Key opinion leaders and DUX Dental launch Support Clean Dentistry campaign

For Dr. Sheri Doniger of Lincolnwood, Ill., keeping her patients happy is a key part of her dental practice’s success. However, even more important to her is the constant battle to ensure her patients’ safety and health.

“Dating all the way back to Kimberly Bergalis and AIDS bursting onto the dental scene to the recent case of the oral surgeon in Tulsa, it’s sad and scary that patients can go to the dentist and be fearful of the treatment they receive. Patients deserve a clean, safe environment,” said Dr. Doniger, a member of the Dental Products Report editorial advisory board. “As a parent and grandparent, I wouldn’t want that any other way.”

With that in mind, Dr. Doniger has joined other notable dental professionals from around the nation, 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.

“Patients should absolutely be able to feel like they can ask about the safety of the dental practice and get a good explanation,” Dr. Doniger said. “Patients are already nervous enough about coming into the dental practice. The last thing they want is the worry about getting sick from going to the dentist.”

Support Clean Dentistry recently introduced its first social media campaign 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.

Want the latest news from DPR's family of publications? Subscribe to our free e-newsletters.

As an example, 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.

Support Clean Dentistry is currently made up of five advisory board members: Shannon Pace Brinker, CDA, Noel Brandon Kelsch, RDHAP, Dr. Frank J. Milnar, DDS, AAACD, Kara Vavrosky, RDH, and Dr. Doniger. 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.

For more information, visit www.SupportCleanDentistry.com.