Oral Health - Vascular Disease Continuing Education
Discover practical ways for dental offices to contribute to the fight against this disease. All can be coordinated by hygienists and dental assistants. Some will provide an added revenue stream. Without practicing medicine, you can easily offer testing and interventions that will undoubtedly stimulate conversations with your local Physicians and perhaps attract media attention.
I was asked by PennWell Publishers to write a course that teaches dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants the basics of vascular disease, which leads to heart attacks and strokes. While Bale/Doneen course is a fabulous resource, not all are able to attend. Additionally, for those who do attend, due to the comprehensive nature of the information presented, it is nice to have access to additional and reinforcing information.
Why is this important?
A credible oral-systemic dental practice requires an understanding of the many relationships between the mouth and the health of the body, including specifically the effects of the oral inflammatory burden on cardiovascular disease and many of its related components. While many dentists possess a sound knowledge of the oral side of this equation, there are others who fail to grasp the "systemic " side of the equation.
Health practitioners from both dentistry and medicine who aspire to offer complete healthcare to their patients are better able to do so when they understand and appreciate the complimentary aspects of the oral-systemic connection. This includes knowing the impact of oral disease on whole-body wellness, and the impact and manifestations of systemic disease within the oral environment.
More specifically, this knowledge base of mutual understanding has significance as it relates to co-management of our patients and how physicians and dentists are called upon by the emerging science to improve patient care through proper shared management of our patients.
One of my professional interests and focus points is to help dentists better understand the related medical aspects of inflammation, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and especially as it intersects with healthcare of the oral environment.
An increasing number of dentists are taking advantage of new medical oriented continuing education courses now available in the CDE/CME marketplace, as is represented by the Bale/Doneen Preceptorship course. A growing number of dentists and physicians have taken this course which has the unique distinction of putting dentists and physicians in the same learning environment where they can learn together about these health issues related to chronic inflammation. In these settings physicians come to better understand the nature of oral disease, and dentists come to better understand this #1 killer of both men and women in the United States, and what they need to know in interacting with their patients and their patient’s physicians.
The final product is a four-part, 8 credit CE course titled, "A Comprehensive Review of Vascular Disease." It can be found at www.IneedCE.com and is currently posted on their home page. I have enjoyed being a part of the AAOSH community and offered my comment at the recent Cleveland Clinic meeting that it was amazing to hear so much medicine offered at this continuing education meeting. AAOSH members with further questions are welcome to contact me personally.
In the course, I offer practical ways for dental offices to contribute to the fight against this disease. All can be coordinated by hygienists and dental assistants. Some will provide an added revenue stream. Without practicing medicine, you can easily offer testing and interventions that will undoubtedly stimulate conversations with your local Physicians and perhaps attract media attention.
Again, don't hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions.
Charles C Whitney, M.D
Vice President, American Academy of Private Physicians