Mastering Oral Health: A Clinician’s Guide for Health Practitioners
Mastering Oral Health: A Clinician’s Guide for Health Practitioners
Course Facilitator: Dr Ron Ehrlich BDS. FACNEM. FASLM. CIECL
* Holistic/Biological Dentist * Fellowship in Nutritional & Environmental Medicine * Fellowship in Lifestyle Medicine * Executive Coach
Built on 40 years of clinical expertise, this course tackles the often-overlooked epidemic of oral diseases, narrow jaws, and crowded teeth. It reveals their links to almost every preventable chronic degenerative disease, including common musculoskeletal pain conditions such as chronic tension-type headaches and neck aches.
Redefining ‘stress’ in our modern world, discover how the five pillars of health build resilience and explore the crucial role of oral health in them all. Dive into why oral health and diseases are the ‘blackhole’ of healthcare, going beyond mere smiles or dental pain. This course uncovers the surprising and critical connections between oral health and systemic wellness.
10 CPD / CME / RACGP Pts
Why a course in Oral Health?
Chronic Health Conditions: The Growing Crisis
- Staggering Statistics: Over 78.6% of Australians had at least one long-term health condition in 2020-21.
- Widespread Impact: Nearly half (46.6% or 11.6 million) had at least one chronic condition.
- Global Burden: Chronic tension-type headaches are the second most common health condition worldwide.
- Common Issues: Mental and behavioural conditions (20.1%), back problems (15.7%), and arthritis (12.5%) top the list of chronic conditions.
Chronic inflammation is the common thread in all these physical and mental conditions. When an underlying condition like oral disease goes undiagnosed, resolving these health issues becomes nearly impossible.
Oral Disease: The World's Most Common but Ignored Epidemic
Oral health is frequently misdiagnosed or completely ignored.
Often, self-reporting fails us:
- “Do you have any dental pain?”
- “Have you seen the dentist lately? Was anything done?”
In busy medical and dental practices, dismissing, overlooking, or ignoring issues is easy because there’s ‘no pain associated.’
The harsh reality is:
- Pain-Free Yet Significant: The vast majority of oral diseases have little to no pain associated.
- Global Prevalence: Oral disease is the most common disease globally, as highlighted in the WHO 2022 Global Oral Health Status Report.
Modules available on demand NOW!
Course content
Course Outline
Module 1
Mastering Oral Health:
Holistic Health, Redefining Stress to Comprehensive Oral Exams
This module:
- Presents a unique holistic model of healthcare built on over 40 years of clinical experience.
- Places oral health in a broader global health perspective.
- Explores why oral diseases are the ‘black-hole of healthcare’ often trivialised or completely overlooked!
- Provides an overview of oral health and systemic disease links.
- Details step-by-step what constitutes ‘a comprehensive oral exam’ and the diagnostic tools essential for diagnosis.
- Oral cancer screening.
- Practical case study for real-world application.
Module 2
Oral Diseases
Decoding Periodontal Disease: Diagnostic Criteria and Breakthrough Treatments
This module:
- Explore the complexity of the oral cavity from an anatomical and micrbiome perpsective
- Outlines the diagnostic criteria for the four stages of periodontal disease
- Explore the predisposing factors in the progression of periodontal disease
- Focuses on the surprising links between periodontal diseases and systemic physical and mental health.
- Explores various treatment options and the need for ongoing self-care.
Click here for detailed Module 2 Timestamps
Module 3
Oral Diseases
Tooth Decay: From Mercury Toxicity to Root Canals, Jawbone Infections and Systemic Health
This module:
- Explains the diagnosis and impact of tooth decay,
- Explores the controversial subject of root canal treatment and how to approach this in sickness and health including technique variations, success criteria, and treatment options.
- Defines awbone infections on systemic health,
- Explore the biocompatibility of dental materials like mercury, composites, titanium, and zirconium.
- Outlines the issue of mercury toxicity
- Outlines ‘safe mercury amalgam removal techniques’ (SMART Protocols) for patient and practitioner safety.
- Presents case studies on rheumatoid arthritis and chronic kidney infection to demonstrate practical applications.
- Discusses the Fluoride Debate: exploring water fluoridation and whole body health
- Explains a readily available tool (i.e. OPG/panoramic radiographs) to use with your patients as a screening tool to understand the potential progression of tooth decay > root canal infection > jawbone infection.
Click here for detailed Module 3 Timestamps
Module 4
Beyond the Jaw:
How Craniofacial Development and Dysfunctional Breathing Affect Sleep and Posture
This module:
- Describes and contrasts ideal craniofacial development and its impact on the upper respiratory system.
- Defines and outlines the impact of a ‘nutrient-dense’ and ‘nutrient-poor’ on craniofacial development from conception through life.
- Outlines the impact of function on craniofacial development from conception through life.
- Examines the connection between dental crowding, narrow jaws, and upper airway issues,
- Differentiates optimal breathing & dysfunctional breathing.
- Explores the relationship and impact of dysfunctional breathing on head posture.
- Defines what constitutes ‘a consistently good night’s sleep’.
