"Casey Hein is one of those rare "finds" who brings a mix of "from science based to heart based". Whatever is best for the patients is based on her clinical research and the total body/patient/practice connection. The bottom line of the practice will increase and stay that way when the entire team learns from this master of communication, Casey Hein, RDH, who helps you improve education for patients about the truths, not myths of preventive dental care."

Linda Miles
Linda Miles & Associates

"This is the right vision at the right time."

Dr. Charles Cobb
University of Missouri-Kansas City

"I read with interest your article and I congratulate you for articulating "the message" so well. As a recent member of the AAP Board of Trustees, I personally thank you for promulgating the Vision 2020 Mission. Your article should be before the eyes of all periodontists, for the time is truly now."

Dr. Steve Berglund
Cape Cod, MA

"I enjoyed your article in Contemporary Oral Hygiene's March issue. Keep up the good work-it's not fair to mislead patients, or simply fail to lead them at all."

Dr. Michael Rethman
President, American Academy of Periodontology, 2004

"I was so happy to see you article in DMD. I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation and am so delighted to have dentistry 'come out of the closet as contributing to the overall cause of health care. Well done and well said, especially the part about "If we wait until all the pieces are found" that is oh-so-true. What do you think will happen to the hygiene profession when the medical community realizes the significance of this? I can see perio cases referred by physicians and covered by medical insurance."

"Thank you for helping propel dentistry to a higher idea. And you know what Oliver Wendell Holmes said: "The mind once expanded to a higher idea can never shrink back to its original dimension."

My most excellent regards and remember,
David Reznik
Sky's The Limit

"Thanks you Casey for going the distance and working tirelessly through the barriers that often are associated with trying to evolve change. It is refreshing to hear someone encourage and challenge the profession of dental hygiene therapists to raise the bar for what type of care becomes acceptable. May God bless you 10 fold for all you give away!"

Mary Lynne Murray Ryder, RDH
Hermon, Maine

"I just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know what a pleasure it was to meet you. I hope to see you again sometime in the future under a little less rushed setting! Your presentation was just perfect for our audience, who related to me again and again how much they enjoyed your lecture."

Evelyn M. Thomson, BSDH, MS
School of Dental Hygiene
Old Dominion University
Norfolk VA

Presentation at Oregon Health Science University
Synopsis of Participants' Comments

"Casey delivers a fresh, new look at the profession we have chosen. She is definitely forward thinking in her approach and challenges her audience to lay aside previous notions and look at what current research is revealing. Casey redefines clinical treatment modalities and guides the participant to take ownership of their education, utilizing new evidence based research to fully understand concepts such as host susceptibility, risk assessment, and looking beyond mere pocket depths-treating the entire health of the patient. With the instruction she provides the participant is challenged to take this information and utilize it in their practice-modifying not only the way treatment planning is implemented, but innovative ways to educate patients and improve the success of the periodontal therapist. "

"A very sincere and warm thank you from Oregon. Wow…your presentation was even more than what was expected. I cannot wait to read all of the course reviews. I have a hard time trying to put into words how spectacular your visit was. You are a class act! How inspired the participants are…keep up the great work you are doing for the future of dental hygiene. You are truly one forward thinking mover and shaker."

Lori Aus BA, RDH
Oregon Dental Hygienist's Association
Professional Development Chair

"Beautiful presentation! Very motivating and thought stimulating. Thank you…Thank you. Very Nice Person…Tons of motivating information, Awesome, thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us, exciting, enjoyable and challenging, loved your enthusiasm and positive attitude about the future of hygiene, great job, great speaker, definitely passionate about the subject-shows through. Slides were up to date- that is awesome, thanks again. Bring this course back!"

Debbie Reaume, Director of Continuing Education
Oregon Health Science University

"This is the most significant continuing education course I have attended in quite some time."

"I have not learned this much since I graduated from dental hygiene school 24 years ago."

"How exciting to take our profession to the next level."

"It is refreshing to hear something so new - not your typical perio program."

"I am challenged to take my practice to a higher and sustainable level of health for our patients, [and I plan to] promote learning opportunities for the periodontal therapist."

Dr. E.J. Vaught
Periodontist
Tulsa, Oklahoma

"Thanks for the great presentation. You are certainly a thought leader in our profession, and I admire you for attaching this challenge and opening our eyes and the eyes of others to see the opportunities ahead of us. Thanks for raising the bar for the quality of care in Oklahoma."

