Upcoming Events

Virtually presented via Zoom Webinar

Time: 6:30-8:00 pm; this virtual lecture will begin promptly at 6:30 pm via Zoom Webinar.
Registration: FREE to view (does not include continuing education credits); Registration is still required.
Register here»
CE Credits: 1.5 lecture credits
To receive continuing education credits:
Dentist, $37.50
Penn Dental Medicine Alumni, $28.00
Military, $28.00
**Payment is made following the program.**

Oh my, is that a tongue tie?!

Course Description

Anatomically, our tongue is vital to our every day function from the time we are born to when we become adults. Tongue ties and labial ties are present in many individuals and these ties (mainly lingual) can sometimes impede proper growth, affect sleep, and even influence phonation and dictation (speech). The goal of this lecture is to better understand lingual and labial ties, their relationship with the oral cavity and the impact they can have on an indictable well-being overall.

Learning Objectives

• What is a tongue tie and what is a labial tie
• Brief history of ankyloglossia
• The impact of different ties at different stages of life
• How to identify restricted movement due to attachment
• Case presentations
• The use of lasers as a treatment modality to help release ties

Speaker

Dr. Deep Shah, a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist, considers his role as a health care clinician for children to be a genuine privilege and blessing and believes that a customized oral health plan for each child is essential to the child’s overall well-being and continued growth and development.

Upon earning his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and minor in business administration from Drexel University, Dr. Shah pursued his dental education at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Shah further trained at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh where he acquired extensive experience in the areas of growth and development, pediatric oral pathology, special health care needs, dental trauma, pharmacological modalities and behavior modification/management. He believes working with other pediatric specialists and utilizing an interdisciplinary approach is integral to the successful management of each patient.

Here at Penn, one of Dr. Shah’s main roles is running the oral conscious sedation program for the pediatric residents.

In addition, he treats patients in the private practice setting and is the Clinical Director of Children and Teen Dental Group.

Disclosure: Dr. Shah has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Dr. Abhinav Sinha, is the former Director of the Children’s Dental Health Center and Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College/New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
He is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Pennsylvania/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) pediatric dental medicine residency program, where he teaches residents the latest advancements in practice management and laser surgery.
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Dr. Sinha has clinical expertise in all phases of Pediatric Dental Medicine, including treatment of children with special healthcare needs and complex oral rehabilitation under general anesthesia. He practices the full scope of his specialty and also has a unique interest in laser revision of tongue and lip ties, to aid infants in proper nursing/breastfeeding, as well as helping children achieve optimal dental, speech, and airway health.
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He earned dual Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees in Physiology/Neurobiology and Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Sinha received his Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, in Philadelphia, PA. He completed his residency in pediatric dental medicine at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center/Cohen’s Children’s Hospital in New Hyde Park, NY.

He currently practices his specialty in 3 private practices throughout the NYC metro region:
Small World Dental, Court Street Smiles, and Great Neck & Mid Island Dental Associates. Most recently, Dr. Sinha created a mobile tongue-tie surgery service, TOTsDOC, where he provides this vital service to infants and children in various practices and residences.
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Dr. Sinha is a Board Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, an active Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and a member of the American Laser Study Club as well as the International Affiliation of Tongue-Tie Professionals.
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Dr. Sinha lives with his wife and 3 children in New Jersey.

Disclosure: Dr. Sinha has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry.

University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine designates this activity for 1.5 continuing education credits.

Presented virtually via Zoom Webinar

Time: 6:30-8:30 pm; this virtual lecture will begin promptly at 6:30 pm via Zoom Webinar.
Registration: FREE to view (does not include continuing education credits); Registration is still required.
Register here»
CE Credits: 1.0 lecture credits
To receive continuing education credits:
Dentist, $25.00
Penn Dental Medicine Alumni, $18.50
Military, $18.50
**Payment is made following the program.**

Course Description

Discussion of common emergencies and their management in a dental office.

Learning Objectives

Be prepared to manage patient in common office emergency.

Speaker

Man Ching Ho, DMD
Dentist-anesthesiologist
Assistant Professor of Pediatric Division
School of Dental Medicine
University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry.

University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine designates this activity for 1.0 continuing education credits.

