A statement by Assistant Secretary for Health Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH

Today, as we recognize National HIV Testing Day (NHTD), it is important to note that nearly 1 in 6 Americans who have HIV do not know they are infected. If you are between the ages of 13-64, or are pregnant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends you be tested for HIV at least once as a part of routine healthcare, and more often if you are at high risk for infection.

Testing is particularly important if you are part of a population that is heavily affected by HIV. These populations include African Americans, Latinos, and gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) of all races – particularly young African American MSM (ages 13-24), who have higher rates of new HIV infection than any other race/ethnicity or gender.

Fortunately, getting an HIV test has become easier thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA requires most new health insurance plans to cover certain preventive services –including HIV testing – without additional costs (e.g., co-pays or deductibles) to you.

If you aren’t sure where to get an HIV test, visit AIDS.gov’s HIV Testing Site & Care Services Locator to find a convenient testing location. You can also visit the NHTD website to find information on more than 400 NHTD testing events taking place across the nation.

You can benefit from testing no matter what the results are, because knowing your HIV status puts you in charge of your health.

For more information about NHTD, or to find an HIV testing location near you, please visit AIDS.gov. You can also follow the conversation on social media with #NHTD. For resources on HIV prevention, please visit Act Against AIDS. For more information on the ACA, please visit healthcare.gov.

Red Bank, NJ:  June 15, 2014:  The American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM) Annual Conference will take place September 4-6, 2014 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. AADOM is proud to be a supporter of companies that espouse sustainability and green efforts. The Hilton San Diego Bayfront has received a 5 Key Rating through Green Key Global and has been recognized in their community for its efforts in this area.

The hotel was recently awarded the 2014 Energy Champion by San Diego Gas & Electric. AADOM President Heather Colicchio states, "When we heard about the award we knew we'd made the right decision to work with the Hilton." Members can expect a beautiful location along with the knowledge that unused food and toiletries are not wasted but are given to local shelters and donation centers.

AADOM Vice President Lorie Streeter is proud to partner with the hotel. "When we were told of their philosophy we realized it was a match with ours. Their use of recyclable materials and conservation efforts are similar to the requirements for our Green Leader Initiative that we promote." "This will resonate with our members. They are involved with community improvement in their areas and to be able to impact San Diego will make a difference to them."

To learn more about AADOM's Green Leader initiative visit www.dentalmanagers.com. Registration for the 10th Annual Conference is now open to the public at this site: AADOM Conference Registration

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nine major medical and public health organizations have written to Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association urging them to agree to a complete prohibition on tobacco use at ballparks and on camera.

The groups sending the letter are: American Cancer Society, American Dental Association, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Medical Association, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Legacy, Oral Health America and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. View the full text of the letter.

The letter was sent following the death of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn from cancer that he attributed to his longtime use of chewing tobacco. Tony Gwynn's death has generated significant media coverage about the use of chewing tobacco in baseball.

"Major League Baseball and the Players Association can honor Tony Gwynn's memory by agreeing to a complete prohibition on tobacco use at ballparks and on camera. Our organizations urge you to do so without delay," the letter states.

"Use of smokeless tobacco endangers the health of Major League ballplayers.  It also sets a terrible example for the millions of young people who watch baseball at the ballpark or on TV and often see players and managers using tobacco."

In 2011, Major League Baseball and the Players Association agreed to some restrictions on smokeless tobacco use, including prohibitions on carrying tobacco tins in uniforms and on using tobacco during televised interviews.  But "these are not sufficient to eliminate smokeless tobacco use in public settings or to prevent more players from becoming addicted to these deadly products," the letter states.

The letter was sent to Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark.

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Partnering with Crest® + Oral-B® Pro-Health®, Dr. Travis Stork, Emmy® nominated TV host and board-certified emergency medicine physician, will appear at various events throughout the U.S. to speak directly with consumers about the importance of oral health.

