MEDIA ALERT - PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

WEST ALLIS, WIS., April 28, 2008 – Nearly 2,000 dentists, dental staff, students and industry representatives from several states will return to the Midwest Airlines Center in downtown Milwaukee this Thursday and Friday, May 1 – 2, for the Wisconsin Dental Association’s 138th Jewel of the Great Lakes Wisconsin Dental Meeting.

Participants will choose from 30 different continuing education programs, many with a focus on patient care and comfort using state-of-the-art clinical approaches and dental technology. Courses such as “New Approaches to Diagnostic & Periodontal Therapies”, “Piper Comprehensive TMJ Science” and “An Update on Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw” will explore critical links between oral health and various non-oral health conditions.

This year’s Jewel of the Great Lakes has courses addressing the special dental health needs of all patients from the youngest pediatric patients to baby boomers to senior adults. Dentists identify risk factors, examine patients, diagnose dental disease, deliver critical treatment and provide ongoing, preventive oral health education and care to significantly reduce the long-term costs and pain associated with undiagnosed decay.

In addition to nationally-known speakers and hands-on clinical instruction, Jewel attendees will explore a sold-out exhibit hall of 142 booths featuring 109 companies displaying the latest in oral health care products and services for use in dental offices and by consumers practicing good daily oral hygiene at home.

In April 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued “Trends in Oral Health Status – United States, 1988-1994 and 1999-2004”. Improvements in the oral health of Americans of all ages are noted: seven percent more seniors still have some of their natural teeth; moderate and severe gum disease is down 50 percent among adults ages 20 – 64; and tooth decay in the permanent teeth of school-age children has declined.

The Kaiser Family Foundation “State Health Facts” Web site also shows good news for Wisconsin residents’ oral health with 76 percent of residents having had their teeth cleaned by a dental professional in the last year compared to a national average of 70 percent. Nationwide, 19 percent of adults have had all of their natural teeth extracted compared to just 17 percent of Wisconsin adults.

Established in 1870, the Wisconsin Dental Association (WDA) is headquartered in West Allis. With more than 2,900 members statewide, the WDA represents the vast majority of practicing dentists in Wisconsin. Its members are committed to promoting professional excellence and quality oral health care. The WDA is one of 53 constituent (state-territorial) dental societies of the American Dental Association - the largest and oldest national dental association in the world. For more information on the WDA, call 414-276-4520 or visit www.wda.org.

ATTENTION health, science and business/consumer reporters. A few of the dental health topics and speakers of potential interest to your readers, listeners and viewers:

• “New Approaches to Diagnostic & Periodontal Therapies”; How to teach patients more about their oral health condition and how it affects their overall health – Lou Graham, DDS
• “Safer Oral Surgery for the General Practitioners – Pre-treatment Evaluation and Decision Making”; Using a comprehensive medical evaluation to identify need and determine appropriate treatment – Nicolas Veaco, MD, DDS, MS
• “Making Your Office Truly Paperless”; Saving patient and dental staff time with 21st century record-keeping – Ms. Lee Johnston, president of WDA Professional Services/The Dental Record
• “Piper Comprehensive TMJ Science”; Key concepts of internal joint derangements and occlusal abnormalities in the patient with TMD, including common facial pain patterns - Mark Piper, MD, DMD
• “Prosthodontics 2008 – TMD”; Facial pain (TMD) associated with a dysfunctional jaw, diagnosing and treating with an emphasis on appliance therapy – Ken Waliszewski, DDS, MS
• “Diagnosis and Treatment of Oral Trauma” and “Behavioral Guidance for Pediatric Patients and Their Parents” – Jane Soxman, DDS
• “Undetected Lesions: We Never Looked or Maybe We Just Can’t See”; New diagnostic devises and increasing public education and awareness aimed at early oral cancer detection – Patti DiGangi, RDH, BS
• “Successful Application of Dental Implant Therapy for the G.P.”; As baby boomers age, there’s an increasing need of and demand for implant surgery and prosthetics – Jim Grisdale, DDS
• “An Update on Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw”; Number of cases on the rise as people become aware of the connection between use of bisphosphonates (e.g., often used to treat osteoporosis and Paget’s disease) and this debilitating oral disease – Ma’ Lou Sabino, DDS, MS

Schedule on-site interviews and get a first-hand look at state-of-the-art oral health care products and services by calling WDA Director of Public Relations Carol Weber at 414-755-4108 (April 28 & 29) or 414-315-9321 (April 30, May 1 – 2); or, visit the Jewel of the Great Lakes registration desk at the Midwest Airlines Center and ask for Carol.

CONTACT:   Carol S. Weber, APR, Director of Public Relations
PHONE:       414-755-4108 (direct); 414-315-9321 (cell for contacts April 30 – May 2)
E-MAIL:       cweber@wda.org