Course opens 5/8 2021 ONLINE - delegates should access and review material prior to LIVE online class 5/22, 8:30am - 3:30PM.

This course will be delivered entirely online. Attendees will need to use a PC, laptop, or tablet to participate. The course will include lecture and PPT slides, discussion, and demonstrations of techniques to conduct online searches to find the best levels of evidence available to answer clinical questions and discover implementation and other relevant types of evidence to inform public health professionals seeking to design, deliver, and appraise dental public health programs. Included in the course will be opportunities for attendees to conduct searches to answer clinical questions, as well as program component, delivery and appraisal questions. During the course attendees will be required to conduct their own guided online searches and to report back to the group their findings. The instructor will be available throughout these exercises to provide assistance, as needed.

The synchronous instructor led course will be on May 22nd from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. The course will open on CANVAS on Monday, 5/8/2021 to allow participants to review posted materials that will be useful before and after the course.

CEUs: 7.0 (5 hours didactic and 2 hours online lab)

Online:  Tuesday, September 22, 6pm - 8pm

CEU: 2

ince the 1920s, the primary method of treating dental caries has been the surgical removal (drilling/scooping) of the carious lesion.  Prior to the 1920s, caries removal/treatment was done using chemotherapeutic agents to cauterize and disinfect the carious portion of the tooth.  This non-surgical approach has been re-introduced using improved agents and techniques.  Using these agents and techniques, in combination with other traditional dental cements and filling materials, we have enhanced their efficacy.

I am a retired general dentist who maintained a successful practice for 40 years.  During the last three years of my practice, I researched and developed clinical procedures for this non-surgical treatment of dental caries using Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) in combination with existing glass ionomer cements and compounds.  This combination-technique is called a Silver Modified Atraumatic Restorative Technique. (SMART).

These methodologies are the same as those employed by the leaders and experts in the dental community.  I personally found this approach to be extremely successful.  I used this technique on most of my young patient-population including our Medicaid children.  As we gained experience and realized SDF’s potential, we began treating selected elderly patients and our physically or mentally handicapped patients.

Since retiring, I have felt the need to share this knowledge and experience with other dental professionals.  My experience told me that the use of SDF and SMART should be part of all dental practices and all dental public health initiatives.  These basic clinical protocols can be used in many creative ways to simplify treatment and improve your patients’ oral health.

I have created a teaching program divided into two parts: a comprehensive, didactic section and a “hands-on” clinical training program.  Ideally, I choose to present both parts if time allows.  The clinical protocols are not complex, but there are some practical points and examples of commentary to make the process easier and less awkward.  Communication must be precise and easily understood.

I hope this program will spark your interest and that you will consider incorporating SDF protocols into your practice.  The importance of this program is two-fold: to help treat dental decay more effectively and to use it to creatively market a more comprehensive and modern approach to practicing dentistry.

John S. Echternach, D.D.S

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Instructors:

John S. Echternach, D.D.S., is a retired general dentist who maintained a private practice in Henniker, NH, for 40 years. He has been an active member of the American Dental Association, the NH Dental Society (NHDS) and the Concord Dental Society (CDS). His role in organized dentistry includes more than 16 years in a leadership capacity in both the NHDS and CDS.

In his retirement, John has assumed the role as a teacher of healthcare professionals with his focus on a specific treatment: the science and applications of silver diamine fluoride (SDF). After learning about the uses of SDF toward the end of his career, he successfully used this method on both children and adults for the last 3 years in his Henniker practice.

Online:  Tuesday, November 16, 6pm - 8pm

CEU: 2

Has there been a shift in the Dental Industry from the 20th Century into the 21st Century?  Have the economics of the Dental Industry changed?Are there changes in the demographics in the Dental Industry?

Does the current, long adhered to model of the 'Dentist Office' as the 'Operating Delivery System' - a 'drill and fill, fee-for-service' still serve the general public and the dental profession as it was originally intended?

The answers to these questions will vary depending on whom you ask. Overwhelmingly, there are many factors and shifts in society that point towards an industry that is thriving, as did the dinosaurs immediately prior to the big meteor strike. The difference here is that there are a thousand different, small meteors; and their strikes are mostly going unnoticed or being blatantly ignored.

Historically, all industries go through seismic shifts. The buzz term today is “Disruptive Innovation.” This simply means it isn’t really about new products or systems. It is the application of current systems and technologies found outside of an existing industry. I think the changes that the Dental Industry will go through in the next 10-15 years will cause us to question the current dental-care delivery system. I believe we will see startling changes that are uncontrollable, and that no one person or organization will be able to stop.

Here is the most important question, “Can we adapt now? The answer is yes. We can start by allowing dental-staff members to implement authorized clinical procedures. This would result in more staff providing more dental care with fewer dentists. The primary role of the dentist would be to create treatment-planning and supervise the clinical care provided by these staff members.

One way to do this today, immediately, is using available and mundane technologies. Telehealth has shown itself to be extremely helpful during our current pandemic. In dentistry, this is referred to as Teledentistry (TD).

This course will outline how TD, given the opportunity, can be used, and what we can teach our Public Health Dental Hygienists to implement TD

Program Outline:

A)    Definition of Teledentistry: Explanation of the different levels of Teledentistry (TD) and necessary technology to achieve these levels.

B)     Brief overview of present state of traditional dental-care delivery systems. This includes updated statistical data showing severity of dental disease within different demographic groups.

C)     Who does TD connect? The program will identify the different participants and how they connect to each other. These participants include primary dental-care provider, patient, supervising dentist, dental specialists, and any other primary-level healthcare provider. Explanation of how these connections are more easily created and how more easily clinical findings can be transferred.

D)    How to select the correct TD software platform.

E)     Explanation of different clinical-care models and their participants.  Primarily, we have two areas: the preventive models and preventive/restorative models. This section also covers the contractual arrangements that these participants have with one another and with any outside entity involved in either supervision or reimbursement.

F)    Proper use of clinical procedure codes (clinical CDT codes).  How these codes are used for integrating TD software into regular dental software for efficient and easy record keeping. How to optimize utilization for faster and more precise third party reimbursement.

G)   How TD will fit into the changing dental-care delivery structures of the future.

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Instructors:

John S. Echternach, D.D.S., is a retired general dentist who maintained a private practice in Henniker, NH, for 40 years. He has been an active member of the American Dental Association, the NH Dental Society (NHDS) and the Concord Dental Society (CDS). His role in organized dentistry includes more than 16 years in a leadership capacity in both the NHDS and CDS.

In his retirement, John has assumed the role as a teacher of healthcare professionals with his focus on a specific treatment: the science and applications of silver diamine fluoride (SDF). After learning about the uses of SDF toward the end of his career, he successfully used this method on both children and adults for the last 3 years in his Henniker practice.

Katie Latulip is graduate of Vermont Technical College, where she obtained her Dental Hygiene degree in 2007. After graduation she worked in private practice for seven years. She became passionate about public health when she joined Ammonoosuc Community Health Services Inc. (ACHS), a Federally Qualified Community Health Center (FQHC) in 2014. Recognizing an increased need, she obtained her Certified Public Health Dental Hygiene certificate in 2016.