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Brief Biography

HELLO, AND WELCOME TO TONIADAMS.COM

I am Toni, a career dental hygienist who has a particular interest in communication. I have a Masters degree in Communication Studies with particular emphases on Health, Instructional, and Intercultural Communication. I enjoy speaking and writing about the junction between dentistry and communication. Since communication is a critical component of health care, which includes dental care, this is a natural combination, which I explain below.  Because of my background that includes over 26 years of clinical dental hygiene experience and over 12 years of communication study and research experience, I want my website to be a communication resource for dental professionals. Here I provide information about my educational experiences, a resource list with extensive links to related resources, and other information that I hope you will find helpful. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions or are in need of a guest speaker for your event, please contact me.
Of note for my Communication Studies colleagues:  Dental Hygienists are individuals licensed to provide oral health care in order to preserve or restore both oral and general health. These professionals specialize in the prevention and non-surgical treatment of periodontal (gum) disease. This care is especially significant today when so much research confirms and postulates links between periodontal disease and diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and numerous other health problems.   Of note for my Dental colleagues:  Communication Studies is a discipline that focuses on interactions, relationships, the sharing of information, and meaning making between and among individuals and groups. The Communication discipline meets Dentistry in a focus called Health Communication. Healthy People 2010, the United States health goals for the first decade of the 21st century, devoted a whole chapter to Health Communication and defined it as the use of “communication strategically to improve health” (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2000, p.11-3). This field includes the study of interactions in health settings among health providers, office staff members, patients/clients, and their families and other supporters.   I also focus on two other areas of study. Instructional Communication is the study of interactions in school or training contexts among instructors and students. Intercultural Communication is the study of interactions among diverse individuals, especially those from various ethnic and cultural groups.
For further information, I have collected a few resources that I hope you will find useful. To access these resources, please CLICK HERE and feel free to make requests for additional information.