June 5, 2001 • RDH Magazine

by Trisha O'Hehir

In December, I spoke to a group of 300 dentists and hygienists in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. I present continuing- education courses all over the world, but this one was different. It was a gift to the dental community from two periodontists and a hygienist-owned, continuing-education company. That's right, a gift - a free gift! It was their way of saying thanks to colleagues.

The joint effort between periodontists Thomas McCawley and Nicholas DeTure and entrepeneur hygienists Juli Kagan and Jill Obrochta of Transcen DENTAL drew a huge crowd. I was honored to be the speaker at such a function, and was surprised to learn that these folks provide several free courses throughout the year. It's a great way to come together, share ideas, and discuss new products and treatment approaches.

In the morning, we talked about new research on plaque biofilms and the role of the dental hygienist as a primary preventive specialist. In the afternoon, we tried out lots of new products, specifically those for interdental plaque control.

Many new products come to market without the benefit of extensive clinical research. The financial investment needed for such research is prohibitive for small companies selling toothpicks, interdental brushes, or coated sticks. It's up to us, the preventive specialists, to seek out these products and test them ourselves, before our patients come to us with questions.

Read Complete Article on RDH Magazine's website.