Your druthers about products

by Mark Hartley
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Blog appears in “Hygiene Department” at DentistryIQ.com
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On the second day of last summer’s RDH Under One Roof conference, Patti DiGangi presented a seminar titled, “Rio Revue: New and Innovative Products 2009.” The meeting room was completely full. Quite a few listeners sat on the floor or stood in the hallway outside beside the door. The Las Vegas conference at the end of July also featured an exhibit hall, and DiGangi feverishly tried to explain relevant information about 77 products available for viewing and handling in the exhibit hall in just two hours.

DiGangi, as she writes in her “recap” on page 19, is a big believer in dental hygienists seizing the moment by using innovation to become “early interventionists.”

She writes, “Cell phones are replaced every two to three years, yet clinical dental hygiene often is practiced the same way as it has been for the past 20 to 30 years. With a myriad of new products brought to market to help manage risk, the purchase and routine use of these innovations is often very slow. If you could equip and supply your clinical practice exactly as you believe it should be, what would it look like?”

The seminar was interactive in the sense that the listeners voted for their “top 10 new/innovative products.” DiGangi presents the overall results of the voting within her article.

The RDH Under One Roof conference typically presents a review of products to help attendees prepare for the exhibit hall, which is tailored just for dental hygienists. The 2010 “UOR” in Orlando will feature a different approach. Up to 15 companies will present 10 minutes of information (still two hours overall) on their objectives in assisting you to provide better care for patients.

I have written about this before, but one aspect of UOR that always impresses me is the networking that occurs between hygienists attending the conference. This exchange of ideas and information also includes dental products within the scope of topics discussed. “You know, what’s worked wonderfully for me is ...”

While on the subject, I’d like to point out a key benefit to DentistryIQ.com. There are five primary sections in the Web site, and one of them is devoted to nothing but dental products. The information is uploaded to the site as we receive it. There’s no registration involved; you don’t have to reveal anything about yourself (the registration prompt is for the dental community on the site, as well as the ability to rate and comment on articles).

DiGangi states in her article in this issue, “Every dental hygienist is a leader with the potential to create positive change and grow their practice and profession. The dental industry is there to help.”

Well stated. If you had your druthers, how would your operatory be equipped and supplied?