Presented by: Thomas W. Nabors, DDS, FACD
Original Lecture/ Publication Date: October 28, 2026 (Webinar Series)
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Course Description:
This course discusses three important roles of the oral microbiome relative to the health of the family:
- How an unhealthy oral microbiome increases the risk of pregnancy complications for the mother during pregnancy.
- What specific pathogens of the oral microbiome of the mother impact both the oral and systemic health of her children for their entire lives.
- Why saliva testing is the Holy Grail for the dental office to determine specific elevated risk and how to prevent oral pathogens from potentially causing these life-threatening issues.
Learning Objectives:
- The Oral Microbiome's Critical Role During Pregnancy
- Mother’s Oral Microbiome & The Health of Their Children
- Why Saliva Testing is So Critical
Practical Applications:
Participants will learn how to:
- If the oral microbiome of the mother is unhealthy, the rest of the family will be unhealthy also.
- Which specific members of the oral microbiome are most likely to present these health issues.
- How important saliva testing has become for you and for your patient’s health.
- To consider making women’s health a primary focus of your dental practice.
Method: Lecture
Location: Online (Zoom)
AGD Course Code: 010
AAOSH Core Curriculum: Pediatric Health, Airway, Sleep Disorders, & Breathing
Credit Hours for AAOSH Members: 1
Conflicts of Interest: N/A
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Nabors has over 45 years of research experience in the practical use of the oral microbiome within the dental practice. Since an unhealthy oral microbiome is responsible for all dental diseases in some way or another, he has emphasized the need to measure the health of the oral microbiome by using saliva testing on every patient. And, if the oral microbiome is found to be unhealthy, then it is the responsibility of the dental team to create a personalized model to re-establish one of health.
His model is built around the same model that has been promoted in the recent book The Future of Medicine by Leroy Hood, MD, PhD.
As he continues his work, he realizes the importance of the health of the oral microbiome of women of all ages, as they have an incredibly important connection to their entire family: the unborn, the newborn, and potentially the lifetime health journey of their children.
Among his many honors and recognitions, these are a few of his contributions to both oral and general health.
- He, along with his son, founded the first salivary diagnostic clinical laboratory using DNA-PCR within the U.S., specifically for the oral health community
- Was a founding member of AAOSH
- Established the first AAOSH symposium in 2011 with Drs. Bale, Doneen, and Nabors
- Introduced saliva testing to the medical community via the Bale/Doneen Method
- Was recognized as one of the four most important contributors to the Bale/Doneen Method of Preventing Heart Attacks and Ischemic Strokes.
- Developed the most important clinical laboratory saliva tests used today
- Awarded the most significant award from AAOSH: The Lloyd Rudy Leadership Award
- Author and contributor to scientific journals