The Future of Dentistry in 2013 and Beyond: "Physicians of the Masticatory System & Oral Health"

The future of Dentistry is brighter than ever for the dentist who is well prepared. In an era of exploding medical knowledge, Dentists have a unique opportunity to be major providers of critical health care services.

Millions of patients are experiencing signs and symptoms of Masticatory System related problems that are most effectively diagnosed and managed by well prepared Dentists. Poor bite relationships are the number one source of Masticatory System imbalance and dysfunction. Only Dentists can definitively treat malocclusions... and only well prepared Dentists can treat malocclusions predictably. Clenching, bruxing, and many headaches are destructive muscle habits that are very manageable, by a well prepared Dentist. Temporomandibular Joint derangements are serious medically compromising conditions, rarely diagnosed in most medical offices, but very effectively managed, by the well prepared Dentist. Airway problems, including snoring and sleep apnea, are significant social and medical conditions. Only about 20% of people with known sleep problems are being effectively treated in medical offices, due to CPAP intolerance. Well prepared Dentists can offer predictable solutions for patients with snoring, or mild to moderate apnea. There are local medical conditions in the head region that can be recognized by the well prepared Dentist. The Oral-Systemic Connection, both related to the oral bacteria/cardio-vascular disease link, as well as nutritional and whole health counseling, are wonderful areas of service for the well prepared Dentist.

The concerns described above often represent pre-restorative considerations for the Dentist committed to Complete Dentistry- health, stability, comfort, and esthetics.

There is great opportunity for Dentists to expand their services(and lines of business), by accepting the challenge to learn the available knowledge and skills, to become the true Physicians of the Masticatory System. To be well prepared requires development of several areas of increasing expertise:

• Understanding, Evaluating, and Managing Occlusal-Muscle Disorders
• Understanding, Evaluating, and Managing Parafunctional Disorders
• Understanding, Evaluating, and Managing Joint Disorders
• Understanding, Evaluating, and Managing Airway Disorders
• Dental Sleep Medicine
• Understanding and Evaluating Masticatory System Related Medical Problems
• The Oral-Systemic Connection of Cardio-vascular Disease, Headaches,
• Oral DNA testing/ management, Caries control, Nutrition-Wellness

This presentation will introduce the attendees to each of these areas of study. Following the presentation, each attendee should be able to immediately add new services for the patients they serve. Recommendations and opportunities for further training in specific areas will be included in the discussion

Each participant will be able to take away from the course:

1. A decision tree for diagnosing and treating specific Temporomandibular Disorders
2. A protocol for occlusal splint therapy
3. A screening process for airway problems
4. A protocol for the proper treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (including referrals for Sleep Studies, Appliance options, systems for integrating Sleep Dentistry into the general practice)
5. Specific relationships between oral health and systemic health
6. Nutritional principles that can be integrated into a whole health dental practice
7. Each participant will receive a thumbdrive containing an extensive list of research articles of many of the discussed topics during the Seminar.

The Dawson Academy is designated as a nationally approved sponsor for the Academy of General Dentistry. The formal continuing education programs of this sponsor are accepted by the AGD for Fellowship, Mastership, and membership maintenance credit.