2024 Catalog: All Courses

Each year, the Indian Health Service Division of Oral Health shares messages related to National Children’s Dental Health Month [NCDHM], which is in February. This year, we are focusing our messaging on glass ionomer sealants, silver diamine fluoride, and immunization screenings by oral health professionals in our IHS, tribal and urban dental programs. This message focus is on glass ionomer sealants.

In November 2022, the IHS Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Christensen, announced the IHS E3 Vaccine Strategy. An excerpt of her message was as follows:

“As a critical public health prevention priority in our vulnerable service population, IHS advocates recommending vaccines to our patients. E3 focuses on 1] Every patient at 2] Every encounter should be offered 3] Every recommended vaccine when appropriate…Historically, vaccine-preventable illness has taken a disproportionate toll in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. One of the indirect effects of the pandemic has been a decline in routine vaccine coverage rates for children, adolescents, and adults. While we continue to promote broad vaccine access for COVID-19 and AI/AN persons at risk for Monkeypox, we must also ensure that we take every opportunity to offer routine vaccination, including seasonal influenza, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and the full range of bacterial illnesses for which vaccines have been shown to be effective.”

In late 2023, Dr. Christensen once again stressed the importance of vaccination, saying:

“I am issuing a call to action for our federal, tribal, and urban programs to intensify efforts to promote vaccination in our tribal communities as we seek to protect our vulnerable AI/AN service population during this respiratory viral season…National immunization coverage rates for influenza, COVID-19, and RSV are currently low for both children and adults. I/T/U health care providers are urged to offer influenza, COVID-19, and RSV immunizations to eligible patients now.

Oral health professionals – dentists, dental health aide therapists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants – play an important role in the E3 Vaccine Strategy as there may be many patients that have not recently been to a medical provider but dcome into our dental clinics seeking care. Asking parents of children if theirre child is up to date on vaccinations, asking parents of teens about whether or not their teen has received the HPV vaccination and educating them as to why they need it, and asking older adults whether they have received certain vaccinations can easily be done by dental providers during the medical history review. Below are some resources to help you learn more about immunization schedules and recommended immunizations.

Reading:
•   Vaccination coverage for selected diseases by age 24 months, 2010-16 [CDC]: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/2020-2021/VaxCh.pdf
•   Vaccination coverage for selected diseases among adolescents aged 13-17 years, 2008-2019 [CDC]: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/2020-2021/VaxTn.pdf
•   Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule by Age, 2024 [CDC]: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/child-adolescent.htmltable-1 [print the table!]
•   Adult Immunization Schedule by Age, 2024 [CDC]: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/adult.htmltable-age [print the table!]
•   Myths about the flu vaccine [WHO]: https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/influenza-are-we-ready/5-myths-about-the-flu-vaccine
•   Human papillomavirus and cancer [WHO]: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/human-papilloma-virus-and-cancer
•   HPV and Cancer [CDC]: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv/statistics/cases.htm

Upon completion of this self-study reading, participants should be able to:
1. Describe the 2016 ADA/AAPD policy statement on dental sealants;
2. List the favorable properties for glass ionomer sealants; and
3. Explain when dental sealants are indicated.

Nathan Mork — Personal Description / Biography not available. For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at nathan.mork@ihs.gov.

Timothy Ricks — Personal Description / Biography not available. For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at tim.ricks@ihs.gov.

The speaker has no conflicts of interest to report. Dr. Tim Ricks serves as the IHS Oral Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Consultant and can be reached at tim.ricks@ihs.gov.

It is the policy of the Indian Health Service, Division of Oral Health, that faculty/planners disclose any financial or other relationships with commercial companies whose products may be discussed in the educational activity. The Indian Health Service, Division of Oral Health, also requires that faculty disclose any unlabeled or investigative use of pharmaceutical products and medical devices. Images that have been falsified or manipulated to misrepresent treatment outcomes are prohibited.

None of the faculty/planners for this activity has a conflict of interest, and there is no use of unlabeled or investigative pharmaceutical products or medical devices. No images have been falsified or manipulated to misrepresent treatment outcomes.The educational objectives, content, and selection of educational methods and instructors are conducted independent of any commercial entity.

The IHS Division of Oral Health is an accredited sponsor of continuing education under the American Dental Association Continuing Education Recognition Program (CERP). 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. Concerns or complaints about a CE provider may be directed to the IHS at IHS CDE Coordinator or to the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition at CCEPR.ada.org

Reading:
•   Vaccination coverage for selected diseases by age 24 months, 2010-16 [CDC]: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/2020-2021/VaxCh.pdf
•   Vaccination coverage for selected diseases among adolescents aged 13-17 years, 2008-2019 [CDC]: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/2020-2021/VaxTn.pdf
•   Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule by Age, 2024 [CDC]: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/child-adolescent.htmltable-1 [print the table!]
•   Adult Immunization Schedule by Age, 2024 [CDC]: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/adult.htmltable-age [print the table!]
•   Myths about the flu vaccine [WHO]: https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/influenza-are-we-ready/5-myths-about-the-flu-vaccine
•   Human papillomavirus and cancer [WHO]: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/human-papilloma-virus-and-cancer
•   HPV and Cancer [CDC]: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv/statistics/cases.htm

Please Make Checks Payable to: Indian Health Service.

Tuition must be paid in full 8 weeks prior to the start date of any course. Request for refunds must be received in writing at least two weeks before the course begins. For each refund request, there will be an administrative charge of $100. No refunds will be made to registrants who fail to attend a course. If IHS CDE program cancels a course, then 100% of the tuition will be refunded.