Saturday, October 22, 2016, from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry

Presented by:  Gary Hack, DDS; Kristi Silver, MD; Chris Farrugia, DDS‌‌

 

‌Dr. Gary D. Hack received his DDS from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry in 1979, and has served as a faculty member for the past 30 years. He completed a general practice residency in Seattle, Wash., with the U.S. Public Health Service in 1980. Dr Hack is associate professor in the Department of Endodontics, Periodontics, and Prosthodontics and director of clinical simulation research. He has been instrumental in integrating diabetes screening/monitoring into the dental school curriculum.

 

  Dr. Kristi Silver is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is board certified in both internal medicine and endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism.  Dr. Silver received her MD degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and her fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Silver joined the faculty at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1997. She served as the Director of the University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology from 2010-2014 and Endocrinology Fellowship Program Director from 2008-2015. She is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine and vice division chief for the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition. Her research interests include the genetics of insulin secretion, pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics of diabetes medications and inpatient and outpatient diabetes management.

Dr. Chris Farrugia is a speaker, teacher, author, and leader in digital dentistry and medical billing. An early adopter of digital CAD/CAM technology, the addition of CT to his practice in 2011 led Dr. Farrugia to solve medical billing. He trains dentists nationwide who want to advance their practices with CAD/CAM digital restorative techniques, digital imaging and successfully access medical benefits for their services. He practices digital restorative dentistry in Northwest Florida.

 

 

Course Description

The word "dentistry" is a misnomer. Despite the confines intrinsic to the word itself, the practice of dentistry extends beyond the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the teeth. Dentistry is in fact a medical specialty. Dentists are trained in the diagnosis and treatment of a specific region of the body. The concept of the “Oral Physician” is emerging.

Dentistry is changing as technology allows us to see and do things that were unimaginable and unattainable in the past. With change comes an evolution in the standard of care applied to the practice of dentistry.

This course will present the need for medical/dental collaboration and when to refer patients with medical conditions such as diabetes, as well as highlight the role of medical billing in the modern dental office.

Participants will learn how to identify medically billable procedures in addition to screening for diabetes, such as sleep-disordered breathing, and oral/maxillofacial cancer, and how all comprehensive examinations in the dental office are actually medically billable.

Systemic medical conditions such as diabetes manifest themselves in the oral cavity. Overlooking or ignoring the medical portion of our dental practices prevents us from being compensated for the medical aspect of what can be done in our dental practices.

Indeed, the divides between dentistry and medicine and between dental insurance and medical insurance are narrowing. This presents an opportunity to make decisions about the future of our practices that position them for success in both the short and long term.

The dental office is an ideal place for diabetes monitoring and screening. Since many patients see their dentist and not a physician in a given year, this concept presents an opportunity for dentistry to become a more fully integrated partner in our health care system, collaborating with our medical colleagues in fighting the rising epidemic of diabetes.

Diabetes now affects over 40% of the U.S. population, therefore dental offices are treating these patients on a daily basis. This presentation will summarize the evidence-based relationship between periodontal disease and diabetes mellitus and will identify the special considerations involved in treating this subset of our patient population.

Preparation of oral healthcare providers to have a positive impact on this epidemic will be provided along with an outline for enhanced collaboration with members of the other healthcare professions.

Dental professionals have an important role to play in the recognition, identification and management of the diabetic patient. Medical and dental professionals must work together to achieve the best results for people with diabetes and the community.

 

Course Objectives:

 Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to do the following:

• Identify medically billable procedures including screening for diabetes, sleep-disordered breathing, and oral/maxillofacial cancer.

• Show how all comprehensive examinations in the dental office are billable.

• Hands-on practice with a glucometer to learn how to evaluate your patients’ blood sugar levels.

• Embrace the dental office setting as a front-line interceptor of the diabetes epidemic.

• Define and describe signs and symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus and identify the risk factors and  oral complications of diabetes

Tuition:       

•  Dentist: $260.00

•  Team Member: $140.00

Credits:        

•    4 CDE credit hours / 3-Lecture and 1-Hands-on

Target Audience:    Entire Dental Team

Register here