Course Description:
This course will provide the participants (dentists, hygienists, assistants, public health and medical providers) with a strategy in their work setting to prepare their older adults to identify factors which place them at greatest risk for oral health diseases. Following an overview of the etiologies that cause dry mouth, xerostomia and erosive dental patterns, it will be necessary to formulate an appropriate treatment plan which includes frequent maintenance and selective agents that restore the necessary components lost from inadequate salivary function.
Today’s older adults are the first generation to sustain their natural dentition throughout their lifespan. This presents significant challenges to the dental professional when medical and emotional factors produce loss of dental function and recurrent dental caries. Our role is to review the current evidence-based research that supports a highly successful therapy for all adult patients.
Lil Caperila has enjoyed over 35 years of experience in dental hygiene practice and teaching. In 2000, Lil accepted a position in the corporate environment as a Professional Educator and Manager of Education Programs with Premier Dental Products Company in Plymouth Meeting, PA. This role has afforded her the opportunity to deliver well over 500 seminars throughout the United States and among her colleagues internationally.
A graduate of Montgomery County Community College with an A.S. degree in applied science and certificate in dental hygiene, she has practiced in the Philadelphia area as a periodontal co-therapist for 24 years.
In 1989, Lil achieved her bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene education from Thomas Jefferson University and later completed her master’s degree in instructional design and training from Penn State University.
Lil served as the President of Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists’ Association in 1999-2000, and the recipient of the ADHA Irene Newman Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Advancement of Dental Hygiene as well as National Award for Student Advisor at Harcum College, Bryn Mawr, PA.
In 2009, Lil was selected as the first alumnus of her college to be named to their Alumni Hall of Fame at Montgomery County College. In 2014, the college selected Lil as one of their Fabulous 50 Alumni celebrated during their 50th anniversary.
Last month, Lil received confirmation as a contributing author for the chapter on Dentinal Hypersensitivity in a new dental hygiene textbook entitled: “Dental Hygiene: Applications to Clinical Practice” published by F.A. Davis, Philadelphia.
