Sunstar and NDA Team Up to Promote Dental-Medical Team Approach
Program at leading dental meeting trains nurses to screen for oral health SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS, December 20, 2016—One of the highlights of the recent 2016 Greater New York Dental Meeting (GNYDM) was the second annual nurses training program conducted by
Sunstar and NDA Team Up to Promote Dental-Medical Team Approach
Program at leading dental meeting trains nurses to screen for oral health
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS, December 20, 2016—One of the highlights of the recent 2016 Greater
New York Dental Meeting (GNYDM) was the second annual nurses training program
conducted by Sunstar Americas and the National Dental Association (NDA). Entitled “Oral
Health and Nursing: A Team Approach to Population Health,” the program instructed 118
nurses and students from Columbia University and New York University on how to take an interprofessional
team approach when addressing the link between oral health and systemic
health.
Participants received hands-on training on how to perform an oral health screening at a
community outreach program or in a health fair setting. Participants were also given guided
tours of the GNYDM exhibit hall and three presentations:
• “Razzle Dazzle Smiles™: An Overview of Oral Health and Oral Care Products”
• “What a Difference a Smile Makes: Oral Health Care for Diabetic Patients”
• “Intro to Mobile Dentistry”
Since its inception, Sunstar has donated dental products to the four-day event. “We are proud
to support a program that enables nurses to pursue the causes of both oral and systemic
health,” said Marie Wilson, MPH, Senior Manager of Scientific Affairs & Professional Relations for
Sunstar. “We hope that this groundbreaking inter-professional approach will inspire others in
both the dental and medical professions to embrace the oral-systemic link.”
“We know from our experience with last year’s program that many of our attendees will now
be conducting oral health screenings as part of their overall health exams,” said Hazel J.
Harper, DDS, MPH, Founding Director of NDA-HEALTH NOW®. “To have the nursing profession
actively focusing on oral health is truly exciting and gratifying.”
The National Dental Association promotes oral health equity among people of color by
harnessing the collective power of its members, advocating for the needs of and mentoring
dental students of color, and raising the profile of the profession in our communities.
For more information about Sunstar, please visit http://www.gumbrand.com/.
For more information about the NDA, visit www.ndaonline.org/healthnow.
