AAPD's Beyond Sugar: Contemporary Nutrition in Oral and Systemic Health 

Date  
December 3-4, 2010

Location
Renaissance Chicago Hotel
1 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60601

Registration Fees
AAPD Member - $545
AAPD Student - $295
Nonmember Dentist - $745

CE Credits
11 hours  

Course Summary
Diet, eating behaviors and nutrition for children, including those with special health care needs, has taken center stage as health providers tackle new health issues of obesity, early childhood caries and a rapidly deteriorating American food culture.

Pediatric dentistry’s, tools of diet analysis, counseling and caries risk assessment have not kept up with changes in pediatric dietary habits, altered by food insecurity, increased sugar consumption, economics and cultural shifts. All these factors contribute to the early childhood caries epidemic.

New science on the role of diet and nutrition in general and dental health, the oral-systemic dynamics of nutrition in pediatric illness, and the behavioral aspects of eating and diet have changed the way we perceive the traditional contribution of diet to disease and wellness. Much of our traditional knowledge no longer applies as we are challenged by patient health issues, behaviors and cultural values, advocacy groups, government intervention and parent and caregiver beliefs and myths.

This course provides a necessary update for both novice and seasoned clinician in the area of nutrition and oral health. This program will be a unique blend of emerging evidence, nutrition-related oral and systemic pathology, best practices in counseling and diet management, and a social and chronologic update on the American diet and food habits.

Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, the participant should have a better understanding of the:

• Gain contemporary information about feeding, diet, and nutrition in children and adolescents, including those with special health care needs.
• Relate feeding, diet and nutrition to general and oral development, health and disease.
• Understand contemporary pediatric oral disease and its relationship to diet.
• Establish the role and function of the pediatric dentist of the 21st century related to pediatric diet and nutrition in both health and disease.

More Information
Visit the AAPD's website page for this program.