Chicago—September 15, 2004—October is National Dental Hygiene Month (NDHM), and in recognition the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) has selected tobacco cessation as the theme for 2004.

ADHA and dental hygienists across the country will be working to raise awareness about the tragic side effects from tobacco use, the leading cause of preventable death and disability in the United States.

More common than melanoma and leukemia, oral cancer will kill 7,200 of the 30,000 people diagnosed with it this year alone. Regrettably, 75 percent of these cases are preventable and almost 90 percent are treatable if detected in its early stages.

“On the frontline of defense against oral disease, dental hygienists are uniquely positioned to educate their patients or clients who smoke about the benefits of quitting as well as how to seek help,” said Helena Gallant Tripp, RDH, ADHA president. “The average American sees their dental hygienist more often than their medical doctor. ADHA supports the grassroots education efforts of dental hygienists who help people quit using tobacco, improving their oral health and overall health.”

In combination with NDHM, ADHA launched its Smoking Cessation Initiative “Ask. Advise. Refer.” earlier this year as a motivating educational program for dental hygienists to use with their patients who smoke. This national campaign was made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Smoking Cessation Leadership Center at the University of California, San Francisco.

ADHA is the largest national organization representing the professional interests of the more than 120,000 dental hygienists across the country. Dental hygienists are preventive oral health professionals, licensed in dental hygiene, who provide educational, clinical and therapeutic services that support total health through the promotion of optimal oral health. For more information about oral health, visit ADHA at http://www.adha.org.

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Editor’s Note:
For further information about National Dental Hygiene Month, to schedule an interview with ADHA President Helena Gallant Tripp, RDH, or to learn more about tobacco cessation, including fact sheets and statistics, please contact ADHA Public Relations, 312-440-8943 or media@adha.net.
For further information about ADHA’s Smoking Cessation Initiative, visit: www.askadviserefer.org.