About
Speaker: Joy Lantz, RDH, PHDH, COM®, IBCLC Description: Dental hygiene educators play a powerful role in shaping how future clinicians observe, think, and advocate for patient health. Every day, students are already assessing the face, the mouth, and function often without realizing how much critical information is right in front of them. Joy will highlight how dental hygiene educators can confidently guide students in recognizing myofunctional patterns and red flags during routine intraoral and extraoral examinations. Using practical, easy-to-integrate strategies, educators will learn how to help students connect what they see to function without adding curriculum overload. Participants will also gain clarity on the role of the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM), including its history, mission, and why formal certification remains the gold standard for verifying competency in myofunctional therapy. Drawing parallels to third-party testing models such as dental hygiene boards, this discussion reinforces the importance of standardized education, skill validation, and patient protection. This session is designed to affirm the essential role hygiene educators already play, offering realistic tools and shared language to support students who are curious about myofunctional therapy. Learning Objectives: –Describe the role dental hygienists play in identifying potential myofunctional disorders during routine intraoral and extraoral examinations –Identify common myofunctional red flags that can be easily observed and documented by students in educational clinic settings –Explain the purpose, history, and scope of the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM) –Differentiate between informal training and IAOM certification as a verified standard of competency, using third-party testing models as comparison –Apply practical recommendations to support students interested in myofunctional therapy
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