2007 Membership Meeting   September 2007   Hi All,     Just to let you know our meeting on Sept 7th went extremely well. For those of you who attended.(.and there were many more than I thought would show up and many many NEW faces), thanks for coming and for those of you that could not attend I will bring you up to date a little.      I have been told many times that it is impossible to get dental assistants to show up for meeting and volunteering. Well this past meeting proved that statement WRONG. We had many dental assistants from private practice, student dental assistants and COMMUNITY CLINICS! We reviewed our accomplishments, which include our fall continuing ed program, our NEW exciting RHS Exam Prep Course in March and plans for our annual meeting in April 08' which will include ANYONE who would like to come. It is our philosophy that you can't get dental assistants excited about joining unless they can see for themselves what CDAA can provide for them. Getting to know our officers and other members is KEY to building membership. New info on the annual meeting and RHS course will be on our updated website cdaa4u.org at the beginning of October, you can email me with questions anytime or call my cell 860-989-1454.      In addition to our education program we have begun developing committees for specific work that needs to get done. These are: Continuing Ed; Community Awareness; Dental Ass't Recognition Week; Membership; Annual Meeting and Student Involvement. I am proud to say there is a least 2 NEW people on EACH committee. That is quite an accomplishment for one evening. Thanks to all for signing up and ANYONE interested in still signing up we always can use more help.      Sue Dolliver spoke on increasing membership to the CDAA and spoke in regards to CSDA Allied membership.      Gary Jacobs provided an explanation on our EFDA initiative, where we are headed and what stumbling blocks we have encountered. Oraine Ridley emphasized the importance of community clinic involvement and the impact EFDA may have on access to care for the underserved. For a more detailed update visit the website or contact one of our officers.       Lastly, our own secretary Beth Barber, spoke on the Fellowship/Mastership Program through CDAA. We are proud to announce Beth's completion of the Mastership Program and Beth will be receiving her Mastership at the Annual ADAA Meeting in San Francisco later this month. Gary Jacobs will be there as our CDAA delegate...Thanks again Gary and congratulations to Beth we are so proud of you!      In conclusion, the CDAA is on the move and "Setting a New Professional Standard" for the dental assisting profession in CT. Thanks to all for their hard work and FUTURE hard work. I have reattached the Fall Continuing Ed Program, there's still time to sign up! If you have any questions please feel free to contact any of the officers.   Sincerely Yours, Lois Villa, CDA CDAA President     CDAA Five Year Plan     June 2007   In an effort to promote patient safety while building a career ladder for Dental Assistants, the Connecticut Dental Assistants Association will work towards the following goals through 2011.  Mandatory Infection Control (ICE) Certification through DANB within one (1) year of employment Include Radiation Health & Safety certification in the section of the state dental practice act pertaining to dental assistants Identify in the state dental practice act four levels of dental assistants: DA 1, DA 2, CDA, EFDA Increase membership by 5%. Encourage and assist in the start up of local components Increase members participation in monthly meetings Expand CDAA sponsored continuing education at an affordable rate and seek out sponsorship for such events, coursesCreate CDAA sponsored event for DARW in 2008     Combating Infection in the Dental Office April 2007   The recent report of a dental patient-to-patient transmission of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in an oral surgeon’s office (The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Vol. 195, No. 9, May 2007) underscores the need for constant vigilance in infection control practices in the dental office and the healthcare community at large.  While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports it found no deficiencies in infection control practices in the oral surgeon’s office where the transmission occurred, nevertheless, this incident is a wake-up call and a reminder to the oral healthcare community of the need to employ cautious and meticulous behaviors in regards to infection control practices.    The Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. (DANB), recognized by the American Dental Association as the premier, national certification and testing agency for dental assistants, takes very seriously its role in measuring and promoting excellence in oral healthcare delivery nationwide.  To that end, DANB offers the only national examination that assesses dental assistants’ knowledge-based competency in infection control and application of current and related Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and CDC guidelines including (although not limited to) CDC Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings – 2003; OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard; OSHA Hazard Communications Standard; and OSHA General Industry Standard.  As a certification and testing agency, DANB’s certification programs are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).    The results of a survey DANB conducted last year show the responsibility of infection control and OSHA compliance very often rests on the shoulders of at least one dental assistant in the dental office.  When asked, “What duties other than general chairside or specialty assisting functions do you perform, if any?” a striking 60 percent of dental assistants surveyed nationwide said they performed infection control duties.  In addition, 19 percent said they acted as OSHA compliance officer for their employer’s dental office.  These responses clearly highlight and emphasize the need for dental assistants to be competent in infection control practices.    Due to its commitment to maintain and improve upon its high standards, DANB works closely with the Organization for Safety and Asepsis Procedures (OSAP) and enjoys OSAP representation on DANB’s Infection Control Exam Committee.  DANB’s Infection Control (ICE) examination is a stand-alone exam and also one of three components of DANB’s Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) exam that includes ICE, Radiation Health and Safety (RHS), and General Chairside (GC) Assisting.  DANB’s ICE, alone or as part of the CDA exam, is required or recognized by 36 states as meeting dental assistant requirements.    The ICE exam initially was developed in 1991 and is updated by content and psychometric experts annually.  Some of those experts include or have included John Molinari, PhD, James Cottone, DMD, MS and Charles Palenik, MS, PhD, as members of DANB’s infection control committee appointed by OSAP.  The exam is made up of 100 multiple-choice questions and as stated earlier, is devised to measure knowledge-based competency.  The topic areas it covers include:    Patient and dental healthcare worker education Standard/universal precautions and the prevention of disease transmission Maintaining aseptic conditions Performing sterilization procedures Environmental asepsis Occupational safety   Dental assistants who pass this test are well-versed in infection control practices and have demonstrated the intellectual ability to integrate their knowledge into the workplace.  Needless to say, the oral healthcare community has done a tremendous job in limiting the transmission of diseases.  The current challenge is to fight off any tendency towards complacency.  With the rise of new diseases and the increase in drug-resistant organisms, infection control must remain a top priority for all in the dental profession.