Dr. David Wong
Periodontist
Tulsa, Oklahoma

"I want to thank you for offering cutting edge continuing education programs
to the profession of dental hygiene. We enjoyed the CE you presented at our Fall Scientific Session and look forward to a continued relationship."

Connie Schuster, RDH, BS
President, Wisconsin Dental Hygienist's Association

"I attended the seminar in Tulsa on September 24th and have recommitted to my career, feeling appropriately challenged."

Rhonda Kronley, RDH
Tulsa, Oklahoma

"I was a participant in the Oklahoma program and I wanted to tell you how excited I am about the vision for periodontics. I was so impressed by the desire to integrate the medical community with the information regarding periodontal disease…I felt like the Oklahoma project was just the beginning of something great. We should be leading other states to follow. Thank you for speaking and encouraging us to be the best we can be."

Cynthia Little, RDH
Choctaw, Oklahoma

"Thank you for making this year's Dental Hygiene Fund Program at Montgomery County Community College a great success. Your program was beneficial both in regards to challenging attendees to practice the "periodontal therapist" model of dental hygiene care as well as helping future dental hygiene students realize their educational and career goals."

Jenny K. Sheaffer, RDH, MS
Director and Professor
Dental Hygiene Program
Montgomery County Community College
Blue Bell, PA

"I have learned a lot that will help me when I begin to practice after I graduate. Casey Hein spoke with authority. She was very organized, and provided a great deal of critical information."

Anonymous student

"Casey presented a lively course that discusses an idea that has been a long time coming. She clearly identified the role of a periodontal therapist and presented this with respect for the dental hygiene profession as a whole. The audience was able to step into the role of the periodontal therapist as Casey described the difference between a 'routine prophy' provider and a periodontal therapist and discussed the steps that need to be taken to move between the two concepts. She accurately depicted the relationship between the mouth and the whole body in order to promote total health and discussed building relationships with allied health professionals to better serve each patient's unique needs. We highly enjoyed her presentation and look forward to hearing her again."

Cathy Berard, RDH, BS
President, Northern Virginia Dental Hygienists' Association

"I've been out of practice for 4 years. I have to say this lecture was very educational and inspiring."

Linda J. Kolditz, RDH
Doylestown, PA

"It was awesome, full of great scientific information!!! Very motivating- makes me want to treat a patient right now."

Colleen Rutledge
New Jersey

"Your graphics are excellent and make it easy to understand the material."

Kathy Miller, RDH
Yakon, OK

"Now I have the latest information and more on perio."

Tracey Terrell
Mustang, OK

"One of the best CE courses in a long time."

Kimberly Allen, RDH
Lanton, OK

"This was the best CE I've ever been to! This is the direction we need to head."

Barbara A Ruiz, RDH
Choctaw, OK

"Loved how Casey presented this information- she spoke at my level."

Karla Bredemeyer, RDH
Noblesville, Indiana

"Just what I needed!"

Pam Hoffman
Indianapolis, IN

"This will impact my education of students."

Nancy Young
Program Director of Dental Hygiene
Indiana University School of Dentistry

"I liked that the presentation wasn't trying to "sell" us on certain products or procedures…it gave us the information to make our own decisions, and what to uses in private practice in dealing with our perio patients."

Kate Franklin, RDH
Indianapolis, IN

" I feel so informed and energized; I feel I have much more information, specifics, etc., to back-up recommendations to patients."

Nan Roberson, RDH
Carmel, IN

"Super course; will certainly enhance the perio course I teach at the dental hygiene school; I'd like Casey to speak to a group of dental hygiene educators."

Dr. Saroj Viswanathan
Webster, NY

Shelly Pierce
Chicago, IL

"Casey sure knows how to pack a room- we had one of the highest attendance.'

Heather Knitter, RDH
Greater Houston Dental Hygienist's Society

Wendy Diaz, RDH
Depew, New York

Kristi Dobson
Certified Meeting Professional
Indiana University School of Dentistry

"Our office really took a lot away from your presentation at BonaDent. We are enthused and ready to make some changes…you are truly inspiring and just what I needed after 26 years of hygiene practice. I still enjoy my career and the scientific information you provided will assist me in providing the best possible care and education I can provide my patients."

