HJAR Nov/Dec 2019

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  NOV / DEC 2019 35 Thomas Redd, DDS, MS VP of Professional Relations Delta Dental of Arkansas Dr. Thomas Redd is VP of Professional Relations at Delta Dental of Arkansas. He joined Delta Dental of Arkansas in 2018, after 29 years in private practice as an orthodontist, and four years working with Delta Dental of Colorado as a dental consultant. Dr. Redd received a Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Baylor College of Dentistry in 1988, and completed a two- year residency at the University of Detroit, where he received a Certificate in Orthodontics and a Master of Science degree. He has received the designation of Certified Dental Consultant from the American As- sociation of Dental Consultants. He is also an active member of the American Association of Orthodon- tists and the American Dental Association. Anyone receiving the vaccine from ages 15 to 26 requires three shots over six months. Immunocompromised people should re- ceive three doses, regardless of age. Recently, the FDA approved the vaccine Gardasil 9 for men and women ages 27 through 45 to extend the window for cancer prevention. InArkansas, HPV education and vaccina- tion efforts are often stifled by the stigma of HPV being recognized as a sexually trans- mitted infection (STI). In 2016, Arkansas ranked 49th in the nation in HPV vaccina- tion coverage for girls ages 13–17 and 37th for boys ages 13–17. Previous messaging relating to sexual transmission has been misleading because the public may assume only promiscuous people are at risk. It is essential that we, as health care providers, work to move the Arkansas has one of the highest rates of oropharyngeal cancers in the nation, at 5.2 per 100,000, compared to the national average of 4.5. conversation around HPV from one of sex- ual promiscuity to vital cancer prevention. According to the CDC, nearly all sexually active adults will be infected with HPV at some point, regardless of their number of sexual partners. As some of the most frequently visited health care providers, dentists have the opportunity to increase awareness about HPV vaccination. According to theAmerican Dental Association, 60 percent of the U.S. population sees a dentist every year. Dur- ing these visits, dentists and hygienists are the ones performing oral cancer screenings and looking for signs of problems. Dental health care providers also have a valuable window to talk with parents about their chil- dren’s oral health, including HPV and OPC. It is a perfect opportunity to change the conversation to one of invaluable, lifelong cancer protection, and how vaccination is a logical choice for patients themselves or their children. Resources for health care providers to share with parents regarding the HPV vac- cine and its role in cancer prevention can be found at www.cdc.gov/hpv. n