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Hygiene Rising

Real Talk on Oral Health. This show is the official podcast for the American Dental Hygienists' Association! Join us as we discuss relevant thoughts, ideas, and best practices for hygienists throughout the United States. Be sure to reach out with ideas for our show on any of the social media channels!

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Live from Milan: Voices from ISDH Podversations from the live event (Ep 182)

Host Matt Crespin brings you voices from Milan, where dental hygienists from 47 countries gathered for the International Symposium on Dental Hygiene. Outgoing IFDH President Jill Rethman describes what it was like to sit on a World Health Organization panel as the only dental hygienist in the room, alongside dentists and health ministers from around the world, and what she learned about how many…

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Your Mouth, Your Brain: The Alzheimer's Connection Dental Hygienists Need to Know (Ep 181)

Anne Rice, RDH, BS, has spent more than 35 years as a clinical dental hygienist — and the last several years working at the intersection of oral health and Alzheimer's prevention. In this live conversation recorded at ADHA's Integrated Care Summit 2026, Anne joins host Matt Crespin to talk about why reducing oral inflammation is a direct act of brain health protection, how blood pressure is a…

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From the Clinic to the Capitol: ADHA's Advocacy Day in Action (Ep 180)

ADHA has been building its federal presence, and this spring marked a milestone: members on Capitol Hill for the profession's first formal lobby day in 20 years. President Lancette VanGuilder and Advocacy Advisory Committee Chair Alyssa Aberle sit down with Matt Crespin to break down what brought the Advocacy Advisory Committee, ADHA leadership and sponsoring organizations to Washington on April…

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Integrated Care Summit 2026: Podversations from the live event (Ep 179)

What does truly integrated care look like in practice? Host Matt Crespin captured the conversations at ADHA's first-ever Integrated Care Summit in Broomfield, Colorado this past weekend — bringing together physicians, dentists, periodontists, and public health professionals making the case for breaking down silos. (1:56) Dr. Mychi Nguyen, Chief Medical Officer at Asian Health Services, shares how…

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Staffing in Dental Hygiene: It's Not a Shortage. It's a Retention Crisis (Ep 178)

Is it simply a dental hygiene "staffing shortage" or does the data reveal a more complex retention issue? Host Matt Crespin sits down with Thalía Diedrick and Amaya Johnson to unpack the findings of GoTu's recently released 2026 State of Work Report, the largest survey of the U.S. dental workforce, developed in partnership with ADHA. The numbers are striking: 60% of hygienists report burnout,…

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Redefining Periodontal Disease Management (Ep 177)

Periodontal disease affects one billion people worldwide with severe disease, and in the U.S., prevalence has risen 25 percent over the past three decades. So why isn't the needle moving? Matt sits down with Dr. JoAnn Gurenlian, ADHA's director of education, research and advocacy, and Dr. Ann Eshenaur Spolarich, assistant dean for research at the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health at A.T.…

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Dental Hygienists Diagnose. Here's the Proof. (Ep 176)

Dental hygienists don't diagnose." It's one of the most persistent misconceptions in the profession, and it's wrong. Podcast host Matt Crespin sits down with the three co-authors of ADHA's newly released white paper "Dental Hygiene Diagnosis" (DHDx) to set the record straight. Darlene Swigart, Krista Beaty, and Toni McLeroy explain where this misconception came from, why the language we use shapes…

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Where Medicine Meets the Mouth: A Case for Integrated Care (Ep 175)

What does truly integrated care look like – and what role should dental hygienists play in it? As National Children's Dental Health Month comes to a close, host Matt Crespin sits down with two speakers from ADHA's first-ever Integrated Care Summit to explore how medical-dental integration is reshaping patient care. Nevada hygienist Jessica Woods shares real-world cases – from cardiologist…

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Who Should Regulate Dental Hygienists (Ep 174)

Nursing achieved self-regulation a century ago – so why not dental hygiene? Your host Matt Crespin explores this with Cindy Gadbury-Amyot and Sylvie Martel, lead authors of the ADHA’s newly released white paper on self-regulation. With 97% of Canadian dental hygienists self-regulated, Sylvie shares lessons from a 30-year journey of patience, resilience and coalition-building. Meanwhile, Cindy…

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A Century of Science: The Road to the Journal's 100th Anniversary (Ep 173)

The Journal of Dental Hygiene turns 100 in 2026 – and Editor in Chief Cathy Draper joins Matt Crespin to preview the year-long celebration: congratulatory letters from association and industry partners, social media scavenger hunts through the archives, "then and now" features comparing dental hygiene in 1926 versus today, vintage cover showcases, and festivities at ADHA26 in Fort Worth. Believe…

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