THE DAWSON ACADEMY

DeWitt Wilkerson, DMD

Resident Expert: Airway and Integrative Dental Medicine
Fee Range: $6,500
- $8,500

*Listed fees are not guaranteed.

Travels From: St. Petersburg, FL
Speaking Topic: Airway Disorders/ Sleep Apnea, Integrative Dental Medicine, Occlusion/TMD/Orofacial Pain

Description:

Dr. DeWitt Wilkerson, D.M.D. is the Resident Expert of Integrative Dental Medicine and senior faculty member at The Dawson Academy where he leads many of The Dawson Academy courses. Dr. Wilkerson joined Dr. Peter Dawson’s private practice in 1982, and he now co-owns DuPont & Wilkerson Dentistry in St. Petersburg, Florida with fellow senior faculty member Dr. Glenn DuPont. He recently published his first book, “THE SHIFT– The Dramatic Movement Toward Health Centered Dentistry”.

He has been a member of The Dawson Academy’s faculty for over 25 years, and he’s a recognized leader in researching and educating on dentistry’s role in the diagnosis and medical management of what now is described as “disordered breathing.” Dr. Wilkerson launched The Dawson Academy’s annual Airways Symposium in 2017, and he’s lectured on integrative dental medicine, whole health dental treatments, and airway/dental sleep medicine all over the world. Additionally, Dr. Wilkerson has presented on restorative dentistry, occlusion and TMJ disorders.

Dr. Wilkerson is the current President of the American Academy for Oral and Systemic Health which works to improve inter-disciplinary healthcare and collaboration and increase awareness of the mouth-body health links. He is a past President of the American Equilibration Society, the leading organization for the study of dental occlusion and temporomandibular disorders. He’s actively involved with the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry, American Dental Association and the Christian Medical/Dental Association.

Speaker Topics

Length: Half day to Full day
Dr. Wilkerson is among the leading researchers to have discovered a strong relationship between dental occlusion and breathing. The dental arch impacts breathing & breathing impacts the dental arch. The implications of this relationship cannot be understated!

During this session, Dr. Wilkerson will present examples of how Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) can be developed at a young age. Attendees will learn:

  • How occlusion plays a role in causing breathing dysfunction
  • How deformations follow dysfunction
  • How to conduct diagnostic testing and the treatment modalities available

Length: Half day to Full day
Over 30 million Americans suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), and even more from Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS). Every dental team should be trained to confidently address this important health issue. The session will provide research-based information on the role of dental professionals in treating OSA and UARS. Attendees will learn:

  • How to evaluate each patient for sleep disordered breathing
  • When symptoms like morning headaches, clenching and grinding during sleep, and chronic fatigue are related to sleep disorders
  • Protocols for your dental office to follow with sleep apnea and airway disorder patients

(Half day or Full Day Program)

Integrative Dental Medicine emphasizes the golden opportunity for dental teams to learn the knowledge and skills to begin addressing the dental patient’s complete health. For example, the most immediate essential of complete health is an open airway, proper breathing, and oxygen delivery to
every cell. It has become apparent in recent years that this is a very important subject in dentistry. Not only is it possible to evaluate for breathing dysfunction that affects systemic health, but also understand the key relationship between breathing dysfunction and dental malocclusion, tongue thrusting habits, clenching & bruxism, abrasion & erosion dental wear, gastric reflux, and TMD symptoms – including sore muscles & joints, headaches, and cervical neck discomfort. This covers many of the common issues confronted by every dentist. It is imperative to be well versed in airway and breathing to excel as a problem solver in dentistry and to produce predictably stable results in restorative dentistry.

  • This program is focused on helping dentists identify the major risk factors of complete health and utilize a practical clinical model for evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.
  • A comprehensive “Integrative Dental Medicine Checklist” will be provided to simplify the learning of this subject and guide the clinical implementation on an individual patient basis.
  • The checklist will allow the whole dental team to feel confident in incorporating this new information into the patient evaluation process.
  • This promises to be the most interesting and personal lecture you will ever experience, presented by the recognized authority in the integrative dental medicine model.

America is facing a health care crisis that will soon bankrupt both our economy and our quality of life through chronic, lifestyle induced, inflammatory medical conditions. Periodontal conditions reflect both local and systemic inflammation, affecting the whole body. How will we address this critical national epidemic? Who will champion the cause and reverse this downward health spiral? Together, we will. Dental Hygienists are Medicine’s emerging superstars!

In this session we will discuss both the crisis, which is the rationing of health care in the U.S., and the solution, a medical revolution, where each individual becomes rational, taking personal responsibility for their lifestyle and health. It’s the only solution, and the most obvious champions for this revolution are Dental Hygienists. How do we learn the information needed to lead this medical revolution? How do we effectively screen, test, and coach our patients? How do we motivate our patients to take this seriously and become excited to become fitter, sharper, sexier, more energetic, and live longer?

Course Objectives

  • Present a clear model of periodontal conditions and systemic inflammation
  • Handout visual aids for patient discussions
  • Screening & testing tools for periodontal pathogens, sleep apnea, gastric reflux, general health assessment, and nutritional requirements.
  • “Save Your Life” Campaign
  • Resources for periodontal care, probiotics, nutritional supplements & counseling, further training in whole health coaching.
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ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry.

Concerns or complaints about a CE provider may be directed to the provider or to the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition at ADA.org/CERP.

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