Course Information
From Climate to Care: Adapting Dental Treatment for Older Adults in a Shifting Environment
Course Date: Saturday, June 21, 2025Time: 9:00 AM
Division: Dental Public Health and Community Outreach
Course registration number: 1.0-5287-25007
CE Unit(s): This course meets the Dental Board of California's requirements for 1 unit(s) of continuing education.
Description:
This presentation explores the intricate relationship between climate change and oral health, emphasizing the vulnerabilities faced by older adults in a shifting environment. It reviews the pathways through which environmental factors impact oral health and discusses adaptive clinical strategies to mitigate these effects. The session aims to equip dental professionals with evidence-based approaches to enhance resilience in their practices and improve patient outcomes amid climate-related challenges.
Objective:
1. Understand the direct and indirect pathways through which climate change affects oral health in older adults.
2. Recognize the physiological and social vulnerabilities that increase climate sensitivity among aging populations.
3. Implement adaptive, evidence-based clinical strategies to manage climate-related oral health risks.
4. Develop resilient practice strategies that ensure continuity of care during climate-related disruptions.
Itinerary:
9am-10am PDT
Presentation + Q&A
Speaker(s):
Dr. Piedad Suarez DDS, MS
Associate Professor of Clinical Dentistry.
Dr. Piedad Suarez Durall received her DDS from Universidad de Costa Rica, San Jose Costa Rica. She moved to the United States to begin a certificate program in Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry in 2004. After completing this dual program in 2006, she immediately became faculty at USC’s School of Dentistry. Dr. Suarez Durall served for many years as a member of the Oral Health Advisory Group of the Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center and the Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program at Keck School of Medicine of USC. She has lectured and published locally and internationally on various topics related to the oral health needs of the medically compromised and geriatric populations.
Dr. Roseann Mulligan DDS, MS
Associate Dean for Community Health Programs and Hospital Affairs
Dr. Mulligan received her DDS degree from the UCLA School of Dentistry and her MS degree from the USC Davis School of Gerontology and completed a general practice residency at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital. Dr. Mulligan is an expert in dental care for special needs patients, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. Dr. Mulligan oversees Herman Ostrow’s Community Health programs. She is past President, Academy of Dentistry for Persons with Disability, the American Society for Geriatric Dentistry, the Special Care Dentistry Association, and the Geriatric Oral Research Group of the American Association of Dental Research. Dr. Mulligan has served as the Editor of the Journal of Special Care Dentistry and has written over 100 research articles, review papers, chapters and editorials. The Special Care Dentistry Association recognized and honored Dr. Mulligan as the 2014 Saul Kamen Award winner for her exemplary leadership and contributions to the advancement of oral healthcare for persons with special needs.
