Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine‘s (SDM) Dr. Poonam Jain presented at the World Congress on Preventive Dentistry (WCPD) in Budapest, Hungary from Oct. 9-13.
A professor in the SIU SDM and director of Community Dentistry, Jain delivered the results of her survey of dental schools in the United States and Canada. The survey’s objective was to examine the inclusion and integration of information on soft drinks in dental curricula.
Consumption of sugared beverages contributes to several non-communicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and dental caries, and has become a major public health issue.
“It is critical that health care providers are trained well on the oral and systemic effects of consumption of these drinks,” Jain said. “My survey revealed that much more needs to be done to ensure this is occurring.
“It was interesting to discover that dental educators from various parts of the world agreed that the same problem exists in their pre-doctoral curricula as well.”
One of the major foci of the conference was to examine the inequalities in health outcomes based on social determinants.
“It was truly wonderful to interact with professionals from all over the world and learn their perspectives,” Jain said. “Attending the WCPD and visiting Budapest were both beneficial experiences for me. I am grateful for the support of (SDM) Dean Bruce Rotter and the University to attend that event.”