Posted in Industry News

This week is Australian Dental Health Week.

From Monday 2 August to Sunday 8 August, our focus is to increase awareness about the importance of oral health for every Australian and to support our members in enhancing their business and client relationships.

The ADIA supports the work of the Australian Dental Association and its goal to encourage the improvement of the oral and general health of the public, to promote the ethics, art and science of dentistry and to support members to provide safe, high quality professional oral care.

• Brushing and flossing
• Finding a dentist
• Sugar and nutrition
• Oral health resources (including in-clinic and social media marketing assets)
• Audio resources (including new ADA podcast 'Watch Your Mouth', which aims to Australians with oral health advice. The first series discusses oral health care for infants and young children).

#dentalhealthweek

Did You Know....

1. 68% of Australian adults... Usually visit their dentist when they have a problem?

How do you encourage your clients to make their dental health a priority?

2. 1 in 5 Australian adults.... Do not brush twice daily

ADA has created an Australian Dental Health Week event handbook and PowerPoint to help promote your oral health message to the wider community such as schools and your local media outlet.
Download the files here

3. Only 1/3 of Australian adults... Have a regular dentist

Building loyalty with your clients can be a full time job. The Smile for Life Australian Dental Health Week (DHW) support pack features DHW bunting, posters and colour-in sheets, pull-up banners or wear a Keep your Smile for Life t-shirt to start the conversation about the topic of oral health, and to stand out as a clinician who captures the attention of the kids.

4. Only 1 in 4 Australian adults.... Floss or clean between their teeth at least once each day.

Financial support packages for businesses in New South Wales and Victoria have been expanded to assist wage earners and to support entities during the extended lockdowns and ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

NEW SOUTH WALES

In NSW, the JobSaver threshold was raised from $50 million to $250 million yesterday, making more businesses eligible for assistance.

The maximum weekly available payment was also increased from $10,000 to $100,000.

The decision to expand the support packages for businesses came with the news that the NSW Government has extended its lockdown orders for Greater Sydney until midnight 28 August 2021.

Affected NSW residents and businesses must remain within a 10km radius of their Local Government Area, in line with current exercise rules.

Click here for more information on restrictions.

Click here to apply for the grants.

VICTORIA

In Victoria, a jointly funded package from the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments will deliver an additional $400 million in support to thousands of businesses.

This includes a $156 million Business Continuity Fund, a new $85 million Small Business COVID Hardship Fund and support for commercial tenants and landlords.

Click here for details of individual programs in the Victorian package.

Read the Prime Minister's media release.

• The minimum payment will be $1,500 per week
• The maximum payment will be $10,000 per week.

Eligibility

To be eligible for JobSaver you need:

• have an active Australian Business Number (ABN)
• demonstrate your business was operating in NSW on 1 June 2021
• have had a national aggregated annual turnover between $75,000 and $50 million (inclusive) for the year ended 30 June 2020
• have experienced a decline in turnover of 30% or more due to the Public Health Order over a minimum 2-week period within the Greater Sydney lockdown (commenced 26 June) compared to the same period in 2019
• for employing businesses, maintain your employee headcount on 13 July 2021 while you continue to receive JobSaver payments
• for non-employing businesses, such as sole traders, show that the business is the primary income source for the associated person. If you have more than one non-employing business, you can only claim payments for one business.

Evidence to support eligibility

If your business does not meet all the eligibility criteria, you may be able to apply for JobSaver if you can provide evidence to support the alternative circumstances outlined in the guidelines.

If you can't complete your application online, call Service NSW on 13 77 88.

Applications close 11:59pm on 18 October 2021.

"Australian businesses that provide world-leading products and services to the dental industry have been recognised for their excellence, innovation and professionalism. The ADIA was overwhelmed by the calibre of entrants across all categories and congratulates the winners on their achievements" said Kym De Britt, ADIA Chief Executive Officer.

TePe
EnergyAustralia Sustainability Award

Dentsply Sirona
Educational Initiative Award

SDI Limited
Marketing Award

Jason Savage, Medfin
Outstanding Achiever Award

Jeffery Cheetham -
ADIA Industry Pioneer Award

Clare Martin -
ADIA President's Award

ADIA congratulates the winners in all categories.


ENDS
For more information, please contact the Australian Dental Industry Association. P: 1300 943 094  
E: communications@adia.org.au

Sustainability in Dentistry: How to Minimise Your Environmental Impact

Humanity has made great strides in technology and innovation but much of this has come at the cost of our natural world. Many of us are aware that building a sustainable future means making sustainable choices. From our personal lives to our business practices, there are many ways each of us can make a difference for our future. We examine the ways the dental industry is rising to this challenge and offer suggestions for reducing your dental practice's environmental impact.

Why follow a sustainable model?

The most obvious and important reason to make a move toward sustainability is that it benefits our future. However, there are also business benefits to consider. As our community places greater importance on sustainability, they are likely to choose products and services that align with these personal values. Patients will want to know how your practice contributes to a sustainable future and may be more likely to choose your practice if you can provide them with great answers.

5 ways to increase sustainability in your practice

There are many areas in which the dental industry can minimise their environmental impacts without affecting the safety or quality of dental care. Here are 5 places you can make a sustainable difference without impacting your services.

1. Minimising water use

Water usage can and should be monitored. A simple option is to use your previous year's water bills to create a usage benchmark. The aim is then to meet or decrease this benchmark. Suggestions for achieving this could be upgrading to 4, 5 or 6-star water rated appliances and using low-water cleaning methods where it does not impact the clinical outcome.

2. Maximising recycling

Providing clearly identifiable recycling bins in your practice is a great first step and you can now go even further. Specialised recycling programs exist that handle items such as old metal instruments, printer cartridges and electrical equipment. If there is an option to not use a physical copy, such as keeping digital rather than paper records, this will reduce the need to recycle at all.

3. Changing your purchase habits

By setting up a regular schedule for stocking your practice with office essentials, you can more easily buy in bulk. This reduces costs to you and means less transport and packaging impacts on our environment. Where possible, choosing products which are recyclable or are made from recycled materials is also ideal.

4. Improving your practice rooms

Energy and cleaning upgrades can help your surgery rooms contribute to your sustainable practice. Swap your lights to environmentally friendly LEDs, minimise water use during cleaning and use biodegradable cleaning agents cleaning agents where appropriate (just check with your equipment manufacturer and fit-out provider first.)

5. Recommend biodegradable products

Sustainable practices that begin in the dental practice can translate to the home. Many dental care products are being made with biodegradable materials to minimise plastic use. Choosing to stock or recommend these products shows your commitment to a more sustainable future.

The latest products and innovations are at ADX Melbourne

ADX Melbourne is Australia's premier dental event hosted by ADIA in May 2021. There will be ample opportunities to discover what a sustainable future in dentistry could look like. From the exhibition floor to the Sustainability Program category at the 2021 Australian Dental Industry Awards, we are committed to ensuring our environment is a focus of our event. Register now for ADX Melbourne and subscribe to ADX Melbourne updates or follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn. Save the date: ADX Melbourne will be hosted from 6-8 May 2021.