“As an emergency medicine physician, I know that a healthy mouth is an important part of a healthy body,” said Dr. Stork. “That’s why I went ‘pro’ with Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health which helps me maintain a healthy mouth and smile in between dental visits, and I encourage others to do the same.”

Consumers had the opportunity to mingle with Dr. Stork when Crest Pro-Health sponsors SHAPEmagazine’s Diva Dash in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 21, 2014. Alongside a women’s-only 5K obstacle and adventure run, Dr. Stork was on hand in the ‘SHAPE Escape Zone’ to talk about how oral health is connected to overall health and to introduce the new Crest Pro-Health Tartar Protection Rinse, the only mouth rinse that delivers both anti-cavity and anti-tartar benefits in one.

According to a SHAPE magazine reader panel survey, nearly 9 in 10 SHAPE respondents said that they would use a mouth rinse if it could help them improve their dental visits. Along with discussing how the new Crest Pro-Health Tartar Protection Rinse could help do just that, Dr. Stork will share a variety of tips with thousands of consumers at the SHAPE Diva Dash about oral health and overall health, including:

• Small Steps Can Lead to Big Changes: Small changes can make a big impact on one’s health. Making a healthy swap like fruit-infused seltzer water in place of soda or taking a 30-minute walk every day will help improve one’s health, one step at a time.

• Enjoy Being Active: Finding an activity you enjoy is key to incorporating regular physical fitness into your life. Being active shouldn’t feel like work, so choose something you enjoy!

• Clean Up Your Oral Care: Investing in oral care products that will help protect your mouth against tartar build-up is important and Crest Pro-Health Tartar Protection Rinse provides protection against tartar build-up and cavities.

Crest Pro-Health’s newest mouthwash innovation, Crest Pro-Health Tartar Protection Rinse features fluoride to prevent cavities while the pyrophosphate helps to reduce tartar formation. Tartar is a hardened plaque substance which cannot be brushed away and forms when the minerals from saliva deposit and harden within plaque. Crest Pro-Health Tartar Protection Rinse works to prevent this crystallization process by disrupting the linking of calcium and phosphates. By helping to prevent the organization of minerals, tartar growth sites are prevented. Not only is one’s mouth protected against tartar build-up, Crest Pro-Health Tartar Protection Rinse also freshens breath, fights unwanted surface stains and strengthens weakened enamel.

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, June 24, 2014 —Heraeus Kulzer, LLC, the worldwide leader in dental esthetics, announced today that its Venus White Brand will extend its role as the official Whitening Challenge Fundraising partner of Give Back a Smile (GBAS) for another two years.  The announcement was made at the recent annual meeting of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), which was attended by over 1,200 dental professionals in Orlando, Florida. 

GBASwas founded by the AACD’s Charitable Foundation in 1999to restore the damaged smiles of adult survivors of intimate partner violence.  During the past 15 years, AACD dentists, laboratory technicians and other dental professionals have volunteered their time and expertise on a pro bono basis to restore the smiles of more than 1,400 domestic abuse survivors for a total dollar value of almost $14 million in services provided. There are currently approximately 250 GBAS applicants who are being treated throughout the United States and Canada.

The GBAS Whitening Challenge Fundraising event is one of the top revenue generators for the AACD Charitable Foundation.  Venus White became the Whitening Fundraising Partner in 2012; in the two years since then, the event has generated nearly $70,000 for GBAS and made it possible to restore the smiles to more than 300 survivors of intimate partner violence.  

The funds raised specifically support survivors of intimate partner violence by assisting GBAS patients with the cost of travel to and from their dental appointments as well as the costs of dental laboratory materials.  These funds also finance scholarships for eligible GBAS program recipients who are pursuing higher education, and it supports initiatives to increase awareness and administration of the program.  Heraeus Kulzer donates Venus White teeth whitening materials to participating dental practices that pledge to donate proceeds directly to GBAS when they perform whitening treatments for their patients.

