A complete listing of currently available online programs is provided below. To access course materials and claim CE credits you must be registered and logged-in and courses of interest must be selected and purchased. Once purchased, course material links are provided from within the User Records section of this website. Courses are Peer Reviewed and approved for ADA CERP continuing education credits.
* Advanced Diagnostics For Dental Hygienists Master Class Teaching Unit 1
Limitations of Conventional Endodontic, Periodontic and Restorative Diagnostic Tests
Authored by:
Marwan Abou-Rass, DDS, MDS, Ph.D
Expiration Date:
CE Credit Hours:
1.0
Format:
Webinar
Fee:
$25.00
The report of the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment on the Methods of Diagnosis and Treatment in Endodontics (2012), disclosed “Extensive shortcomings in the scientific basis underlying methods applied for endodontic diagnoses and treatment.” Along the same lines, primarily written for practicing dental hygienists, the author analyzes the conventional patient examination diagnoses methods used in endodontics, periodontics, and restorative dentistry and presents a patient examination and diagnosis protocols, which are clinical- efficient, evidence-based, and patient-centered.
Educational Objectives
The content of unit one is organized to accomplish three objectives:
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Identify the shortcomings of the conventional diagnostic tests used in clinical Endodontic, Periodontic, and Restorative Dentistry.
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Describe the technical and biologic limitations of the Diagnostic Imaging of Periapical, Bitewing, Panoramic Radiographs.
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Describe the components of the evidence-based, biology- oriented best practices in Endodontic-Periodontic -Restorative diagnostic process.
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* PART I. Introducing the 4Rs Operational Diagnosis Protocol: A Comprehensive Systematic Approach for Endodontic Diagnosis
Authored by:
Marwan Abou-Rass, DDS, MDS, Ph.D
Expiration Date:
CE Credit Hours:
3.0
Format:
Webinar
Fee:
$75.00
The detection and diagnosis of the TSC is perhaps the most difficult aspect in the management of the cracked, fissured and fractured teeth in dental practice. In this five parts series the 4Rs operational diagnosis protocol(4Rs OD) is used as a best dental diagnosis practice.
The protocol was specifically developed to remedy the shortcomings of the conventional Endodontic diagnosis tests.
The protocol helps the clinician to use the skills of: hearing, seeing and acting to accurately learn the patient problem.
The(4Rs OD) protocol provides the clinician with multidisciplinary, systematic approach for collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing the examination data into diagnostic, treatment planning, and prognostic decisions.
The 4Rs OD consists of the followings assessment tests:
R1: Report of the patient assessment
R2: Radiographic assessment
R3: Response testing assessment
R4: Restorative and tooth structure assessment
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* PART II. How Tooth Structure Cracks Complicate and Affect Dental Treatments - Four (4) Teaching Cases
Authored by:
Marwan Abou-Rass, DDS, MDS, Ph.D
Expiration Date:
CE Credit Hours:
1.5
Format:
Webinar
Fee:
$35.00
In this webinar, we will focus on the complications that may occur when the clinician misdiagnoses, or inadvertently overlooks an existing tooth structure crack in a tooth receiving restorative or endodontic treatment.
Part II provides four-case studies where patients have developed serious complications resulting in tooth extraction.
The lessons learned from each case study and the clinical errors provide guiding principles for the clinician to follow in their practice.
Guiding principles presented are:
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Performing endodontic treatment or re-treatment thru existing single unit old restorations is not advisable. If the restoration is defective, mediocre and planned for future replacement, it must be removed as part of the diagnostic procedures and before endodontic treatment.
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The restoration being saved is often the cause of the endodontic treatment failure or the associated complications.
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Consider that surgical endodontics is not a substitute for -standard endodontic treatment.
