Description:
The OCEAN Initiative aims to empower healthcare providers to advocate for oral health, reducing preventable diseases and promoting awareness globally. It encourages collaboration among health professionals, educates the public, and seeks to provide accessible and affordable oral health care. The session at Greater New York Dental Meeting will focus on variety of topics related to the core of education and prevention aiming to enrich and able healthcare providers to better serve patients and their families.
Sangeeta Gajendra, DDS, MPH, MS - 2:00 – 2:50
Community Water Fluoridation: Impact of its Cessation
Community water fluoridation (CWF), one of the ten great public health achievements of the 20th century in the USA is an efficient and cost-effective way to deliver fluoride to everyone in a community, helping to reduce dental caries by about 25% in children and adults. Several studies have been published about the association of fluoride exposure and children’s IQ and neurodevelopment. This session helps to understand the impact of community water fluoridation cessation, providing consistent evidence that community water fluoridation is an effective public health measure to reduce the burden of dental caries.
Learn about:
- the importance of community water fluoridation (CWF)
- the mechanism of action of fluoride on reducing dental caries
- studies that have explored about the ill-effects of CWF
- the impact of water fluoridation (CWF) cessation in various communities
Kathy Eklund, RDH - 3:00 – 3:50
Infection Prevention & Control 2026: Developing a Culture of Safety
The goal of an infection prevention & control program is to prevent healthcare-associated infections among patients, and injuries and illnesses in healthcare personnel. This presentation will focus on developing a culture of safety, including strategies for increasing compliance with relevant recommendations, regulations and standards. Tools and resources for monitoring and evaluating a site-specific infection prevention & safety program are shared with participants.
Learn to:
- differentiate guidelines, regulations, standards and best practices
- explain the roles and responsibilities of an infection prevention and safety coordinator
- describe how to integrate guidelines, regulations and standards into a site-specific program
- promote a culture of safety in a site-specific dental practice setting
Rajesh Gururaghavendra, MDS, MPH, PhD - 4:00 – 5:00
Screening for Oral Cancer and Potentially Malignant Disorders in the Dental Office.
Support for this program is provided by
