Saliva has long been considered a "mirror of the body" that reflects the state of a person's overall health. In recent years, saliva has attracted widespread interest as a diagnostic medium for rapid, point-of-care testing. The advantages of using saliva for disease diagnostics include ease of access, noninvasive sample collection, increased acceptance by patients, and reduced risks of infectious disease transmission. Advances in the science of salivary diagnostics will lead to identification of disease signature patterns of candidate biomarkers and/or confirmation of genetic susceptibility for some conditions. As salivary diagnostic applications advance, dentists are encouraged to take leadership roles in integrating the tests and related technologies into clinical practice, consistent with the best available scientific evidence..

Crown lengthening procedures lay the groundwork for restorative and cosmetic dentistry and/or to improve the esthetics of your gum line and smile. The goal is to create access and/or to expose adequate tooth structure to facilitate restorative procedures. Procedures to correct a "gummy" smile or "short teeth" will be discussed. Procedures to adjust the gum and bone level to expose more tooth structure when teeth are decayed, broken below the gum line or have inadequate tooth structure for restorations will also be discussed.

Improve implant success rate and predictability in the compromised esthetic zone by understanding fundamental science, evidence-based treatment options and case selection. Maximize esthetic results through the use of enhanced implant surgical techniques, management of the extraction site, soft tissue grafts, site augmentation, temporization and custom impression techniques including digital impressions and CAD/CAM technology.

Every pediatric dental examination is a new patient examination because of growth and development. There is much to see in children's mouths besides caries and loose teeth. This program includes oral anomalies, growth and development, and components unique to pediatric examinations. Clinical and radiographic photographs illustrate the areas of discussion.

This presentation includes the indications, contraindications, and side effects of the most commonly prescribed medications. These medications represent one third of all prescription medications taken by your dental patients. Familiarity with these drugs will provide the dental practitioner with a better appreciation for the health profile of your dental patient.

 

This discussion will focus on bone grafting, present day therapies and new considerations regarding treatment modalities. Specifically, the discussion will look at the prospective of grafting with an emphasis on review of the literature up to the current day grafting principles with BMP-2. It will discuss the indications, risks, complications and follow-up care regarding all aspects of grafting.


 

The mind is a very powerful tool with complex capabilities that the health care provider can manipulate to achieve better health. This course is about understanding the science of communication and concentration. You will understand that hypnosis is a tool to patient management just like nitrous oxide analgesia or sedation is a tool to manipulate behavior. It is safe and can be very effective.


 

As patients get older and through the advances of modern medicine we encounter patients with a laundry list of medical problems. This course will address the management of this special group. Once in a while we encounter that special patient who is apprehensive, medically compromised and unmanageable. The available options you have to treat that type of patient will be discussed and demonstrated through actual case studies. Treating the apprehensive man, woman or child can be very rewarding. When managed properly they remain loyal for life and often refer their friends and family.


 

The number of people that are totally edentulous is increasing. The number of people retaining teeth in one arch is increasing. The reason for this is that the total number of senior citizens is growing because people are living longer. The maxillary denture that occludes with mandibular teeth is more of a challenge than it seems. In these cases we must be aware that malocclusion can destroy the maxillary bone. The challenge of a denture in one arch and natural teeth in the other arch will be explained. The use of custom gold chewing surfaces and the destructive potential of a non-stable occlusion will be discussed. The comfortable and functional mandibular distal extension partial denture is a must in treating these cases.

Diagnostic Discussion, a column of Today's FDA, is contributed alternately by University of Florida College of Dentistry professors Drs. Don Cohen and Indraneel Bhattacharyya and provides insight and feedback on common, important, new and challenging oral diseases. The dental professors operate a large, multi-state biopsy service and the column’s case studies originate from the more than 10,000 specimens the service receives every year from all over the U.S. Dentists taking this online course will be asked to read the column and answer accompanying questions online.