“We are very proud to be sponsoring this crucial cause for the third straight year,” said Christopher Holden, president of Heraeus Kulzer North America.  “We salute the impressive talents and generosity of the AACD dentists, laboratory technicians and everyone else involved with this wonderful program, and we are honored to have our Venus White teeth whitening line help to restore the smiles to hundreds of very deserving people.” 

Crosstex International, the global leader in infection prevention and protection for the healthcare industry, is proud to announce the launch of its new YouTube channel, Crosstex Protects. The channel will be home to the company’s ongoing series of educational videos showcasing important sterilization procedures, product usage tutorials, and a well-guided tour through the latest compliance requirements. 

Leann Keefer, Director of Clinical Education at Crosstex, says that the response to the video series has been overwhelming. “We’re trying to simplify years of clinical training to dental and healthcare professionals, and the feedback so far tells us that we’re accomplishing our number one goal: to provide much-needed tutorials that guide the professional community through the complicated terrain of sterility compliance.” 

“Sterilization protocols are clearly outlined in CDC guidelines, yet it’s the application and compliance of those best practices that can be an issue,” added Keefer. “With the Crosstex Protects channel, we’re trying to cover a broad range of sterilization topics, because they’re so essential to everyone’s safety. Maybe you have questions about how to test your sterilizer, or about the proper loading and storage of sterilization pouches. Maybe you’re in need of up-to-date regulatory and CDC compliance information. These videos are a quick and easy way to absorb very technical information.” 

Keefer, a dental hygienist herself, hosts the content of several of the videos. She says the channel isn’t just about Crosstex products — far from it. The series includes the science behind sterilization and the finer points of compliance regulations. 

“We truly want to educate people across the board, even if they aren’t Crosstex customers,” she said. “That’s why we’ve opened our Infection Control helpline at 1-8558-STERILE. Call M-F 9-5pm MST and get answers to questions about instrument reprocessing, sterilization products, compliance guidelines, best practices —anything. We’ll do our very best to help. This helpline is open to everyone, even if you don’t have an existing relationship with Crosstex.” 

According to Keefer, the new Crosstex video channel is an extension of the company’s ongoing commitment to education clinicians on proper infection control. “The more you know, the better you can protect," she said. “It’s that simple, and it is our number one priority.” 

In honor of AADOM's 10th anniversary, Patterson Dental is awarding 10 scholarships to attend this year's AADOM National Conference, held September 4-6, 2014, in San Diego, Calif.

It's easy to apply:

Office managers have the opportunity to nominate themselves for a scholarship online, in addition to the nominations Patterson receives from its territory representatives. Just visit pattersonpartners.com to learn more or complete an online nomination form.

Recipients of the scholarship receive:

-Complimentary conference registration

-Complimentary hotel stay for the nights of September 3-5

-Up to $600 in travel/air expenses

Complete the online application form at https://www.pattersonpartners.com/

Earth City, Mo., June 20, 2014 – Denticator® is excited to introduce new Denticolors, our bold, stylish line of colorful disposable prophy angles!

These bright, contemporary colors and patterns in pink, blue, purple and mint green with chevron add a pop of fun to any hygiene routine.

Crafted in the same design as our leading seller, Denticator Original Green®, Denticolors prophy angles offer the superior torque, strength and reliability clients expect from our products. The angle’s smooth performance delivers maximum comfort for the patient and hygienist, while the soft, latex-free 4-webbed cup helps make cleanings quick, easy and efficient.

Angles are individually wrapped for convenient infection control and are crafted to fit all standard nose cone low-speed handpieces. Denticolors disposable prophy angles are proudly made in the USA.

Visit www.denticator.com/samplerequest.php for samples.

