Navigating the Evidence for Caries Management: Fluorides and Alternatives
Date(s)Livia Tenuta, DDS, MSc, PhD
Subject: 250 Operative (Restorative) Dentistry
Credits: 1
Method: Lecture
Tuesday, Sept. 23: 7–8 p.m. CDT
Audience: Dentists
Fee: Free (Region 17 Members); $37.50 (students and residents); $75 (members); $125 (nonmembers)
Description
The control of dental caries using different types of fluoride products is well established. Recent concerns on the potential of fluoride to cause neurotoxicity have led many dentists and oral healthcare professionals to question the safe use of fluoride products to manage caries in their patients and to look for alternatives. In this webinar, we will review the mechanism of action of fluoride products and alternatives, such as hydroxyapatite-containing toothpastes, and discuss the evidence behind their benefits and risks.
Learning Objectives
- Describe the mechanism of action of different fluoride products for caries control.
- Describe the mechanism of action of calcium-based fluoride alternatives, such as hydroxyapatite, for caries control.
- Understand the evidence for caries control using fluorides and alternative products.
- Understand the evidence on the toxic effect of fluorides.
Livia Tenuta, DDS, MSc, PhD, is associate professor at the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics, University of Michigan School of Dentistry. She is a National Institutes of Health–funded researcher with more than 100 peer-reviewed published papers on caries and fluoride. She has received distinguished awards, such as the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Basil G. Bibby Young Investigator Award (2014) and the IADR E.W. Borrow Memorial Award (2024). She was the president of the Cariology Research group of the IADR (2011–2012) and member of the board of the Organisation for Caries Research (2013–2020). She is currently editor-in-chief of Caries Research, treasurer of the American Academy of Cariology, and a member of the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs.
Additional Information
This course is sponsored by Region 17.