TECH104-0103: Dentistry for Veterinary Technicians

INSTRUCTOR:
Steve Holmstrom, DVM, DAVDC

DATES:
January 15 - February 20, 2003
Real Time Sessions: Mondays, January 20 and 27, and February 3 and 10, 2003; 9pm - 11pm ET (USA)

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Get ready - February is National Pet Dental Health Month! Due to the relatively high number of patients with periodontal disease in veterinary practice, emphasis is placed on the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease. This course will provide instruction to the veterinary technician student, unregistered assistants, and Registered/Certified/Licensed Veterinary Technicians on veterinary periodontics. There is a required text for this course, see information below.

The course will consist of four (4), 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 is encouraged to register. This course covers essential skills required for those performing dental prophylaxis in practice.

Upon completion of this course, the participant should be able to:

1. Understand and recognize the cause, prevention, and treatment of periodontal disease.
2. Understand the duties of the Veterinary Technician as they relate to veterinary dentistry including, but not limited to:
   1. Care of equipment and instruments
   2. Performing the complete dental prophylaxis
   3. Homecare instruction
   4. Personal safety
   5. Ergonomics

COURSE OUTLINE:

Week 1: Chapter 2 - The Oral Examination and Disease Recognition
Content: Oral examination including charting, nomenclature, terminology and a review of veterinary dental oral disease.

Week 2: Chapter 3 - Dental Instruments and Equipment and Chapter 4 - Personal Safety and Ergonomics
Content: Types, uses, and maintenance of dental instruments and equipment. Physical, chemical, biological and ergonomic hazards, in veterinary dentistry to prevent injury in the workplace.

Week 3: Chapter 6 - Pathogenesis of Periodontal Disease and Chapter 7 - The Complete Prophy
Content: The cause and prevention of periodontal disease including staging, proper instrument use and the steps to the complete prophylactic care.

Week 4: Chapter 8 - Homecare Instruction and Periodontal Therapy
Content: The treatment of periodontal disease and followup care at home.

TEXTBOOK:
Required Text is: 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/Store.asp?m=vin&n=10&k=84934&s=Dentistry

PLEASE PURCHASE THIS BOOK PRIOR TO January 7 to ensure it reaches you by the time class starts. Purchase dates later than this may delay you receiving the text in time for the first real time session.

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.

MESSAGE BOARD DISCUSSIONS:
Case discussions will begin 3 (three) days before the start of the course and will continue for one week following the last real time session. These discussions will be held in the VSPN CE course area.

CE HOURS: 8 (applied for RACE approval)

TUITION:
$128 ($115.00 early bird special if registered before January 5, 2003). Full time students of an AVMA accredited Veterinary Technician Program will receive a reduced rate for this course of $64.00 (upon verification of student status)
*VT students, please include your program directors name, school, and school phone number) in the comments section of the CE registration form. Your registration will be delayed if this information is not included.

TO REGISTER:

1. You must be a registered member of VSPN (www.vspn.org). Membership in VSPN is free.
2. VIN Member DVM's SHOULD NOT register for their staff. Please have the staff member register through VSPN. Please email VSPNCE@vspn.org if you have questions.

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

Note: "This course has been submitted (but not yet approved) for 8 hours of continuing education credits in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB's RACE approval; however participants should be aware that some boards have limitations on the number of hours accepted in certain categories and/or restrictions on certain methods of delivery of continuing education. Call VIN/VSPN for further information." (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 VSPN 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 VSPN 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 VSPN 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 withdraw retroactively.

Note: To ensure rapid handling of your request for withdrawal, we recommend that you call the VIN office at
1-800-700-INFO (4636).

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

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800.700.4636  |  CEonVIN@vin.com  |  530.756.4881  |  Fax: 530.756.6035 777 West Covell Blvd, Davis, CA 95616 Copyright 2000, Veterinary Information Network, Inc.