2025 Catalog: All Courses

The Alaska Area Dental Meeting allows collaboration among Tribal Health Organization [THO] dental programs and provides continuing education for dental assistants, dental health aides, dental hygienist and dentists.

Discussing Alaska’s dental needs among other tribal health organization dental teams allows for problem solving and learning from others what has been successful and not successful for addressing the oral health concerns in our Alaska Native Population.

Presentation Overviews and Objectives
Title: Cross Cultural Communication in healthcare
Instructor: Tacuk Martz
Course Overview: Training will involve describing in detail aspects of cross-cultural communication specific to the participants’ work in their respective health fields and how to humanize their interactions with patients.
Objectives:
1.   Develop greater awareness of the cross-cultural communication aspects of their patient interactions
2.   How to humanize their interactions with patients
Title: State of the State: Updates on the Alaska Oral Health Program and SHARP
Instructor: Terry Bookey
Course Objectives:
1.   Updates on the Alaska oral health program
2.   Updates on SHARP program
3.   The state of Alaska oral health
Title: Alaska Tribal Oral Health Data
Instructor: Dane Lenaker and Sarah Shoffstall-Cone
Course Overview: The State of Alaska last released an Oral Health Plan in 2012. Currently, there is no data routinely being collected by the State of Alaska in regard to Oral Health. It is hard to measure improvements in health outcomes without baseline data. The goal of this session is to highlight the value of data and make a plan moving forward for the Alaska THO system.
Objectives:
1.   Identify the benefits of having oral health data.
2.   Show what data has been collected historically in Alaska and through electronic dental records.
3.   List some of the data sets that are currently being collected nationally and identify what data Alaska THOs would be interested in collecting.
Title: Hall Crown Technique
Instructor: Kim Hort
Course Overview: The Hall Crown Technique is a key component of minimally invasive dentistry in our pediatric population. Understanding the indications and contraindications is paramount to achieving success, which averages 97 over 3 - 5 years. The technique is simple, time efficient, and has high patient, parent and provider satisfaction. This technique can be easily incorporated into any general practice as a simple means of protecting carious primary molars until exfoliation.
Objectives:
1. Clearly recognize indications and contraindications for the Hall Technique
2. Understand the armamentarium needed for successfully integrating the technique into clinical practice
3. Learn the step-by-step technique for successfully placing Hall Crowns on primary posterior molars
Title: Integrated Care: An Interdisciplinary Team Approach to Health and Wellness
Instructor: Vicky Gallegos-Randel
Course Overview: Integrated care excels when interdisciplinary teams are seamlessly woven into patient-centered approaches, as seen in a health center where medical, dental, and mental health professionals deliver cohesive integrated care services. This approach not only addresses the complete well-being of individuals - encompassing both body and mind - but also creates a supportive network that actively advocates for holistic well-being and preventive care.
Objectives:
1. Identify various levels of integrated care.
2. Identify barriers to integrated care and ways to mitigate barriers.
3. Analyze case studies and develop integrated care strategies.
4. Identify ways to become more integrated.
Title: Orthodontic Guidelines for the General Dentist
Instructor: Martha Truncale
Course Overview: An examination of orthodontic malocclusions, growth and treatment timelines and select methodology in current orthodontic practice.
Objectives:
1.   Participants will be able to identify the most common malocclusions necessitating referral to orthodontics.
2.   Participants should feel versed in important growth waypoints that underpin orthodontic treatment.
3.   Participants will develop an understanding of some orthodontic methods used for the treatment of malocclusion.
Title: Early Intervention for Childhood Caries to Address Alaska Native Disparities in Oral Health
Instructor: Timothy Thomas, Gretchen Day and Judith Burks
Course Overview: “By 6 years of age, 73 of Alaska Native children in the Yukon-Kuskokwim [YK] region of southwestern Alaska have had a full mouth dental reconstruction [FMDR], requiring general anesthesia for the treatment of extensive early childhood caries. The presence of early childhood caries affects health, sleep, eating habits, and performance in school. While it is uncommon for YK Delta children to receive an oral health exam by age 24 months [12], almost all [80] received standard vaccinations during this period of their lives. Vaccinations require 5 visits to a clinic where frequently, both Community Health Aides and Dental Health Aide Therapists are co-located. Building upon the sustained success in achieving high vaccination rates among children in the region, researchers from ANTHC and YKHC will collaborate to improve the reach and coordination of dental services for children in a project called Early Intervention for Childhood Caries to Address Alaska Native Disparities in Oral Health.”
We will discuss this collaborative project to implement and evaluate care coordination. Our aims are: [1] to explore facilitators and barriers to oral health care including the integration of dental and well child visits for children, [2] to design an implementation plan for integrating a care coordinator position into the well child visit workflow, to systematically reach children for an oral health exam prior to age 24 months, [3] to compare stakeholder-reported, implementation process and clinical outcomes.
Objective:
1.   Understand the importance of partnerships between health organizations, communities, and researchers in improving the oral health.
2.   Recognize the need for interprofessional collaboration to improve access to care and prevention of early childhood caries.
3.   Identify leading practices that may improve access to early and ongoing preventive oral health care.
Title: Dental Antibiotic Stewardship
Instructor: Katie Presser
Course Overview: What is Antibiotic Stewardship and why does it matter? What are the unique challenges in dental care and stewardship? How can we work to change the course for our patients’ care? What resources are available?
1.   Objectives: Explain the role of antimicrobial stewardship in dental practice
2.   Integrate interventions to minimize antimicrobial prescribing when a known infection is not present
3.   Develop processes to periodically review prescribing practices
Title: Diabetes and the whole person
Instructor: Luz Smeenk
Course Overview: Diabetes and how this disease affects the entire person
Objectives:
1. Describe medical concerns with diabetes
2. Describe the difference between common struggles -- diabetes burnout, stigma, and distress – from the patient’s perspective
3. Describe strategies to “reframe the narrative” for the patient and their family.
Title: HIV/STI Oral Manifestations and Symptoms
Instructor: Rolf Christensen
Objectives:
1.   Describe common oral manifestations in persons with HIV
2.   Summarize HIV screening and diagnosis in the dental setting.
3.    List appropriate treatments for HIV-related oral lesions
Title: SCF Specialty Clinic Panel
Instructor: Danny Mendez
Course Objectives:
1.   Update dental directors on status and wait times of Oral Surgery referrals
2.   Update dental directors on status and wait times of Pediatric referrals
3.   Answer all questions on which type of referrals to send to ANMC and how we process referrals
Title: Dental Program Updates
Instructor: Sarah Shoffstall-Cone
Course Overview: This course allows each Tribal Health Organization [THO] to share their challenges and successes over the last year. THOs are able to learn from each other about what is working well and what is an area of improvement. It also allows THOs to come to a consensus about what additional support is needed.
Objectives:
1.   Identify AAAHC/Joint Commission issues/concerns
2.   Provide updates on issues/concerns related to the delivery of services, personnel and clinic management.
3.   Identify additional areas of need to best support dental patient care and safety at Alaska Area Tribal Health Organizations