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* PART III: Definitions, Classification, Etiology and Initiation Mechanism of Tooth Structure Cracks
Authored by:
Marwan Abou-Rass, DDS, MDS, Ph.D
Expiration Date:
CE Credit Hours:
2.0
Format:
Webinar
Fee:
$45.00
Clinical management of cracked teeth in dental practice is an area replete with misunderstanding and misinformation. First, the literature lacks prospective studies and clinically useful universal definitions. Second, although cracked teeth problems vary significantly in diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. The literature terminology does not specifically differentiate between “Fractured teeth”, “Cracked teeth”, “Cracked Tooth Syndrome”, “Green stick fractures” and “Incomplete coronal fractures”.
The author’s 3x3 Tooth Structure Cracks (TSC) classification, grouped the various terminologies which relate to the cracked or fractured teeth problems, under one term “Tooth Cracks”. Then defined and classified the “cracks” according to their anatomic, physical and pathologic characteristics.
Physically, “Tooth Cracks” are classified into:
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Line Cracks
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Fissure Cracks
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Fracture Cracks
Anatomically, “Tooth Cracks” are classified into:
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Marginal Ridges
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Grooves
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Surfaces
Pathologically, “Tooth Cracks “are classified into:
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Contributory
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Noncontributory
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Partially Contributory
The webinar presentation shows how to differentiate between the harmless “noncontributory crack” and the harmful “contributory crack”.
Contributory cracks cause reversible and irreversible pulpitis, pulp calcification, pulp necrosis, periapical and periradicular lesions. On the other hand, noncontributory cracks could be microscopically visible microcracks or clinically visible line. These cracks remain at the early initiation or development stages for years. They remain still and stationery, cause no pulpal or periodontal pathology as long as they are not pressured, and stressed by new forces or loads. Forces such as root filling condensation or traumatic fitting of a post.
Updated information about the etiology and initiation mechanism of tooth cracks is presented focusing on:
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Abusive restorative procedures that cause coronal cracks
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Abusive mechanical endodontic procedures that cause radicular cracks
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Abusive post placement procedures
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Dental occlusion factors
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* PART IV: 7 Symptomatic Cracked Teeth with Pulpal, Periradicular & Periapical Involvements: Diagnosis and Treatment
Authored by:
Marwan Abou-Rass, DDS, MDS, Ph.D
Expiration Date:
CE Credit Hours:
2.5
Format:
Webinar
Fee:
$50.00
Part IV of the series focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of seven cracked teeth cases with symptomatic endodontic disease conditions. The selected cases represent a sampling of contributory and noncontributory line, fissure and fracture cracks.
The pathologic relationship between pulp calcification and tooth structure cracks (TSC) is reviewed, focusing on the diagnostic imaging aspects of pulpal calcification.
Detailed descriptions and discussion of the patient pain profile, the 10 ADI (Areas of Diagnostic Interest) response testing results for each of the seven cases are presented.
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*PART V: How and Why Substandard Endodontic Treatments Fail: The Importance of Investigating and Ruling Out Cracks Prior to New Treatment Planning
Authored by:
Marwan Abou-Rass, DDS, MDS, Ph.D
Expiration Date:
CE Credit Hours:
4.5
Format:
Webinar
Fee:
$95.00
In the introduction of the program, the author reveals an alarming 24%-60% global prevalence of Apical lesions in teeth with inadequate root canal treatment. The literature’s histopathologic term used in describing these lesions is Apical Periodontitis. (AP). The statistics are alarming because the “Standard Normal” prevalence of Apical lesions in endodontically untreated teeth is 1½% - 7%.
This program stands for the management of teeth with substandard endodontic treatment failures because of the evidence-based relationship between abusive endodontic treatment, and root structure cracks initiation and propagation. Abusive endodontic treatment is one form and a principal cause of substandard endodontic treatment. More on this relationship discussed in Part III of the master class series.
The program is composed of Seven (7) Chapters planned to include the most clinically relevant facets of the inadequate or sub-standard endodontic treatment.
This program offers concepts, methods and guiding principles based on evidence, and tested clinical practices. The goal is to enhance the clinicians understanding of endodontic treatment diagnostics and the relationship between endodontic treatment and tooth structure cracks.
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