Systemic Factors and Conditions Affecting the Success, Failure of Dental Treatments

OVERVIEW

Dr. Davis Thomas brings his considerable expertise to our program as he discusses the many systemic health conditions and diseases that can significantly affect the restorations, prosthetic dentistry, longevity of implants, periodontal health, success of orthodontic treatments, endodontic prognosis and pain control in dentistry. Also the latest literature on how systemic health robustly affects oral tissues. Conditions such as chronic pain, stress, or infections present a number of symptoms that may provide challenges to the dentist. This seminar takes a holistic approach to treatment planning for systemic factors, as it cites such disciplines pertaining to implants, periodontal therapy, medications, genetics, orthodontics, and psychology.

Description:

The pillars of dentistry that determine the success of clinical practice include accurate diagnosis and treatment plan; ensuring the longevity of the restorative/reconstructive work; adequate pain management; and predicting the influence of systemic conditions on the outcomes of dental treatment. Dental schools sort of prepare us to take a good medical history, and perform a thorough systems review, but many a times this becomes a mere bare necessity. This course is meant to take the dental clinician well beyond what most undergraduate programs (and many post-graduate programs) in dentistry teach and update our knowledge to the most current literature. It is my experience and hope that such a current update would be instrumental in ensuring the success of dental treatment, gives the clinician the satisfaction of positively influencing a patient’s life, and help to prevent falling into the abyss of the mechanically oriented professional.

Learning objectives:

·        To understand the systemic factors that MOST predict failure of implants.

·        To understand the red flags that warn a clinician that a proposed/desired treatment plan may fail.

·        To learn the case work-up of a patient with a possible systemic condition that affects the success of the dental treatment.

·        To learn about what current and emerging medications contribute to failure of endodontic treatment, grafts, implants, periodontal treatments and oral health.

·        To learn the possible systemic factors that can affect the outcomes of minor and major orthodontic treatments.

·        To understand the systemic factors that can robustly affect, and possibly delay oral wound healing.

·        To learn the systemic factors that can significantly impact facial pain and TMDs.

·        To learn to investigate the reasons for unexplained chronic pain, including persistent post-surgical pain.

·        How to maximize the efficiency of systems review and identify red flags early to avoid failure of dental treatment or less than optimal results and satisfaction for both the patient and the clinician

·        To have an overview of how systemic factors affect patient care in dentistry.

·        To learn a simple laboratory/ blood tests that dentists could order, that may help mitigate the adverse affects underlying systemic conditions can have on the prognosis of our dental treatments.