Since 1994, Penny’s practice has been with a periodontic/prosthodontic specialty team. Since 2002, she has fostered learning in the graduate periodontics, undergraduate Dental, and Dental Hygiene Degree Programs at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Her scientific investigations are therapeutic modalities for periodontal diseases, including implants. Her doctoral studies in educational leadership and curriculum policy encourage the profession to rethink best practices. She has published and co-authored in multiple peer-reviewed journals and presents nationally and internationally. She’s on several boards and is a key company opinion leader. She volunteers in programs supporting specialized populations. As the founder and CEO of UpScale Consulting and her independent clinical practice, her mission is to support and empower colleagues in delivering comprehensive oral and overall care for the public, including marginalized populations.

The underworld of subgingival biofilm can be a challenging environment for clinicians. Traditionally, the battle against biofilm communities thriving subgingivally has been fought with a blend of hand and power-driven instruments. In the last 5 years in North America and for over 20 years in Europe, indications for using air-pressured mechanical biofilm disruption technology with the use of low abrasive-based powders for both supragingival and subgingival biofilm have been developed. This evidence-informed review will explore the air-flow mechanism and its clinical application for biofilm management.

At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Understand the oral microbiome
• Understand the new immunology concept of symbiosis and dysbiosis relationship
• Learn to create effective patient care plans
• Integrate air-pressured technology and powders into clinical protocols
• Evidence informed decisions with air-pressured technologies
• Learn the importance of risk assessments
• List and describe mechanical interventions that combat mature biofilms