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MN ASDA’S NEWSLETTER

THE CENTRAL GROOVE

Feb/March 2014

PRESIDENT’S IMPRESSIONS: Stephanie Zastrow, MN ASDA President

As dental professionals, we are in the business of providing care to those in need. Most of us will put in eight or more years of higher education, more money than the cost of an average house, and a level of commitment to our education that often puts other endeavors on the back burner. With so much that we’ve already put into this process, what’s admirable is seeing students give even more of themselves through volunteering. Many students have made these activities part of their commitment to a life long pursuit of giving back to the community. MN ASDA’s greatest outpouring of effort traditionally is seen at Give Kids a Smile. This year was no exception. With 260 DDS, DT, and DH student volunteers at this year’s event, we were able to provide care to nearly 200 children and oral hygiene education to children and parents. Our united effort allowed us to continue making huge strides in breaking down barriers to care in our community and beyond. Give Kids a Smile extends across the state, and I’m sure many students will take their experience within the dental school to their practice post-graduation. Over the past several months, students have also made trips to various elementary and high schools to educate students about oral health care and dentistry as a career. They’ve reached out to predental students through various hands on dental activities, packaged food with Feed My Starving Children, and provided oral screenings to athletes participating in the Special Olympics. We’ve also increased our volunteer presence with The Ladder Program, an interdisciplinary program that provides health care and education to children in Minneapolis. MN ASDA students have taken advantage of the wide variety of opportunities we offer and are clamoring for more. Our MN Mission of Mercy Committee Chairs have just begun their work with the MDA organizing this annual event, which will take place in Mankato this July. At this two-day event, hundreds of adult patients receive free dental care including oral surgery, operative, prosthodontics, and endodontic treatment. Students are able to volunteer as operators, assistants, patient escorts, in anesthesia, and more. Around 60 students volunteered last year and found it to be an incredibly rewarding experience. I hope to see the students out in full force again this year. When it comes down to it, MN ASDA members care. MN ASDA leadership has made a commitment to providing even more volunteer opportunities in the future, which will be a win-win for all.

Editor: Marissa Goplen

Predental Week

Student volunteers teaching MN ASDA predental members the fine art of impression taking during the recent ASDA Pre-Dent week. Kudos to the volunteers who braved the day after GV Black to educate and encourage our future ASDA members!

Featured articles:

2…Dental Day at the Capitol Garrett Clause, D3 3… Give Kids a Smile Recap GKAS Leadership 4…Phillips Neighborhood Clinic Dan Jabs, D2 5…E-Cigarettes—A safe alternative? Marissa Goplen, D3

Dental Day at the Capitol: Help Shape the Future of Dentistry Garrett Clause, D3

“Get out the vote!” It’s a phrase we’ve all heard a million times. The last few elections have seen some of the highest voter turnouts among young people in decades. Our generation wants to have a say. We want to be involved in the political process, which is great! Until last year I really thought I was doing my part by voting every other year. But when I got the chance to visit with legislators at last year’s Dental Day at the Capitol, I realized that there is so much more that I can do.

See, when we elect people into office, they are overwhelmed. They are burdened with bills and committees and sessions and whatnot. Legislators come from all walks of life. They are teachers, police officers, soldiers, lawyers, doctors, businessmen, professors, homemakers, and even college students. They are relatively ordinary people, and no ordinary person can know everything about everything. That’s where we come in. Everyone has teeth, so be assured that legislators know at least something about dentistry. But do they really understand the ins and outs of the profession and how their legislation impacts it? After my experience last year, I assure you that they do not. But that’s okay! Dental Day at the Capitol is our chance to meet with our legislators face to face. We get to discuss real issues that will impact our careers and our patients’ lives. Would you prefer that they hear from someone who sits behind a desk and not a dental chair? Want to make a real difference for your future? Sign up for Dental Day at the Capitol, which will be March 6th, 2014. It’s free and you will get an excused absence from class or clinic. Don’t know what to say? Don’t worry! The Legislative Grassroots Network (LGN) will be hosting a Pre-Lobby Day info session so that everyone is on the same page about the issues. We will also cover the “Do’s and Don’ts” of lobbying and the ins and outs of government. It’s a great educational opportunity that you won’t soon forget. Hey, you might even network with a practicing dentist from your area! It’s a perfect first impression! Sign up for Dental Day at the Capitol at mndental.org/dentalday Please contact the LGN at cappx005@umn.edu or belmo019@umn.edu with questions.

