CDE: [Dean’s Speaker Series] ft. Amy Slep, PhD

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.
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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.