Oral Health America expands to include dental hygienists leading oral health workshops

Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals announced a $50,000 grant to help expand Oral Health America’s (OHA) Tooth Wisdom: Get Smart About Your Mouth workshop. The objective of the oral health education workshop is to “empower adults ages 65 and better to take charge of their oral health by learning and practicing healthy habits,” according to a press statement.

The OHA series was launched in 2014 in the Chicago area, with 93% of participants stating that they felt more confident in their ability to manage their oral care needs as a result of attending the workshop. As a result of the grant from Colgate, the workshop will expand to Illinois, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, and Minnesota.

In addition to the grant funding, Colgate will provide CE credits to dental hygienists who complete training to conduct the workshops. Later this year, OHA aims to leverage the Colgate Oral Health Advisers network (COHA), a nationwide group of dental hygienists, to further extend the availability of this workshop.

Dr. Barbara Shearer, director of scientific affairs at Colgate said, “Colgate is delighted to be in partnership with Oral Health America and dental hygienists around the country to help improve the oral health of older Americans. This important demographic is often at an increased risk for tooth decay and gum disease due to common aging conditions such as dry mouth. Increasing awareness around these risk factors and the importance of proper oral health is pivotal.”

As part of these efforts, Colgate is also sponsoring OHA’s participation in the American Dental Hygienists’ Association’s community service day, where dental hygienists will present this workshop at seven different sites in Nashville — the host city for this year’s ADHA annual session — on Wednesday, June 17.

“The older adult population in the United States is expanding rapidly. The Tooth Wisdom: Get Smart About Your Mouth workshop provides needed education to help them maintain proper oral health,” said Beth Truett, president and CEO of Oral Health America. “The support from Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals is critical to being able to expand this workshop, which will allow us to further engage our target audience with this vital information.”

To learn more about OHA and its education initiatives, please visit www.oralhealthamerica.org.