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For those registered to attend State Lobby Day, please plan on attending an information/training session on Tuesday,

March 4th at 4:30 pm in 2-690. Speakers from the MDA will be going over the issues we will be lobbying and a general

overview of how the day will work.

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Give Kids a Smile Impacts Twin Cities Families Sara Gaalaas, Stephen Grimsby and Kirsten William Kennedy, D3

Operatory lights shine on young mouths. Behind clinical masks both student assistants and operators talk with faculty members about caries presence and treatment options. Mothers and fathers wait in a busy lobby full of volunteers from different health programs. In the radiology department, the buzz of films being taken intermits conversations between students, faculty and patients. This is the scene of Give Kids a Smile (GKAS) at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry.

One hundred eighty-nine patients and their families came through the doors of Moos Tower to receive free dental care on February 8th, 2014. Treatments ranged from exams, cleanings and different types of fillings to more involved procedures, like extractions and placing stainless steel crowns. Funding and supplies for the event were made possible by grants and donations from various companies and organizations. Even though the number and types of treatments give insight into the impact GKAS has, the total effect that this event holds is substantially larger.

Events such as GKAS aim to overcome barriers to dental care. The most common barriers include lack of insurance, cost of treatment, anxiety of visiting the dentist as well as the lack of a dental home. At the event families discussed the benefits of good oral hygiene and overall health with volunteers from different health fields. Portico Healthnet and Second Harvest Heartland were available to assist families in learning and applying for health insurance and subsidy assistance programs. For many of the patients GKAS is the first time they are seeing a dentist and receive dental care. Many changes in a family occur first through the experiences that the children have, and are then communicated to their parents and grandparents. Most importantly, GKAS gave families a firsthand look at what dentistry is, which decreases anxiety and helps to establish a dental home where continuity of care is provided. Ninety-two percent of surveyed families indicated that they would continue care at the School of Dentistry.

GKAS not only impacts the surrounding communities, but is also a great opportunity for the people volunteering. More than 50 faculty and staff members and 340 student volunteers worked to make the event a success. This event brings together various faculty, staff and students from several dental programs, including Dental Hygiene, Dental Therapy, Doctor of Dental Surgery and predental students. GKAS is an opportunity for students at different stages in their dental education to learn more about dental procedures and techniques, but most importantly about the various aspects of patient interactions.

Give Kids a Smile is a nationwide program with a vision statement that calls for the elimination of cavities in five year olds by 2020 (American Dental Association). With the continued support of our donors we can work to achieve this vision statement. The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry has been participating in GKAS for over 8 years. Each year we work to improve outreach, preparation and event logistics to bring more patients to the clinic, thereby serving more communities in dental education and treatment.

GKAS donors Include: the Minnesota Dental Foundation, the University of MN Alumni Foundation, TCF Bank, Coca Cola, Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, School of Dentistry Council of Students, Gems Company and many others!

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Dental Student Volunteers in the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic Dan Jabs, D2  

As a dental student, chances are good that you have an extensive history of community involvement, volunteer work, and likely some experience interacting with patients. As we’ve all heard and learned firsthand, these experiences outside the classroom are important for shaping a successful dental school applicant and preparing students to become future dental professionals. Beginning June 2013, a new opportunity became available for dental students to expand their understanding of healthcare and patient interaction by volunteering hands-on in a student-run free community clinic called the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic (PNC). The clinic is unique in that it is not only student-run but also involves the combined effort of students from seven health profession programs at the University of Minnesota with approximately 300 volunteers serving 1,100 patients per year. The PNC mission is two-fold which includes providing healthcare access to individuals within an underserved population as well as providing an educational environment for students to develop clinical skills that are useful in interdisciplinary healthcare.

