Course Description & Speaker Bio

 

Dentistry in the time of Dementia: Dementia Types, Meds, and Tx Planning

Presented by Joy Poskozim, DDS, FSCD, CDP

Credit: 2 CE hours

Course Description

Explore the early signs of dementia versus manifestations of normal aging. Illuminate the bidirectional relationship between periodontal disease and Alzheimer’s disease, including how proper oral hygiene may lessen Alzheimer’s symptoms, as well as slow down the progress of this disease. Discover the flexibility of virtual technology (teledentistry) in conducting remote, problem-focused evaluations. Recognize the inherent communication challenges and tips for honing verbal skills. Identify the essential records and documentation to keep in the patient’s record. Feel good about providing the best oral care to ensure your patient is comfortable, and that they can eat, swallow, and feel good about smiling.

Course Objectives

Identify and explore the challenges of aging.

  • Recognize the various types of dementia, how each type physically manifests, and the associated oral hygiene care challenges and oral health issues.
  • Discover the role that periodontitis plays in dementia’s progression.
  • Develop enhanced communication techniques to increase patient cooperation.
  • Learn how to use technology to assess patients’ conditions via images.
  • Specify the appropriate documentation for the patient’s record.
  • Explore the pharmacologic treatment and cognitive enhancers approved for Alzheimer disease and drugs that can make dementia worse.
  • Discuss the roles and responsibilities of the emergency contact, custodial parent, and joint custody, and their legal authority to act on the patient’s behalf.
  • Recognize the legal differences between emergency contacts, durable, and general powers of attorney.
  • Gain strategies for working in partnership with referring dentists, primary care physicians, caregivers, and families to determine the best treatment for each patient.

About the Speaker

Joy V. Poskozim, DDS, FSCD, CDP, a general dentist and national speaker, teaches dental and medical audiences what they need to know and what they need to do to provide mobile dental care to patients in the comfort of their home environments.

Dr. Joy’s true passion is being an advocate for the geriatric population. She is the dental director for several nursing care facilities, educating staff as well as providing care to nursing home residents. She also makes house calls in and around the Chicagoland area. Dr. Poskozim has been in private practice for 25 years, practicing integrative health general dentistry at her office on the northwest side of Chicago, and has been performing dental procedures on the home-bound for over 16 years.

She earned her Dentistry in Long-Term Care Certificate from the University of the Pacific Dental School in 2017, her Fellowship with the Special Care Dental Association Geriatric Council in 2018, and, in 2021, was certified as a Dementia Practitioner. Dr. Joy is a 1990 graduate of Marquette University and a 1994 graduate of New York University College of Dentistry. She completed a GPR from Woodhull Medical Center in 2000, receiving Resident of the Year.