RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Dental hygienists and other preventive dentistry specialists, most of them from Randolph and other San Antonio military installations, will learn about the latest products and treatments in their profession during an all-day symposium today at the Kendrick Club.
The 22nd annual Federal Dental Symposium sponsored by the 12th Dental Squadron will also provide participants with information about helping people kick the tobacco habit and diagnosing and treating sleep apnea - two topics related to oral health.
Beverly Meares, a 12th DS dental hygienist who is the organizer of the symposium, called the event "an inexpensive, easy-access training day."
"It is full of preventive dental products and preventive treatment information for the dental professional," she said. "It is meant for professional dental hygienists and their military counterparts, the 'prophy' (or prophylactic) techs."
Morning sessions will feature Andrea Wiseman, a 3M Company representative who will discuss the latest diagnostic technologies, minimally invasive approaches and products relating to cavities, and Lori Tibbetts, Health and Wellness Center health education program manager, who will talk about tobacco cessation approaches for health professionals.
During the lunch break, a representative from a local dental hygienists' organization will give participants a legislative update, and the afternoon session will spotlight the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea with a presentation by Lt. Col. Tommy Fisher, director of hospital dentistry at Wilford Hall Medical Center.
Ms. Meares said the symposiums fill an educational need for the military's preventive dentistry specialists, especially the active-duty prophy techs, by exposing them to the latest information.
"They help get everybody on the same page," she said. "If we don't educate the military, we end up being limited in what we can do. Helping people prevent cavities and keeping people from smoking - these things are about preventive medicine."
Ms. Meares said training and information gathered at the symposiums "is over and above the basic preventive training we get initially."
The symposiums, offered free of charge to prophy techs, also address a financial concern.
"It is up to the preventive specialists to keep up to date," Ms. Meares said. "Keeping up to date is very expensive and time-consuming."
Ms. Meares said preventive dentistry specialists are charged with patient education.
"We describe and educate the patients about their dental and many medical procedures," she said. "We also discuss the materials used in these treatments."
Ms. Meares said the symposiums also provide for an exchange of protocols among dental professionals from military installations in San Antonio.
"The symposiums improve our standard of care for our military patients," she said. "All military dental clinics have a preventive committee of hygienists and prophy techs. They meet every month to upgrade products and education materials for our patients. The information we gather at the symposium will be implemented by these committees once they return to their bases."
Ms. Meares said eight prophy techs and three registered dental hygienists are among the 40 staff members in the 12th Dental Squadron. In addition to their educational and administrative responsibilities, prophy techs take X-rays, perform some teeth cleanings, apply sealants and administer fluoride treatments.