains

29 July 5.45-8.30pm

Diabetes and its management

Macbeth Lecture Theatre G31, Badger Building, North Terrace Campus, Adelaide

30 July 6-8.30pm

DHAAVB CPD Dinner Meeting

TBA

5 August 7.00pm

Orthoclinic: Treatment Planning and Execution of the Complex Restorative Case

Keelty Room, Novotel Canberra, 65 Northbourne Ave

8-9 August 8.15am-5.00pm

CPDent: Dental Practice Update and Trade Exhibition 2014. Topics: The Principles and Practice of MI Dentistry Part 1 – Preventing Dentistry MI Way, Part 2: MI Way of Managing Caries: Tricks of the Trade, The Who, What, Where & Why of Dental Fear, My Patient is Fearful – Now What Do I Do?

National Wine Centre, Cnr North Terrace and Hackney Rd, Adelaide

9 August 8.30am-12:30pm

Job Interview Skills

ADAVB Meeting Rooms Level 3, 10 Yarra Street South Yarra

15-16 August

Dental Update 2014 – at the Forefront of Dentistry

Stamford Plaza, Brisbane

20 August 6.30pm

Colgate Eminent Lecture Series

TBA

22 August 8.30am-5.00pm

Periodontal disease

Central Sydney

23 August 8.30am-5.15pm

DHAAVB CPD Event: Evolution and Revolution in Dentistry

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

29 August 12.30-5.00pm

Special Needs Dentistry in your Practice

ADA House 54-58 Havelock St West Perth

4 September 8.00am-5.00pm

Periodontal Instrumentation

Melbourne Oral Health Training Education Cenrtre (MOHTEC), 723 Swanston Street Carlton VIC 3053

9 September 7.00pm

Orthoclinic: Molar Extraction Techniques & Single Tooth Implant Protocols

Keelty Room, Novotel Canberra, 65 Northbourne Ave

20 September

DHAAQ Hygiene Horizons

TBA

25-27 September

ADOHTA Cutting Edge Oral Health

Panthers Entertainment Complex, Port Macquarie

26 September 9.00am-5.00pm

Implementing Evidence Based Dentistry in Practice

Centre for Professional Development Lithgow Street St Leonards, NSW

AUG 2014

SEP 2014

MONTH DATE/TIME

EVENT

VENUE

OCT 2014

3 October 9.00am-4.30pm

Endodontics and Prosthodontics, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

ANU Arts Centre, University Drive

15 October 9.00am-5.00pm

The Paediatric Dentition

Centre for Professional Development Lithgow Street St Leonards, NSW

17 October 8.30am-5.00pm

Medical Emergencies in the Dental Practice

ADAVB Meeting Rooms Level 3, 10 Yarra Street South Yarra

17 October 8.45am-5.00pm

Complications in Implant Dentistry Prevention & Management

UQ Oral Health Centre 288 Herston Road, Herston

17 October 8.30am-5.00pm

Anxiety Relief in Dentistry

Centre for Professional Development, Lithgow Street St Leonards NSW

18 October

DHAAVB CPD Event

TBA

18 October

Professional Dvelopment Day for ADOHTA WA & DHAA WA

University Club

18 October

DHAAQ Hygiene Horizons

TBA

28 October 5.45-8.30pm

Deciduous Pulpotomies - Pulp Fact or Pulp Fiction

Macbeth Lecture Theatre G31, Badger Building, North Terrace Campus, Adelaide

28 October 7.00pm

Orthoclinic: Effective Tips for Success in Endodontics

Keelty Room, Novotel Canberra, 65 Northbourne Ave

31 October

Paedodontics Update

Stamford Plaza Brisbane

1 November 8.45am-5.00pm

CPDent: Saturday Afternoons, Teeth and the Local Pharmacy

University of Adelaide, North Terrace Campus

12-14 November

Melbourne Dental School: Orthodontics for Dental Therapists and Hygienists

TBA

13-15 November

DHAA National Symposium

National Conference Centre, Canberra

22-23 November 9.00am-5.00pm

TAFE SA: Panoramic Radiography

TAFE SA, Gilles Plains

23 November 6.30pm

Adjunctive Periodontal Treatment and Limitation of Periodontal Treatment

Lion Hotel, 161 Melbourne St, North Adelaide

26 November 6.00pm

ASP: Diagnosis and Treatment of Periodontal Disease by Dental Professionals in Victoria

Ridges on Swanston

26 November 6.15-8.30pm

CPDent: Update on Allergic Drug Reactions and Common Skin Conditions

Macbeth Lecture Theatre, Badger Building, University of Adelaide

29 November

DHAAVB CPD Event: AGM

Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club

2 December 7.00pm

Sex, Drugs and Oral Cancer: A Potential Change in the Aetiology of Oral Cancer and the Role of the Dentist in it’s Early Recognition

Keelty Room, Novotel Canberra, 65 Northbourne Ave

7 December

TBA

National Wine Centre, Cnr North Terrace and Hackney Rd, Adelaide

NOV 2014

DEC 2014

Key to the state colours n ACT

n New South Wales

n Queensland

n South Australia

n Tasmania

n Victoria

n Western Australia

Please email us if you have an event that you want to be included in the calendar

DHAA Inc.