The 34th Annual Dr. Peter Fedi Periodontics Lecture: The Mouth is Not Vegas; What Happens Here Does Not Stay Here
Thursday, April 3
9 AM - Noon
3 CDE Credits – DDS, DH, DA, AUX
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Since its inception, dentistry has been a very siloed specialty, with practitioners and patients perceiving the oral cavity and the diseases that occur in this environment as discrete entities separate from the rest of the body. However, our daily practice is a constant reminder that we treat patients, not just teeth or mouths. Indeed, as more and more patients with complex medical histories seek dental care, we are driven to personalize their oral healthcare based on their overall health. This presentation will discuss the advances in our understanding of the link between oral health and overall health and explore how P4 medicine can be harnessed to deliver integrated care.
Course Objectives:
1. Understand the biological basis for oral diseases.
2. Explore the mechanisms by which certain systemic diseases impact oral health.
3. Explore the impact of periodontal therapy on systemic health.
4. Understand how P4 medicine differs from Hippocratic medicine.
PRESENTER:
Purnima Kumar, DDS, Ph.D.
Purnima Kumar, DDS, Ph.D., is the William and Mary K. Najjar Endowed Professor of Dentistry and chair of the Department of Periodontology and Oral Medicine at the University of Michigan. She received her dental degree from Annamalai University in India, and her master’s in Periodontology and Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology from The Ohio State University. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and a Fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program, the International College of Dentists, the American College of Dentists, the Pierre Fouchard Académie and the American Association of Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Research.
Kumar is the principal investigator of the oral microbial ecology laboratory at the University of Michigan that is funded through the NIH, NCI and oral healthcare industry. She has authored more than 100 papers and book chapters and serves as the Associate editor of Periodontology 2000 and senior editor of Microbiome. She is an active researcher, clinician, teacher and administrator, has mentored several pre-dental, dental, master’s, doctoral and post-doctoral students and junior faculty colleagues and has served on several grant review panels for the NIH. She serves on the Continuing Education Oversight Committee and Budget Committee for the AAP and leads the AAP’s Taskforce for Oral-Medical Health Integration. She also serves on the board of directors of the Osteology Foundation and the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation. She is the chair of the Council of Scientific Affairs of the ADA and is their official spokesperson on e-cigarettes and vaping. She also serves on several taskforces for women in science, women in surgery and women in STEM and volunteers for groups that empower women locally and nationally.
