Tuesday, January 6, 2015
On a cool, crisp Fall day in October, 2010, 40 dentists, hygienists, chiropractors, physicians, consultants, manufacturers, and other health industry participants convened in Madison, Wis. to chart the course of a fledgling organization dedicated to the relationships between oral health and whole body health.
Among other decisions made that day was to name the group The American Academy for Oral Systemic Health, which Al Franken's character Stuart Smalley of Saturday Night Live might have opined: ...is a long title but that's...okay. It's appropriate.
Mercifully, the Group is most commonly referred to by its acronym AAOSH.
From these humble beginnings, AAOSH has in four short years attracted nearly 1,000 Members and held four successful scientific sessions: first in Chicago, then Cleveland, Las Vegas, and St. Louis, with plans to hold its Fifth Annual Session in Dallas. AAOSH hosts Regional Meetings in Chicago and New York (with more venues to be added soon), has a regularly updated website, online newsletter, and LinkedIn Group, and is 'friends' with organizations espousing similar and complementary goals including: The American Academy of Private Physicians, the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine, and The American Academy of Physiological Dentistry and Medicine.
"We decided to join AAOSH because of our Team's growing awareness of the links between dental disease and systemic disease. Drawing upon its resources, AAOSH helps the team to understand, diagnose and offer protocols customized for the specific patient to address their wants and concerns to, in essence, deliver an enhanced level of care." said Aladean Attar, DMD, owner of Attar Smiles in Libertyville, Ill.
AAOSH serves as a lightning rod for the exchange of ideas and philosophies, and a resource for its members and the public to receive practical advice, as well as have their beliefs challenged.
Jason Luchtefeld, DMD, owner of Robinson Smile Center in Robinson, Ill. and Co-Host of the Prism Podcast, a show that is committed to communicating, promoting and teaching critical thinking, skepticism and science based medicine and dentistry, attended the 2014 meeting in St. Louis and said he was pleasantly surprised by the scientific content, the significant number of cited references and the ways this was focused to provide practice advice. He said he was also pleased with the way presentations were geared toward anyone with an interest in improving their knowledge, treatment, and personal participation in delivering comprehensive care.
AAOSH members share a commitment to improving patient outcomes through a collaborative approach to patient care and recognition of the vital impact of oral health on systemic health.
If valid measures of an organization's success and value are the number and caliber of presenters its meetings attract, AAOSH scores high. As an example, at its Session in St. Louis, AAOSH hosted such oral systemic health luminaries as:
Brad bale, MD and Amy, Doneen, MSN, ARNP co-founders of the Bale Doneen Method for heart attack and stroke prevention. Brad and Amy have participated in every AAOSH Session since its inception, and are among the first physician and nurse to embrace and promote the oral-cardiovascular links.
Yiping Han, PhD noted authority on the links between oral and reproductive health, who first spoke for AAOSH at the 2012 Session, on the Cleveland Clinic's campus.
Jason Wischmeyer, MD, PhD, another expert on cardiovascular disease & the oral-systemic connection
David Singh, DDSc, PhD, BDS who spoke on pneumopedics: non-surgical upper airway remodeling to treat obstructive sleep apnea.
Also featured were breakout sessions and opportunities to personally meet with founders, inventors and representatives of leading edge companies whose products and services support the successful implementation of an oral systemic practice model.
Session attendees were given the opportunity to receive evaluations of their own oral and systemic health. Available tests include: salivary diagnostics to identify the presence of various bacteria known to contribute to periodontal disease; carotid intra-medial artery thickness; presence of free radicals, and oral cancer screening.
Yet another unusual, but most welcome, feature of AAOSH is its commitment to serving tasty, but nutritious, food at all meal breaks throughout the Session.
William McCune, DDS, owner of Creekside Dental in Buffalo Grove Ill. said, "My hygiene team and I attended the 2014 AAOSH meeting in St Louis and returned to our office with a wealth of information and great enthusiasm. We have already begun to successfully implement an oral probiotic program that has been welcomed and accepted by many patients. We have great expectations that our association with the Academy will elevate our practice to the next level."
On a personal level AAOSH has aided in my continued personal growth by facilitating regular engagement with the oral systemic health community. In addition to availing myself of the above mentioned evaluations, I moderate the AAOSH LinkedIn Group, and, also thanks to the organization, made the connections necessary to becoming a certified health coach and subsequently a personal trainer.
To register for the 2015 Meeting click here.