For dental students, a typical night in the clinic involves being part of the interprofessional huddle discussions which occur for most patients seen in the clinic. These huddles include student volunteers from the various health professions as well their preceptors. Volunteers discuss the patient’s health and social history and then work as a team to develop a comprehensive,interprofessional plan for addressing the patient’s concerns. This is an opportunity for the dental student to think about how a patient’s systemic conditions might impact his or her oral health. In turn, dental volunteers also contribute oral health knowledge to help the team determine how these factors might impact the patient’s condition. Once a plan has been developed, the student clinicians see the patient in the examination room under the supervision of the medical preceptor. At that time, students perform patient interviews and physical exams that are specific to the profession in which they are trained. For dental clinicians, this includes using skills learned in the first year of dental school to perform limited head, neck, and intraoral exams. Volunteers also educate the patient on their oral healthcare and hygiene and provide referral information for obtaining continuity of care.

The PNC setting offers dental students an opportunity to think about the medical management of patients and put into practice many of the skills that are taught during the first two years of dental school. Dental students are then able to discuss these topics with students from other health professions, each of whom offers a unique perspective. Additionally, the new incorporation of dental volunteers in the clinic has provided the benefit of a screening location to identify patients that might be neglecting their oral health. Sometimes these patients come to the clinic with other health concerns in mind, but leave with the appreciation of being able to have all of their health care needs, including dental care, addressed.

The clinic is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-9pm and sees about 10 patients during each clinic shift. Students volunteer in the PNC for three shifts each semester as well as participate in three community outreach experiences in other local volunteer locations. First-year students are able to volunteer in clinic operations roles while dental students in their second through fourth years are eligible to participate in the dental clinician role. All students can also apply for leadership positions. In the near future, we hope to begin incorporating interested dental students into research volunteer roles within the clinic. If you are interested in being part of the PNC experience, please check out our website for more information http://www.phillips.neighborhoodclinic.com/ or contact Dan Jabs at PNCdental@gmail.com

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E-cigarettes—a safe alternative? Marissa Goplen, D3  

Having recently seen a bustling electronic cigarette kiosk at the Rosedale Mall, it dawned on me that I should probably know a little something about these “e-cigs” that are becoming so popular in case a patient was to inquire about their safety. While it is common knowledge that cigarette smoking is detrimental to overall and oral health, what do we currently know about the impact of e-cigs on public health?

Initially introduced in 2007, the electronic cigarette offers an alternative to smoking tobacco to individuals with nicotine addictions. Although commonly toted as a cessation method for cigarette smokers, a recent survey found that 12 percent of e-cig users had never smoked a conventional cigarette (NYU Dental). While many manufacturers and users of e-cigs claim that they are a safe alternative to cigarettes, the FDA has questioned the safety of these products. E-cigs work via an atomizer that heats a nicotine-containing liquid into a vapor that can be inhaled in a process known as “vaping”. E-cigs simulate the visual, sensory and behavioral aspects of smoking without the combustion of tobacco.

Unfortunately, there is currently very little research into the impact of e-cig use on overall or oral health. However, in a recent FDA analysis, it was found that variable amounts of nicotine and traces of toxic chemicals, including known carcinogens, were present in two popular brands of e-cigs. Additionally, each nicotine cartridge in an e-cig can provide 200-400 puffs, or the equivalent of two to three packs of cigarettes. Thus, due to the frequency of puffing, depth of inhalation and length of vaping, e-cig users may actually absorb higher concentrations of nicotine and other toxins than conventional tobacco smokers.

While I think we can agree that as nothing but a replacement product for existing smokers, e-cigarettes may present a potential public-health win. As they gain in popularity, the greatest issue with e-cigs may be their potential for luring back people who used to smoke or attracting new smokers (Bloomberg Business Week). While we wait for more research to be published on the subject, the Mayo Clinic suggests that the safe advice to provide to patients would be to say no to electronic cigarettes. For patients who are using or considering using e-cigs as a smoking cessation aid, it is advised that you direct patients toward the many FDA-approved medications that have been shown to be safe and effective for this purpose.