TECH134-1006: Advanced Dentistry for the Veterinary Technician

INSTRUCTORS:
Steve Holmstrom, DVM, DAVDC

DATES:
October 2 - October 29, 2006
Real Time Sessions: Thursday evenings, October 5, 12, and 19, 2006; 9:00pm-11:00pm pm ET (USA)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Due to the relatively high number of patients with periodontal disease in veterinary practice, the emphasis of this course is placed on the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease. This advanced course will provide instruction to credentialed veterinary technicians, veterinary technician students, and experienced veterinary assistants on veterinary dental radiology, periodontics, the components of a complete dental prophylaxis, disease pathogenesis and homecare instruction. There is a required text for this course, see information below.

This advanced course will consist of three (3), two hour, real time sessions; library materials supplementing the chapters in the required text; multiple choice quizzes (at the end of each chapter) designed to enhance course effectiveness and material retention; a cumulative final online; and interactive message board discussions.

All veterinary staff involved in or wishing to learn more about veterinary dentistry are encouraged to register, however, it is advisable that registrants be those currently performing dental prophylaxis in practice. This course is also geared toward those interested in achieving veterinary technician specialty certification in dentistry.

Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Understand the requirements to expose and develop veterinary dental intraoral radiographs.
• Understand and recognize the cause, prevention, and treatment of periodontal disease.
• Understand the duties of the Veterinary Technician as they relate to veterinary dentistry including, but not limited to:
  • Care of equipment and instruments
  • Performing the complete dental prophylaxis
  • Homecare instruction
  • Personal safety
  • Ergonomics

Course Outline:

Week 1: Chapter 11 Dental Radiology
Content:
Veterinary dental radiology equipment, intraoral positioning, developing dental radiographs

Week 2: Chapter 6 Pathogenesis of Periodontal Disease and Chapter 7 The Complete Prophy
Content:
Equipment and techniques necessary to perform the complete dental prophylaxis, including scaling polishing, disease detection and charting.

Week 3: Chapter 8 Periodontal Therapy and Homecare Instruction
Content:
Equipment and techniques necessary to perform periodontal therapy including root planning, periodontal debridement, and home care instructions for the client.

Textbook:
Required Text:
Veterinary Dentistry for the Veterinary Technician and Office Staff. By Steve Holmstrom, DVM, DAVDC. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders, c2000. This book can be purchased from the VIN bookstore by clicking on this link: http://store.vin.com/custom/edit.asp?p=82497

LIBRARY MATERIALS:
Library materials will be made available prior to the topic week so participants will have plenty of time to prepare for the real time sessions and discussion. Due to the amount of material to be covered, it is highly recommended the student comes to class having reviewed the handouts for that week, reviewed the previous week's homework and study guide, utilized the message boards for the course, and is prepared to interact during the real time session.

MESSAGE BOARD DISCUSSIONS:
Message board discussions regarding the topic presented will begin on the day the course opens and continue for one week following the last real time session. These discussions will be held in the VSPN CE course area.

CE HOURS: 6 (RACE approval applied for)

TUITION:
Registration: $105 ($ 95 early bird special if registered before September 18, 2006).
Students currently enrolled in and taking at least 2 classes or 5 units at an AVMA accredited or CAAHT approved Veterinary Technician Program may be eligible to receive a 50% discount off the regular rate for this course (upon verification of student status)
*VT students: You must include the following information in the comments section of the CE enrollment form in order to be eligible for this discount: your program directors name and contact information (email/phone) and school name.

** NOTE: Registration will be closed when the maximum number of participants is reached or at 5pm ET the day of the first real time session.

** Minimal computer requirements for participating in VSPN and VPSNCE: http://www.vspn.org/CE/MinReqs.htm

** For More Information on VSPN's upcoming CE Courses, check out http://www.VSPN.org/CE

TO REGISTER:

1. Each enrollee must individually be a registered member of VSPN (www.vspn.org). Membership in VSPN is free.
2. To enroll in any VSPN CE course click on the ENROLL NOW link below the course title on the right side of the page at www.vspn.org/CE
3. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. This is our major form of communication with participants. It is highly recommended that course participants use their own, personal emails rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
4. VIN Member veterinarians SHOULD NOT register for their staff. Please have the staff member register through VSPN. Please email VSPNCE@vspn.org if you have questions.

Note: "This program was submitted (but not yet approved) to the AAVSB's RACE program for continuing education. Please contact the AAVSB's RACE program at race@aavsb.org should you have any comments/suggestions regarding this program's validity or relevance to the veterinary profession." (Attendees are encouraged to check with their licensing jurisdiction(s) for information regarding recognition by their board.)

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COURSE WITHDRAWAL AND REFUND POLICY: Withdrawal prior to the listed start date of a course entitles the registrant to a complete refund or a credit toward a future VIN CE course, whichever is preferred. Withdrawal within 1 week after the listed start date (i.e. including no more than one real-time session) entitles the registrant to a credit toward any future VIN CE course. (Does not apply to courses with only one real-time session.) After the first real-time session, a registrant may withdraw due to special circumstances and receive prorated credit towards a future VIN course. These requests will be handled on an individual basis. The amount of the prorated credit will be determined based on 65% of the time remaining in the course at the time of withdrawal. It is not possible to withdrawal retroactively. Note: To ensure rapid handling of your request for withdrawal, we recommend that you call the VIN office at 1-800-700-INFO.

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Nanette R. Walker Smith, RVT, CVT
VSPN Content Director
Nanette@vspn.org or VSPNCE@vspn.org

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