Athletes participating in various sports experience a complex array of oral health issues. The association between biochemical physiology, oral habits, and related factors and the increase in prevalence of carious lesions will be discussed. These oral health conditions can impact the athlete’s ability to perform well and participate in both training and competitions. Most importantly, many of these athletes have no awareness of their own oral health issues.

Thus, the need for the formal establishment of pre-participation dental screening examinations has been documented. Based on a literature review and many years of usage, a newly designed “Combination Pre-participation Dental Screening and Triaging Form” has come to the forefront. The practical application of its use will be demonstrated.

The program will highlight other areas of concern when managing your patient – “Who is an Athlete”? These topics include smokeless tobacco (ST) use, hazard awareness and a unique approach to a ST cessation, the emergence of E-cigarette usage, mouthguard use and bacterial contamination, and the ideal properties of a mouthguard.

At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Understand the association between biochemical physiology, oral habits, and related factors and the increase in prevalence of carious lesions
• Understand how utilizing the new combination “Pre-participation Dental Screening and Triaging Form”, can identify caries early-on for treatment, thus reducing the potential loss of playing time and minimizing the cost of dental treatment for athletes
• Understand the rationale and how to implement a ST hazard awareness and cessation program for athletes
• Discuss the bacterial contamination that occurs during dental mouthguard usage

Meet the speaker:

John F. Wisniewski, DMD, MS, completed a full-time faculty appointment as an Associate Professor in the Department of Endodontics at VCU School of Dentistry (2012-2013). Prior to moving to Utah Dr. Wisniewski was in Private Practice Limited to Endodontics at Dr. George Oley III and Associates, Richmond, Virginia (2013-2016). Dr. Wisniewski also holds appointments as Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, lecturing to the graduate pediatric dentistry and graduate endodontic residents at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry, and as Coordinator of the Spring Training Dental Screening Program for Atlanta Braves Baseball.

Dr. Wisniewski is a full-time Associate Professor – Specialist in Endodontics at Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine, South Jordan, Utah since September 1, 2016.