Prevention in Action: Dental Sealants
Presentation
Dental Professional Breakout Session
Non-Dental Professional Breakout Session
Presented by Candace Owen, RDH, Dr. Irene Hilton (NNOHA)
Sponsored by MO Dept. of Health & Senior Services, Office of Dental Health
Course Description: Dental sealants are one of the two most effective, research proven methods to prevent dental caries in children. With the COVID-19 pandemic, prevention of dental decay is even more essential to promote overall health in patients. This session will discuss the evidence-base and reasons for placing dental sealants and address persistent myths about sealants. In addition, this session will discuss strategies to increase sealant placement and how to convey the benefits of dental sealants to families.
Objectives: At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Review the evidence base for applying dental sealants.
- Describe strategies to increase sealant placement.
- Teach families the benefits of sealants
Candace Owen is the Education Director for the National Network for Oral Health Access. She is a registered dental hygienist and has a Master in Public Health and a Master in Dental Hygiene. Candace’s experience includes clinical dental hygiene and serving as dental public health faculty at the University of New Mexico. Her interests include interprofessional education and working with underserved populations. With NNOHA, Candace develops educational resources for health care providers working safety net settings including webinars, in-person training and technical assistance, learning collaboratives, and various publications. She has provided training and technical assistance on dental sealants for the last 4 years. Outside of NNOHA, Candace is a dental hygienist for a portable dental program in Denver and is a member of the Special Olympics Colorado Young Professional Board.
This speaker has declared no commercial conflict of interest relative to this presentation
Irene Hilton DDS, MPH is the dental consultant for the National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA), the national organization of dental providers working in Federally Qualified Health Centers and other safety net clinics. She is also a clinical staff dentist at the San Francisco Department of Public Health and is on faculty at the University of California San Francisco, School of Dentistry. Dr. Hilton has served as President of the San Francisco Dental Society, as a Trustee of the California Dental Association and is currently on the American Dental Association, Council on Advocacy for Access and Prevention. Dr. Hilton received her DDS degree from UCSF, her MPH from UC Berkeley, completed a dental public health residency at UCSF and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health.
This speaker has declared no commercial conflict of interest relative to this presentation