ADHA and the MLB

Some readers were wondering why American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) was not one of the organizations signing the letter to Major League Baseball (MLB) asking the league to eliminate the use of tobacco from the sport. ADHA’s President, Kelli Swanson Jaecks, MA, RDH, addresses that issue and how your professional organization has reached out to MLB to create an ongoing dialogue.

ADHA supports good oral health, the cessation of tobacco use, and efforts to eliminate risk factors such as tobacco that can contribute to harmful diseases such as oral cancer. Following the recent death of MLB Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn due to salivary gland cancer, several organizations including the American Cancer Society, American Dental Association and the American Medical Association sent a letter addressed to MLB commissioner Bud Selig (http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/pressoffice/2014/mlbletter.pdf) asking the league to eliminate tobacco from the sport. While ADHA was not contacted about this outreach effort to MLB, we applaud and support the comments in the letter addressed to the league and its commissioner. Dental hygienists are acutely aware of the warning signs of oral cancer, and play a vital role in explaining to patients the detrimental effects of using tobacco products. The ADHA welcomes the opportunity to dialog with MLB, the organizations involved in disseminating this letter, and other groups committed to raising awareness about oral cancer so that the 185,000 registered dental hygienists in the United States can assist in whatever way possible to help address this critical issue in the future.