OXNARD, CALIF. – JUNE 16, 2014 – Well-known dentists, hygienists and dental assistants in the U.S. have come together, with support from DUX Dental, to form a new coalition called Support Clean Dentistry. The coalition’s goal is to promote infection control and prevention in the dental environment, make the concept of infection control more understandable for patients and encourage communication between dental patients and professionals. Support Clean Dentistry introduces its first social media campaign today with the release of three humorous web videos created to generate awareness and get dental professionals and patients talking to each other. The videos are available on www.SupportCleanDentistry.com and the coalition's social media sites Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

“During the last year ‘dirty dentists’ have been in the news more and more – when in fact these cases are rare exceptions to the care most professionals deliver. The advisory board members came together with the support of DUX Dental to think of ways we could get patients and dental professionals talking about infection control and keeping it clean at the dentist office,” said Dr. Sheri B. Doniger, Support Clean Dentistry advisory board member. “The outcome was relatable, shareable, funny videos that we hope will be a conversation starter between patients and their dental care providers.”

The “Cold-Hearted Bib Chain” campaign is a multi-faceted social media campaign that includes three web videos, animated gifs and other visuals optimized for online sharing. In a funny and exaggerated way, the video series portrays interactions between patients and a hygienist as the hygienist tries to attach a dental napkin around the patient’s neck using a traditional bib chain. Each character, played by improvisational comedians, highlights emotions commonly seen among dental patients and the somewhat challenging situations dental professionals have to handle on a daily basis. The reactions range from sheer fear, to relentless squirming, to the sharing of too much information.

“The message of the video is to encourage patients to ask their dentist for a disposable bib clip to avoid the cross contamination of germs,” says advisory board member Noel Kelsch R.D.H.A.P. “But the point is that the patient can, and should, ask the dentist or hygienist about anything that concerns them. Whether you want to request they change gloves after touching a counter or to ask about how something was cleaned, the patient should feel empowered to talk about it.”

Support Clean Dentistry is currently made up of five advisory board members: Shannon Pace Brinker C.D.A., Dr. Sheri B. Doniger D.D.S., Noel Brandon Kelsch R.D.H.A.P., Dr. Frank J. Milnar D.D.S., A.A.A.C.D. and Kara Vavrosky R.D.H. The mission of the coalition is to:

• translate dental care standards into easy to understand information for patients.

• teach patients about infection control standards and what to expect during a dental visit.

• empower dental patients to communicate with their dental care professional and express their expectations about their dental visit.

• encourage dental professionals to outline and explain the infection prevention and control practices they use and invite the patient to ask questions and participate in the process.

“Infection control” practices are the protocols medical professionals undertake to prevent potential infection and control of infection in the rare cases when it arises. Infection control includes procedures such as washing hands, wearing gloves, using disposable supplies and disinfecting reusable ones properly.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 05, 2014 - 1-800-DENTIST®, the dental profession’s premier new patient lead-generation program, has released a new ad campaign targeting the millions of American consumers who are in search of a dentist. The series of 30- and 15-second commercials feature company founder Fred Joyal and are designed to motivate more patients to call right away to find a local dentist.

The five new spots highlight the importance of going to the dentist and how 1-800-DENTIST offers consumers the easiest, most reliable way for consumers to find one they’ll love. The commercials explain that 1-800-DENTIST takes the guesswork out of the selection process and can personally match consumers to the right dentist by a variety of key factors, including the patient’s dental insurance plan. Since the spots began airing in March, 1-800-DENTIST has seen a great response with record numbers of consumers calling to be matched with one of the company’s member dentists.

“Our goal has been helping dentists grow their practices by motivating consumers to make oral healtha priority,” said Michael Turner, the CEO of Futuredontics, 1-800-DENTIST’s parent company. “These new commercials do a great job of getting that message out.”

The new commercials are part of 1-800-DENTIST’s $50 million annual consumer advertising campaign, appearing on primetime network and cable television, as well as promoting 1-800-DENTIST’s service in new online marketing sources and through social media.

Since its founding in 1986, 1-800-DENTIST has personally matched over 8 million patients to dentists. Last year alone, it helped participating dental practices generate over $200 million in production.

1-800-DENTIST’s new TV ad campaign can be seen at: https://www.1800dentist.com/2014commercials/.