- Defines and outlines the potential consequences of ‘sleep-disordered breathing’ conditions (e.g., snoring, obstructive sleep apnoea).
- Outlines the treatment options for sleep-disordered breathing conditions, including the pros & cons of mandibular advancement splints (MAS).
Click here for detailed Module 4 Timestamps
Module 5
Bruxism and Beyond: Unravelling the Mysteries of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain
This module:
- Provides an overview of chronic musculoskeletal pain
- Explores the two defining components of the IASP definition of pain
- Outlines the current understanding of the aetiology of the most common chronic musculoskeletal pain condition, e.g. chronic tension-type headache....and offers a hypothesis to explain it.
- Outlines the options and clinical rationale for treating chronic musculoskeletal pain, e.g. chronic tension-type headache.
- Defines the relationship between the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), dental occlusion, head and neck muscles, and beyond.
- Explores the role of bruxism in chronic musculoskeletal pain
- Defines ‘soft tissue lesions’ and the role of the jaw in stability and balance of the head, neck and spine and the impact on motor muscle activity.
- Presents pain referral patterns and explains autonomic symptoms in chronic pain conditions.
- Explore the relationship between nocturnal bruxism and sleep-disordered breathing
- Outlines treatment options and goals to address bruxism and chronic musculoskeletal pain and what defines success.
Click here for detailed Module 5 Timestamps
Register for the series
$595... includes:
- Course notes
- Patient Handouts
- Oral Health checklist -incorporating oral health screening into your practice
Modules available on demand NOW!
The modules can be purchased separately or as a complete package. They are recordings and available anytime for access.
There are 10 hours of CPD/CME/RACGP points available.
Registration HERE.
This course is designed for GPs, allied health professionals, natural therapists, health coaches, and dentists who want to enhance their understanding of holistic oral health.
Each module is between 1-2hrs, there are 5 modules. You will have access to the recording for 12mths.
Participants will receive supplementary materials, including oral screening (10 key questions), oral health patient handouts, lecture notes and reference list. There will also be opportunity to attend quarterly live Q&As for 12mths.
Oral health is linked to many preventable chronic degenerative diseases and yet is often trivialised or completely ignored. Arguably, 'oral health' is the missing link between comprehensive healthcare and overcoming disease. This course provides insights into a holistic approach to oral health, offering practical strategies that can be integrated into your professional practice to enhance patient care.
Yes, participants will receive a certificate of completion, which can be used as proof for CPD accreditation purposes.
For more information or specific inquiries, please contact our support team at ron@drronehrlich.com, and we will be happy to assist you.
Modules available on demand NOW!
testimonials
Here’s what people are saying
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The eyes may be the window to the soul, but with this excellent & valuable course, it appears obvious that the mouth is the gateway to the body!
Dr Ross Walker,
Cardiologist, Lindfield, NSW
There is so much to learn about the body as a whole from looking in a person's mouth. The information in this course is like the missing link, as very little about dentistry is taught in medical school, and as you often say, there is so much neurology in the mouth, it is a goldmine of information that GP can use to help deliver better overall care to their patients.
The other thing is GP’s see the whole range of health issues across a family, and are often the first port of call for any health ailment. As the oral cavity is the doorway to the respiratory system and the GI system it is so important GP's have a framework around assessing the oral cavity and also the impact of alterations of this area on other systems such as sleep, breathing, immunity and more.
Dr Michelle Woollhouse, GP, Mornington, Vic
A massive need for GPs to know this and certainly would address the three issues.
Excellent learning objectives, Very ambitious but totally something you can do I am sure. What you are offering though is not just 'wellness' in the soft sense of the word but real and tangible impacts on all cause morbidity and mortality in chronic diseases, pointing out the need for practice reflection in many areas and offering functional therapies.
I would also add that looking into the mouth usually demonstrates signs of gut dysbiosis, as part of your signs in the oral cavity.
Dr Christabelle Yeoh, Medical Practitioner, NSW
As you know I am big believer and proponent of the holistic view of the patient. GPs need to know this for the sake of their patients. This will do to the GPs what reading Weston A Price's book did for me for sure - open their eyes!!
Dr John Thorsell Itriago, GP. Mosman, NSW
Thanks and congratulations on your course. It will take its place in the future among the most relevant and popular on the ‘circuit’, I have no doubt.
Dr Paul Nichols, Dentist, Sydney, NSW
I think regular GPs will be surprised at the depth of the content and the relevance and usefulness to their practice,
Dr Debbie Fewtrell, GP, Auckland, NZ
I would like to sincerely thank you for your insightful presentation. It was an amazingly successful course from our perspective. The comments after the talk were ‘applicable and practical’, ‘incredibly knowledgeable presenter’, ‘fun and informative’ and ‘nice guy’. Your passion for the topic truly shone through.
Teresa Mitchell-Paterson, Head of Academic Studies, Australasian College of Natural Therapies
What have we been doing to our patients? You’ve changed my life. Thank you.
Dr Vesna Kokolich, Dentist, Windsor, NSW