Utilizing PP device in conjunction with 36% H2 O2 safely accelerates and enhances the tooth-whitening process.

It is estimated there are between 43.5 and 65.7 million caregivers in the United States who provide unpaid care for older adults. Although the number of informal caregivers is expected to continue to increase, few programs have been established in home healthcare agencies to support these caregivers. This article describes a project that used a unique Web site to connect caregivers of people with dementia in a geographic region with an interprofessional group of healthcare providers and caregiver peers. Virtual Healthcare Neighborhood (VHN) was developed and maintained by an interprofessional group of healthcare providers from nursing, physical therapy, clinical counseling, and dental hygiene. The VHN provided weekly information on topics relevant to caring for a loved one with dementia at home as well as Question and Answer and Social Support Blogging sections for use by participants. This project was viewed as a positive and helpful method to provide support for caregivers of homebound older adults that could be easily replicated by home healthcare agencies.

Although brief alcohol interventions have proven effective in a variety of health care settings, the present article describes the development of the first brief intervention for heavy drinkers in dental practice. Elements of motivational interviewing and personalized normative feedback were incorporated in a 3- to 5-minute intervention delivered by dental hygienists. The intervention is guided by a one-page feedback report providing personalized normative feedback regarding the patient’s current oral health practices, their drinking in comparison to others, and oral cancer risk associated with current smoking and drinking. Future publications will present data regarding intervention effectiveness from an ongoing randomized trial.