Celebrating Dental Assistants Recognition Week
The entire dental community reached out to thank and congratulate dental assistants for a job well done during Dental Assistants Recognition Week, which was held March 3-9.
Even though Augusta Technical College in Augusta, GA was in the middle of midterm exams, the Dental Assisting Program faculty members, including Angela Odom, program director; Sharon Jones, clinical instructor; and Latasha Linebarger, lab instructor, gave their students breakfast and lunch. Students provided plaque checks and patient education to the college campus. The Augusta Technical College faculty members would like to congratulate their outstanding students as some are preparing to graduate in May and are already accepting employment opportunities from clinical rotations.
The University at Buffalo, Educational Opportunity Center Dental Assisting Program in Buffalo, NY expanded its dental assistant recognition to include several weeks of activities.The students began by participating in the University at Buffalo, School of Dental Medicine’s“Give Kids a Smile Day,” where they assisted and helped provide dental treatment for more than 800 children.
Some of these students from the Buffalo dental assisting program also made visits to the state capitol in Albany, NY. For EOC/EOP Advocacy Day, students Tammy Roenker and Yolanda Reddreck met with politicians in their offices and requested support for educational funding for their dental assisting program. While there, they also spoke on behalf of the New York Dental Assistants Association regarding licensure and recognition of all dental assistants in New York.The second visit was to the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus where they provided oral hygiene instructions to attendees and students Kamesha Taylor and Lesley Brice discussed credentialing.
To wrap up their whirlwind of initiatives, the students attended the Buffalo Dental AssistantsSociety DARWdinner and education program where they presented a check to Dr. John Nasca, President of the 8th District Dental Society, the clinic’s sponsor. The check was for the proceeds of a fundraiser the students held on behalf of the Good Neighbors Free Dental Clinic.
Students at Harcum College Dental Assisting Program in Bryn Mawr, PA participated in the 7th Annual Dental Expo, which is held annually during DARW. This year, the students sold raffle tickets for several gifts baskets donated by Crown Seating, DENTSPLY, Sunstar America, and Colgate-Palmotive. The proceeds from the raffle will help offset the costs for Harcum College’s Dental Clinic Renovation Project.
The students also supported a community service project sponsored by the Pennsylvania EFDA Association. Soles 4 Souls is an organization that collects shoes in any condition to be donated to those who may have never worn any.
Social Media
Social media helped spread the word as dental assistants across the country received widespread and diverse recognition. Numerous individuals, including Amanda Mohler, Erika Rosas, and Amanda Elling, posted on Inside Dental Assisting’s Facebook page, excited for themselves and eager to congratulate their colleagues. Dental practices also posted and shared messages of thanks and recognition that they liked.
Supporters
Numerous businesses and organizations also recognized dental assistants and offered incentives for the week in their honor, including 3M ESPE, the American Association of Women in Dentistry, Crest Oral B, Crosstex, the DALE Foundation, DUX Dental, Henry Schein, Hereaus, Isolite, Micrylium Labs, Oral Health America, Patterson, and Septodont.
Thank you to everyone who recognized dental assistants as valued members of the dental team, and special thanks to the American Dental Assistants Association and the American Dental Association for collaborating many years ago to begin this now widely recognized annual event. Visit the Inside Dental Assisting Facebook page or email us and let us know how you celebrated 2013 Dental Assistants Recognition Week. Remember to start planning for next year!
