Track 1:

Registration is open to GAGD members for $695, non-members for $895, and hygienists for $495 (must be registered with a Dr. to attend).

Time: 8:00 am - 5:30 pm

Teaching Method: Lecture

CE Hours: 7 Hours

Course Code: 010

Course Description & Objectives:

Dentistry's Next Great Frontier: Integrative Dental Medicine

There are some very important shifts in dental & medical research and clinical applications that are changing the way we understand, diagnose, prioritize, and treat our patients. We have a unique opportunity to elevate dentistry's role in healthcare. Oral bacterial infections are causing body wide inflammation; salivary testing can identify and guide treatment. Allergies can cause conversions from nasal to mouth breathing and sleep apnea; home sleep screening & testing can identify the problem and guide treatment. Airways & sleep problems can also drive bruxism, tooth wear, sore muscles, headaches, TMD & dental malocclusions. In this engaging and empowering presentation, Witt and Lora will discuss new insights into the critical connection between oral pathogens, infections and systemic inflammation, breathing disordered sleep, TMD, bruxism and dental malocclusions. We will leave this empowering learning experience much better equipped to resolve everyday problems... starting Monday morning!

Each participant will:

  • learn about the connection between oral & systemic health and dysfunction.

  • receive the IDM checklist.

  • learn about the 3 pillars of Integrative Dental Medicine.

  • learn about the use of salivary testing, high resolution pulse oximetry (HRPO) & their application in treatment planning.

About the Presenters:

DeWitt Wilkerson

His book, The Shift: The Dramatic Movement Toward Health Centered Dentistry, provides a step-by-step guide to implementing a complete health focused practice through dentistry.

  • Founder and CEO of IDM (Integrative Dental Medicine) Scholar Society,

  • Past-President of the American Academy of Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH)

  • Past-President of the American Equilibration Society (AES)

  • Adjunct Professor, University of Florida College of Dentistry

  • Special Lecturer, the L.D. Pankey Institute

  • ADA President’s Task Force on Sugar & Nutrition

  • Co-chair ADA Annual Symposium: Dentistry’s Role In Complete Health

  • Dental Advisory Council, Christian Medical & Dental Associations

  • Married to Patricia Trumbull Wilkerson for 44 years, 3 married children, 5 grandchildren

  • Enjoys golf, travel, dental missions’ trips

Lora Hooper, BSDH, RDH, EFDA, “The Saliva Hacker”

Lora is currently the Vice President and Clinical Director of IDMSS, the Integrative Dental Medicine Scholar Society, where she empowers dental professionals to incorporate salivary diagnostics into their practices. As a sought-after speaker and workshop coach, she has guided countless clinicians into implementing the gold standard in oral-systemic care. Her insights can also be found on the Ask Why Medicine and Cheat Codes for Health podcasts, where she educates both the public and colleagues on testing's transformative potential.

As a featured board member for multiple saliva testing companies, Lora has helped shape the future of salivary diagnostics, influencing how oral health can be leveraged to detect and prevent inflammatory diseases. Her experience in this area is unparalleled. Since starting salivary diagnostics in clinical practice in 2007, Lora has personally treated over 3,500 cases and collaborated on more than 25,000 cases across dental and medical disciplines.

In 2017, Lora made history as the first dental hygienist in the nation to work for a cardiologist in an oral-systemic practice, integrating the Bale Doneen Method into patient care. In 2020, she moved into full-time medical practice as the Collaborative Care Coordinator at the Prevent Clinic, where she continues to integrate her dental expertise with medical care to improve patients' lives.

Lora is an esteemed faculty member of the Pankey Institute and a dental speaker for MDVIP Cardio Collaboration. She is an active member of the ADHA, ODHA, AAOSH, and SSRP and has held leadership roles, including serving as the Continuing Education Chair for CDHA. Through IDMSS, Lora offers hands-on coaching to dental teams, fostering a deeper understanding of the oral-systemic connection. As the co-owner of Dental Hygiene Excellence, she spent over 20 years consulting with dental offices nationwide.

When she is not advancing salivary diagnostic research, Lora enjoys spending time with her husband and five children. A former figure skater for Ohio State University, she also enjoys reading the latest research on oral-systemic health.

Lora's groundbreaking work has solidified her position as a Key Opinion Leader for the IDMSS, Prevent Clinic, MDVIP, and the Pankey Institute. Her dedication to transforming patient care through the fusion of dental and general medicine is revolutionizing how health professionals approach disease prevention and treatment.

Dr. DeWitt “Witt” Wilkerson joined Dr. Peter Dawson’s private practice in 1982. This has provided 42 years of invaluable experience in a world-renowned clinical culture. Witt lectures extensively on the subjects of restorative dentistry, dental occlusion, temporomandibular disorders, airway/dental sleep medicine, and integrative dental medicine. He has served as a Founding Faculty Member & Director of Dental Medicine at the Dawson Academy, provided 800+ days of lectures and hands-on instruction to over 10,000 dentists.

With a career spanning over three decades, Lora Hooper is a leading expert in the integration of oral health with overall wellness, widely recognized for her pioneering work in salivary diagnostics. Lora earned her Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene and Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary certification from Ohio State University in 1995. She furthered her expertise by becoming a Preceptor of the Bale Doneen Method in 2011 and completing the SSRP peptide program in 2013, focusing on disease reversal at the cellular level. This advanced education led her to shift from symptom suppression to disease prevention—an approach she now passionately advocates for within the dental profession.