This webinar looks at traditional smoking but also explores other forms of tobacco use that are often less of a focus but equally as important when discussing smoking and risks with our patients. 

Objectives:

• Understand what detrimental effects that smoking in all forms, has to oral health.
• Explore the different types of smoking and cultural trends especially in respect to how these smoking habits are having influence over youth and young adults.
• Identify how the oral mucosa responds to smoking.
• Learn and reinforce tips for your patients to empower them to make an informed decision to quit smoking.

Outcomes:

• Become aware of the different types of smoking habits in the community especially the new trends targeted at youth.
• Be able to identify basic oral lesions that a clinician would investigate further by referring a patient to their dentist and then to an oral health medicine specialist.
• Have informed knowledge of the health risks of smoking and to encourage patients to seek professional advice to quit smoking.

Presenter: Aileen Lewis

Aileen trained initially as a Dental Therapist mainly employed in rural areas of the Wheatbelt of Western Australia when a new graduate in 1982. Her specialty areas of prevention and oral health promotion are one of her main passions, empowering people to improve their oral health status, especially with the Aboriginal community. In 1985 she undertook a conversion course to Hygiene with the Health Department and extended into private practice and the General Dental Government clinic in Rockingham until 2014. With almost 40 years’ experience in the dental field with many various roles, taking on the WA Chair for 3 years and now newly appointed WA Director of DHAA is a challenge that she is looking forward to.

Completing her Community Services Cert 4 she worked for Residential Crisis Care AYLA as a residential house manager for crisis housing for youth in danger and case management of residents. She continues to advocate for this agency and other homeless community causes.

In the last twelve months Aileen has taken up again Dental Health Services WA on contract basis conducting research and evaluation in Oral Health Promotions, working as a Special Needs Dental Hygienist and recently instated as a Clinical Tutor for Curtin OHT students.

She has also worked in orthodontics with Dr Siva Vasudavan and currently works at an implant and general dental clinics in O’Connor and previously at a Byford private practice. Aileen also had major input into Health Promotion in the Oral Health Promotion Unit (Formally Dental Health Education Unit) with Dental Health Services involved in 0-5-year-old Family Fun Days, Health and Career Expos for high schools.

Aileen has also assisted with 0-4 year old Model of Care pilot program introducing children to the dental setting in a positive and non-threatening environment and has volunteered with other DHAA members to promote dental health at the WA Children’s’ Week at Whiteman Park.

Volunteering is another of her passions not only for DHAA Ltd but also in March 2016 she accompanied Rotary Victoria Dental team to Tan Châu in Vietnam. She promoted dental health to children in schools and assisted a team of dentists and dental students to restore teeth with ARTechnique and fissure seals. Aileen has also volunteered with C.H.A.T in July 2017 for one week in another rural and remote area of Vietnam to provide treatment to children and adults. Aileen also previously volunteered at the Motor Neurone Disease Inc fundraising and driving the client bus.

She is a keen advocate for the environment and is a member of the ANZSP Paediatric Society, Oral Health Medicine and Sleep study, ADOHTA, Public Health Preventive Society, Beeliar Wildlife Corridor, Frack Free Future, Conservation Council of Australia and her latest interest is 1940 and 50’s Perth Pin Up Community and Swing Dancing.