Parent/Caregiver Role in Designing a Successful Dental Visit
This is the next event in a continuing education series on Special Care Dentistry. Presented free of charge, with the NYDS OPWDD Taskforce on Special Needs Dentistry.
Presented by:
Purnima Hernandez D.D.S., M.A., B.C.B.A.
Board-certified Pediatric Dentist and Behavior Analyst, Proprietor
Bergen Pediatric Dentistry, LLC
Dr. Hernandez is triple board-certified in pediatric dentistry, applied behavior analysis and as a health and wellness coach. Serving the communities of New York and New Jersey for over 30 years, Dr. Hernandez received her education in Pediatric Dentistry and a Masters of Arts at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. After years as an Assistant Professor in the department of Pediatric dentistry, she established her own office in Fair Lawn, New Jersey in 2005 and thereafter achieved a Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis from Caldwell University, New Jersey. While delivering care to all children, her special interests are treating children with special healthcare needs, behavioral disorders and phobias. To better understand the lifestyle factors and how they influence health, she completed her Functional Medicine training at IFM and is a board-certified health and wellness coach. She brings a biological and person-centered approach to every family child dyad and is pursuing a new venture, Lifestylist for Kids, LLC.
Among Dr. Hernandez’s awards are the Dr Solomon Rosenstein Visiting Professorship and Fellowship by the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine and the Francis Black Humanitarian award in health care by Friends Health Connection.
Program Synopsis
What is our strategy when a patient will not sit in a dental chair, block access to the mouth and resist with the strength of a superhero? Dental procedures can be challenging for children. They are especially difficult for individuals with behavioral and sensory issues. These events are equally challenging for the provider and accompanying caregivers.
Dr. Hernandez is a parent of a young adult with multiple disabilities and, thus, understands this journey from a parent and provider perspective. Her personal involvement in her son’s complex medical appointments and behavioral knowledge have been the pilots for inclusion of effective procedures from the behavioral sciences to the dental environment. In her presentation, she will discuss the importance of parent/caregiver collaboration to help prepare the patient for the dental visit. She will discuss evidence-based techniques that may help prepare both parent and child for a successful dental visit, as well as the implication for patient care at any age.
Learning Objectives
- Recognize the role of the parent / caregiver in the dental therapeutic encounter
- Discuss the importance of exposure therapy
- Describe techniques on how to prepare an individual for the dental visit
CE Credits
TCDM is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. 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. TCDM designates this activity for 1.0 continuing education credits. ADA CERP Recognized Provider 5/1/21 - 6/30/24
