Matthew Messina, DDS, graduated first in his class from The Ohio State University College of Dentistry in 1987.  After graduation, he completed a general practice residency at the Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. A practicing general dentist for 30 years, he has also served as a visiting faculty member at the Pankey Institute for advanced dental education in Key Biscayne, Florida. Dr. Messina is the Clinic Director of Ohio State Upper Arlington Dentistry and is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Restorative and Prosthetic Dentistry.  He had served as the Interim Director of the Dental Oncology Clinic of the James Cancer Center at OSU since 2018.

Dr. Messina is recognized nationally for his presentations on communications, as well as his lectures on leadership skills that allow dentists to provide optimal care for their patients. He is currently a consumer advisor for the American Dental Association, serving as a national spokesperson since 1995. Throughout his career, he has appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America program and NBC’s Today Show.  He has been interviewed on CNN and National Public Radio. He has also provided comments on dental health and related subjects for USA TODAY, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, Web MD, and Prevention Magazine, to name just a few.

Communication is the art and science of making yourself heard.  Patients have always had questions, but the Covid era has heightened their search for information.  It is vital that the dentist and their team be able to provide not only accurate, evidence-based information but the proper perspective to digest the facts and choose a course of action. A conversation with a patient is not an intellectual exercise.  It is an opportunity to deliver specific messages to an interested audience. This course will examine the science of communication and the art of understanding.

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

1. Better communicate through understanding of the technical components and the emotional components of the delivery of information.
2. Learn to think from the patient’s perspective and gain greater control of the conversation to achieve strategic objectives.
3. Better respond to patient questions by learning the techniques to bridge from challenging questions to effective messages that assist the patient in achieving oral health.

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