Building a Sustainable Future in Dental Education and Beyond

Recorded On: 09/27/2024

In 2023, the ADEA House of Delegates passed resolution 4H-2023, “Climate Change and Implications for Health, Oral Health and Oral Health Education,” acknowledging our responsibility to train future oral health professionals in sustainable practices. This webinar is designed to provide insight into the importance and benefits of using a sustainable approach in dental practice.

Join us to hear the speaker panel discuss aspects of environmental sustainability in dental education, including introductory concepts, ethical obligations and current methods for approaching the practice of dentistry through a sustainable lens. They will also share case study examples of sustainable integration into the dental curriculum and clinic. By the end of the webinar, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to promote sustainable practices in oral health care and start their sustainable dental education journey.

Learning Objectives:

Describe the relationship between oral health and environmental sustainability.
Explain the ethical obligation for dentistry and health care to adopt sustainable practices for the future.
Identify educational advantages of integrating sustainable practices in the educational environment.

This webinar is presented by the ADEA Special Interest Group (SIG) on Sustainability in Dentistry. Learn more about joining this SIG, as well as ADEA's other SIGs and Sections online.

Original Release Date: September 18, 2024

Expiration Date: September 18, 2027

Questions? Contact learn@adea.org

Disclaimer: The purpose of this presentation is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional care and is not intended for use for the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this presentation express their own experience, opinions and conclusions. Guest statements do not express the viewpoint of ADEA. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity or therapy should not be construed as an ADEA endorsement.

CE Information

The American Dental Education Association is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider.

An evaluation form is available to participants after the conclusion of the live webinar. To earn continuing education (CE) credit for participation in the webinar, the online evaluation must be completed in full by September 18, 2027. After completing the evaluation, webinar participants can print and save the CE Verification Form.

ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry.

The American Dental Education Association designates this activity for 1.00 continuing education credit.

All speakers agree that neither they nor members of their immediate family have any financial relationships with commercial entities that may be relevant to their presentation.

Jenn Luca, D.M.D., M.S.

Pediatric Dentist

The Ohio State University College of Dentistry

Dr. Jenn Luca is a pediatric dentist. While in dental school, she conducted research in dental education and co-founded My Dental Key, a dental education company. She found and led the Sustainability Committee, made up of students, faculty, and staff, while at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. She used her experience organizing institutions around sustainable matters at Nationwide Children’s Hospital/The Ohio State University during her residency by creating the NCH Green Team and advocating for “Green Healthcare.” She volunteers with the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare as a facilitator of the Sustainable Dentistry course to promote dental professional education and works with the ADEA SIG Sustainable Dentistry Group. She has presented on Sustainable Dentistry at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Student Dental Association annual conferences. Dr. Jenn is dedicated to integrating environmentally sustainable practices into the dental profession and cultivating a community that supports the well-being of everyone, including our planet.

Speaker agrees that neither I nor any member of my family have a financial arrangement or affiliation with any corporate organization offering financial support or grant monies for this continuing education program, nor do I have a financial interest in any commercial products or services I will discuss in the presentation.

Toni Roucka, D.D.S., M.A.

Professor Emerita

Marquette University School of Dentistry

Dr. Toni Roucka is Professor Emerita at Marquette University School of Dentistry. She served as an Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2013 to 2023. Her undergraduate degree is in Nursing. She received her D.D.S. from the University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry and an M.A. in Bioethics from the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Dr. Roucka's expertise in dental ethics is widely recognized, as evidenced by her numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and her role as a national speaker. She is a Fellow of the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists and the Pierre Fauchard Academy. She currently serves on the American College of Dentists Board as an At-large Regent.

Yaara Berdan, D.D.S., M.B.A.

Co-Chair Department of Endodontics and Periodontics; Associate Professor of Clinical Dentistry; Director, Undergraduate Endodontics

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC

Dr. Yaara Berdan is the Co-Chair of the Department of Endodontics and Periodontics at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC and the Director of Predoctoral Endodontics. She received her D.D.S. from the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry, a certificate in pediatric dentistry from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and a certificate in endodontics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She recently obtained her M.B.A. and Certificate in Business and Sustainability from the USC Marshall School of Business.

She co-founded the ADEA Sustainability in Dentistry Special Interest Group and is currently serving as Chair. Dr. Berdan is the faculty advisor to the Ostrow Sustainability Group and is a member of the USC Practice Greenhealth Group and a member of the USC Presidential Working Group for Sustainability Education.

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