ORTHO INDUSTRY NEWS Infection Prevention & Patient Safety Conference The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP) will conduct a leadership development conference in dental patient safety and infection preven-tion June 9-12, 2011 in Plano (Dallas), TX. “We have significantly changed the organiza-tion in the past six months,” said Execu-tive Director, Therese Long. “With its new focus on advocacy, OSAP is now extremely well-positioned to integrate its core competencies throughout oral healthcare. The June Patient Safety conference will feature tracks for educators, consultants, clinicians and companies to obtain recog-nized expertise in infection prevention and patient safety. The conference will also introduce “extreme network-ing,” new resources and the very latest information on emerging diseases, regulations, green infection control, technologies & products, processes and training strategies. “Visit www.OSAP.org for more details and to register,” said Long. “And be sure to bookmark www.OSAP.org as a go-to resource for all your infection prevention and safety needs.” Hygienist’s Book: Good Kid Habits February was National Children’s Dental Health Month, and long-time dental hygien-ist Linda Valder-rama’s new book, “Brush Barry Brush,” debuted to help get the word out on the impor-tance of good dental health habits. After more than 25 years of dispensing her advice on brushing to patients in dental offices, Valder-rama decided it was time to write it down and gear it specifically to children. “Dental decay is the most prevalent but preventable of chronic childhood diseases,” she said. “People just don’t think of it as a disease.” According to the National Institutes of Health, the rate of decay in the baby teeth of children ages 2 to 11 started to rise in the mid-1990s after declining for more than two decades. Now, 42 percent of children 2 to 11 have had cavities in their baby teeth. New Appliance for Sleep Apnea was released at the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting in February. The kit is designed to give dental professionals all the tools needed to immediately start treat-ment for snoring and sleep apnea. Dentists now have a proven treat-ment modality for patients suffering from snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). The TAP ® fits over the teeth similar to a mouth guard and advances the jaw forward during sleep, keeping the airway open and eliminating snoring and sleep apnea. For more information, visit www.pattersoncompanies.com. Two companies have entered into a strategic partnership to distribute the leading custom oral appliance for treating sleep apnea to dental professionals through Patter-son Dental. A Practice Start-up Kit Waterpik Water Flosser for Kids The new Water-pik Water Flosser for Kids is ideal for young patients who have orthodontic appli-ances and those who struggle with traditional string floss. The Water Flosser for Kids is uniquely designed to accommo-date smaller hands – ideal for ages six and up – and it has been clini-cally proven to be twice as effec-tive as traditional floss for reduc-ing gingival bleeding. It includes two tips – one Classic Jet Tip and one Orthodontic Tip – as well as an extra safe, kid-proof electrical design, three pressure settings, and compact size for easy storage. The Water Flosser for Kids also comes with 20 removable cling decals in colorful designs that kids can use to customize their unit. 8 March/April 2011 JAOS
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society March-April 2011: Page 8
