Middlesex Component Spring Symposium

Overview

•          Recognize the function of the temporomandibular joint
•          Understand the role of the dental hygienists in recognizing both normal and notable findings of the temporomandibular joint
•          Recognize the steps taken by dental hygienists during the head, neck, and oral examination to assess the temporomandibular joint
•          Identify the dental hygienists’ approach to the management of chronic pain related to temporomandibular disorders
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• Lisa LaSpina is an Associate Professor at MCPHS University, Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene. Presently, she is co-teaching in the dental hygiene clinical courses, oral pathology, and community oral health. Her publications include topics on gerontology, Tips to Identify Social Isolation in Older Adults and oral pathology, New Teaching Tool Aims to Improve Dental Hygiene Students\' Clinical Assessment of Oral Lesions. Dr. LaSpina is a contributing author for a chapter, the older adult patient, in the book, Wilkins’Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist. She has practiced as a dental hygienist for over thirty years.  Dr. LaSpina is actively involved in the American Dental Hygienists’ Association. She currently serves as acting chair on the executive committee for Better Oral Health for Massachusetts Coalition.  Lory A. Libby RDH, MSDH

   

  Lory A. Libby is an Assistant Professor at MCPHS University in Boston, Massachusetts. Lory has 36 years of clinical dental hygiene experience and has assumed many roles within the dental team throughout her career. Before joining MCPHS University, Lory spent 25 years working as a clinical dental hygienist. Lory began her journey in education at MCPHS in 2008 as an adjunct clinical instructor. Upon completing her master’s degree in 2015, she began her faculty role teaching several didactic classes and is currently a clinical coordinator for freshman clinics and teaches Process of Care I and II as well as Oral Health Research.
  Lory’s passion lies is promoting oral health through education and research. Her research on distance learning has been published in the Journal of Dental Education. Lory is a contributing author for a Wilkins Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygiene textbook chapter on Infection Control: Clinical Procedures. She currently serves as an executive board member for the Better Oral Health for Massachusetts Coalition and advisory boards for Forsyth Alumni Committee and Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational High School. She has served on several thesis committees in her tenure at MCPHS University and serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Dental Education.    
   
  Ann-Marie C. DePalma, CDA, RDH, MEd,  CDIPC, FADIA, FAADH is a graduate of the Forsyth School for Dental Hygienists, Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts Boston. Ann-Marie is a Fellow and Certified Educator of the Association of Dental Implant Auxiliaries (ADIA), a Fellow of the American Academy of Dental Hygiene (AADH), a continuous member of American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA), as well as a lifetime member of the American Association of Dental Office Management (AADOM). She is the 2017 Esther Wilkins Distinguished Alumni of Forsyth Award recipient.  Ann-Marie has been published in dental and dental hygiene publications and textbooks. She is a consultant dental hygiene examiner for CDCA (Commission on Dental Competency Assessments formerly the Northeast Regional Board). She is currently a Software Technology Advisor for Patterson Dental educating teams on software technology for their practice and patients and is certified by OSAP/DANB in Dental Infection Prevention and Control.  Ann-Marie presents continuing education programs for dental team members on a variety of topics. She has been employed as a business/clinical advisor for a national dental practice management company, a faculty member of a dental hygiene program and program chair of a dental assisting program after having been employed in clinical hygiene for a number of years. :
  
  
  Teamwork makes the Dream Work: where office culture and profitability unite 
  Description:
  Empowered and inspired hygienists are invaluable to a dental practice. If you go through your days feeling uninspired and misunderstood, there may be a misalignment of values between you and your dental practice. In today’s climate, dental hygienists have the advantage of finding their ideal practice conditions to provide the best patient care possible. After all, if you aren’t your best self, how can you properly care for someone else? Dental hygienists should have the autonomy overhaul caries management, periodontal and implant protocols, educate the dental team and collaborate with specialists to personalize patient care. This lecture will demonstrate the benefits, both professionally and to patients, of finding your ideal team and practice.
   
  Objectives: Attendees of this lecture will
  1.       Realize the value of a dental hygienist in caries management
  2.       Feel empowered to idealize their perio and implant protocols in the practice
  3.       Be introduced to Guided Biofilm Therapy
  4.       Reflect on their value system and current employment situation
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