Title: Recognition and Stabilization of Common Medical Emergencies in the Dental Chair
Instructor: Susan Romero
Course Overview:
Recognition and stabilization of common adult and pediatric medical emergencies in the dental clinic setting utilizing Crisis Resource Management Principles [CRM].
Objectives:
1. Demonstration of the ABCDEFG Assessment checklist to assess, recognize, and stabilize common medical emergencies in both Pediatric and Adult Medical Emergencies
2. Evaluation of altered mental status and common causes: Vasovagal syncope, Hypoglycemia,
Seizures.
3. Identification and treatment of the most common medical emergencies in dental offices
Title: How Community Health Can Make Us Resilient Against Our Greatest Health Threats
Instructor: Raj Panjabi
Course Overview: Fireside chat on how community health can make us resilient against our greatest health threats.
Objectives:
1.   To identify the role of community health in preparing and responding to pandemic and epidemic threats;
2.   To identify the role of technology in enhancing community health care delivery; and
3.   To identify strategies for strengthening community health systems
Title: Dental Academic Review Committee Update
Instructor: Erin Giauque
Course Overview: Discussing updates to DARC and what DARC has been working on this year.
Objectives:
1.   Understand new changes to Standards and Procedures
2.   Discuss committee updates from 2024
3.   Discuss new curriculum changes in standards and procedures

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
1.   Allow THO dental programs to share knowledge and develop collaborations.
2.   Provide applicable continuing education for all members of the dental team that will improve patient safety and provider knowledge.
3.   Identify Alaska Area needs and develop action plans to address issues.

Sarah Shoffstall-Cone — Personal Description / Biography not available. For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at sshoffstallcone@anthc.org.

Tacuk Martz — For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at Tacuk01@yahoo.com.

Terry Bookey — For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at terry.bookey@alaska.gov.

Dane Lenaker — Orthodontics For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at danel@searhc.org.

KIM HORT — For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at kim.hort@searhc.org.

Martha Truncale — For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at mbrowntruncale@ southcentralfoundation.com.

Vickey Gallegos-Randel — For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at vgallegosrandel@anthc.org.

Timothy Thomas — For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at timothy.thomas@aol.com.

Judith Burks — For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at JBurks@ihs.gov.

Luz Smeenk — For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at lsmeenk@ihs.gov.

Rolf Christensen — For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at rolfc@uw.edu.

Tony McClure — Personal Description / Biography not available. For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at tmcclure@southcentralfoundation.com.

Susanna Romero — For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at sromero@anthc.org.

Raj Panjabi — For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at Panjabi.raj@gmail.com.

Erin Giauque — Personal Description / Biography not available. For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at eringdmd@gmaiil.com.

Gretchen Day — For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at gmday@anthc.org.

Danny Mendez — For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at dmendez@southcentralfoundation.com.

Katie Presser — For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at katie.presser@ihs.gov.

The speaker has no conflicts of interest to report.

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

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.