Julie Grieco, RDH
Watertown, New York

"I came to hear Casey because of her professionalism and knowledge displayed by her case study presentations published. Best perio course I've ever attended (in 20 years)."

Debra Fiacchi-Hudak, RDH
Hadley, MA

"Loved it! Casey helped me to get motivated after 2 kids and part-time in the last 6 years. She fired me up-thanks".

Jana Mathes, RDH
Dodge City, KS

"Casey is very down to earth, real, not school fake ideal. Thank you for the challenge."

Karen Beckstrom
Shawnee, KS

"In order for dental hygiene to be a profession, the research and periodontal therapy may take us to that level. As a clinically oriented, periodontal therapist, I loved your course."

Kathy Trilli, RDH, BS
Garden City, KS

"I've simply been given more tools to approach perio from a scientific angle."

Kelly Dunn, RDH
Hatchinson, KS

"I absolutely love Casey Hein's Perio Pathways column. I am also a Maryland native, as well as an educator and a lover of lifelong learning. While pursuing my Med, one of my professors suggested I go for my PhD, but I didn't want to unless I could do something that was worthy of change in the dental profession. We discussed the idea of creating an advanced practicing registered dental hygienist. However, I didn't pursue it because I felt I would be fighting a dental association that would not support the idea. I am so pleased that Casey has written about this concept and I am wholeheartedly eager to hear more about it. I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know how much I love Casey's writing style, as well as her content. Its so on-point and substantiated. Casey's literally taken words right out of my mouth-had I spoken them first. Thank you Casey, for putting them on paper for all to read. Continued success."

Julie Kagan, RDH, MEd
Florida

"Thank you for the wonderful article "The Model for Selfless Professionalism: Recognizing Our Unsung Heroes". The material was excellently presented. Thank you again for allowing me to express my feelings regarding the hygienist's role in forensics [in the disaster response team for 9.11 in New York City]."

Nancy R. Barnes, RDH
New York, New York

"Congratulations to you and the Oklahoma Society of Periodontists. In an era when some dentists want to decrease the quality of dental hygiene therapy by lowering educational standards, your group instead is raising the bar! The result will be that patients will be afforded the very best dental hygiene periodontal care available."

"The article highlights the relationship between oral health and systemic health. Professionals in dentistry and medicine must begin to understand each other. We are not separate entities; rather, the sciences that join us are the same."

"I so applaud the group's efforts - you are on the cutting edge of a very important health issue!"

Diane McClure, RDH, MS
Coordinator, Oncology Dental Support Program
St. John's Hospital, Springfield MO

"Casey Hein in her article in December 2004 Contemporary Oral Hygiene (COH) quotes an article from J Perio that says "Periodontal diseases have been viewed not only as problems limited to the oral cavity but as diseases and conditions, which occur in relation to systemic conditions because the oral cavity is part of the whole body . . in turn, affecting conditions because they are one the risks that could trigger systemic diseases . . .(which) include bacterial pneumonia, endocarditis, low birth weight, and coronary artery diseases. This is a really good article."

Patti DiGangi, RDH, BS
Professional Directions Conferences

"I have enjoyed and felt challenged by your articles in Contemporary Oral Hygiene and I feel fortunate to be able to communicate with you directly… I admire your fortitude in presenting interesting topics each month and look forward to reading and enjoying your future articles."

Laura Teran, RDH

"I received my COH today and I just had to write you and tell you that I absolutely LOVED your article this month. I couldn't be more "on board" with dental hygiene being an instrument of dentistry recognizing and actively responding to systemic disease and medical care. Dentistry has to recognize that we are in a key position to offer patients these referrals and work with both dental and medical professionals. It's a win-win situation. Thanks for reporting the project. This is wonderful news."

Cheryl A. Thomas, RDH
Dental Inspirations, Inc.

"I thought I would share this link that I checked out today. It's for Casey Hein's website. What an informative perio site! I spent an hour downloading and printing out articles from Contemporary Oral Hygiene that appeared in issues prior to the start of my subscription. The information is priceless for those of us that want to practice at the level of a perio therapist. In addition to about 15 articles on perio, she also has links to various evidence-based pages and databases. She has free perio charts for downloading in the toolbox section. You just have to register with the site first."

Dee Vecchione, RDH