Dental Management of
(Medically) Complex Patients 

Dr. Sydnee Chavis

We are at capacity for this program and will NOT accept walk-in registrations!

Course Description: 

Dental care and dental treatment are paramount to health. However, the provision of routine dental care can become quite complicated for patients with medical comorbidities and special health care needs, with increasing consideration the more complex the patient’s medical history. The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and chronic infectious diseases, to name a few, has necessitated increased communication of dentists with physicians, as well as increased medical involvement by the dentist. The aging population, as well as growing population of patients with special needs (intellectual and developmental disabilities) has contributed to the increased medical management of patients for dental care. Many medications for these diseases also carry significant dental implications. Appropriate and routine oral and dental care contributes to improved health outcomes, but this care must be rendered in a manner that is safe and attentive to patients’ systemic health concerns. Such considerations include necessity for antibiotic prophylaxis, pre-procedural lab value verification, evaluation for patient optimization, and reduction of post procedural complications. Patients may also require modifications to medication regimens. We will discuss the implications of certain conditions and medications on dental management and treatment, potential concerns and complications from these dental treatments, and methods to reduce these complications.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Critically assess a patient's medical history and assess need for further evaluation or information.
2. Comprehend the implication of several common medical diagnoses on patients' physiology and function.
3. Comprehend the oral and dental implication and effect of several common medical diagnoses.
4. State current clinical guides for antibiotic prophylaxis for dental patients.
5. Summarize how to communicate with the medical team to optimize a patient for dental treatment and anticipate/avoid dental treatment complications by better understanding a patient's medical history.
6. Support patients who have difficulty tolerating dental treatment and understand modification and accommodations that can be made to provide appropriate and clinically sound care for complex patients. 

Speaker Information: 

Dr. Chavis is a clinical instructor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery with a focus on special care, geriatrics, and the dental management ofmedically complex and medically compromised patients. She earned her DMD from Harvard School of Dental Medicine, completing her thesis on the management of patients with special healthcare needs, and completed her advanced training at the University of Michigan in hospital dentistry. Her clinical focus is the provision of care for patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as the dental treatment of patients with significant and severe medical comorbidities.