Virtually presented via Zoom Webinar

Time: 5:30-7:00 pm; This virtual lecture will begin promptly at 5:30 pm via Zoom Webinar.
Registration: FREE; Registration is still required.
Register here»
CE Credits: 1.5 lecture credits

The Scope, Origins and Maintenance of Dental Fear

Course Description

Dental fear negatively affects the health of over 53 million Americans. Many dental professionals believe that anxious patients do not come to treatment at all, or that professionals can easily recognize dental fear. Neither of these are true. This lecture will review the prevalence of dental fear and phobia, and the research linking dental fear to oral health problems. We will learn how fears are acquired and discuss the implications of this research for treating children. We will discuss how fearful patients present, and how to understand your patients’ levels of fear. We will review how fear and phobia maintain across time and discuss the implications of this for dental practitioners.

Learning Objectives

Participants will understand the prevalence of dental fear, how it presents, and mechanisms underlying its development and maintenance.

Speaker

Dr. Amy M. Smith Slep received a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Stony Brook University in 1995. She is now Professor in the Department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care at NYU. Along with her collaborator, she co-directs the Family Translational Research Group, which includes over 20 research staff and students focused on understanding violence in families. Dr. Slep’s research focuses on many different aspects of conflict and violence in families: the development of dysfunctional parenting, the connections between parenting and partner conflict, the dynamics of conflict escalation and de-escalation in productive and destructive conflicts, what facets of exposure to violence impact children’s functioning and how these impacts can be buffered, and how to best prevent family violence. Her work on definitions of maltreatment has resulted in definitions that are now being used through the military. She has published over 70 scientific articles and book chapters and has received nearly 40 federal research grants. She is a licensed clinical psychologist.

Disclosure: Dr. Slep has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry.

University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine designates this activity for 1.5 continuing education credits.

Virtually presented via Zoom Webinar

Time: 5:30-7:00 pm; This virtual lecture will begin promptly at 5:30 pm via Zoom Webinar.
Registration: FREE; Registration is still required.
Register here»
CE Credits: 1.5 lecture credits

Non-pharmacologic Management Strategies for Dental Fear

Course Description

Dental fear negatively affects the health of over 53 million American adults. Standard dental treatment (anti-anxiety medication or anesthesia) is compassionate but maintains the cycle of fear and avoidance. This presentation will discuss the evidence for non-pharmacologic approaches to dental fear. Existing non-pharmacologic treatments are effective but are rarely available in typical practice settings and not easily disseminated. We will cover (a) the basic cognitive-behavioral principles and methods underlying these treatments; (b) universal assessment of dental fear; (c) questions to ask patients with moderate to severe fear; and (d) ways to improve treatment of patients with a variety of dental fear triggers. Finally, we will also cover two promising directions for dental feat treatment currently being researched at PDM, both of which are highly disseminable stepped-care approaches (1) a human-delivered option, comprising a low-intensity level (app + brief interview to foster dentist-patient communication around fear) and higher intensity level (for those needing more intensive treatment — 1 hour of additional in-chair fear treatment from a mental health professional performed in the dentist’s office); and (2) a virtual reality-delivered option, similar to #1 but with the in-chair treatment via a virtual reality program.

Learning Objectives

• Explain the pros and cons of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic approaches to dental fear.
• Describe the basic cognitive-behavioral principles and methods underlying these treatments.
• Delineate how to assess for dental fear and what questions to ask patients with dental fear.
• Discuss stepped-care approaches being researched for dental fear.

Speaker

Dr. Richard E. Heyman is Professor in the Department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care at New York University. He earned a B.S. from Duke University and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Oregon. He’s a licensed psychologist.

Dr. Heyman has received over 60 grants/contracts from major U.S. funding agencies on a variety of topics, from dental fear to social determinants of health to couples communication to community-level prevention of family maltreatment, substance problems, and suicidality. Dr. Heyman has published over 200 scientific articles/chapters on these topics.

At the core of Dr. Heyman’s research is translating basic knowledge into prevention and treatment and on improving adoption of evidence-based practices.

Disclosure: Dr. Heyman has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry.

University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine designates this activity for 1.5 continuing education credits.