Featured Webinar Hosted by: The University of Tennessee Health Science Center – College of Dentistry Speaker: Anastasios Karydis, DDS, MS, PhD September 25, 2026, 11 AM ET | 10 AM CT | 8 AM PT 1.50 credit hours. Tuition: $ 59.00
Updates on Periodontal Infections and Rheumatoid Arthritis Link
Speaker: Anastasios Karydis, DDS, MS, PhD
Featured Webinar Hosted by: The University of Tennessee Health Science Center – College of Dentistry
September 25, 2026, 11 AM ET | 10 AM CT | 8 AM PT
1.50 credit hours. Tuition: $ 59.00
Join us in this unique webinar series, where the Association for Continuing Dental Education (ACDE) and its 35 member dental schools unite to bring you live webinars featuring university-based key opinion leaders.
Discover the ACDE difference, where excellence in dental education is more than just a goal; it's a shared commitment.
Enhance your practice, grow your career, and help shape the future of dental education through the ACDE Live Webinar Series.
Webinar Course Description: The course focuses on the role of chronic oral/periodontal infections in chronic systemic diseases, with an emphasis on rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and on the role of the oral health care team in patient education and interdisciplinary management of these patients. It includes a review of recent findings from animal and human studies on the association between chronic oral infections and autoimmune arthritis; the impact of the oral microbiota and chronic oral/periodontal infections as risk factors that can aggravate or trigger autoimmune arthritis; the impact of periodontal treatment on RA disease activity; and recommendations for the collaborative management of patients with oral and systemic chronic diseases by a health care team that includes dentists, dental hygienists, and physicians. Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to: - Understand the association between periodontal and autoimmune diseases.
- Understand the role of oral microbiota as a potential trigger in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.
- Educate their dental patients on the link between oral infections and autoimmune arthritis.
- Understand the importance of interprofessional management for patients with oral/periodontal infections and autoimmune arthritis.
Speaker Bio: Anastasios Karydis, DDS, MS, PhD Dr. Karydis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Periodontology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Dentistry and an External Professor in the Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering at the Herff College of Engineering, University of Memphis, TN. He earned his dental degree from the University of Athens, Greece, practiced in private practice, and served as a Flight Sergeant/Dentist in the Hellenic Air Force. He completed his Master of Science, periodontal residency training, and PhD in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, and currently serves as Interim Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs.
Through his collaboration with the Memphis VA Medical Center and the Division of Connective Tissue Diseases/Rheumatology at the UTHSC College of Medicine, he studies the common pathogenetic mechanisms linking periodontitis to systemic conditions and the role of oral microflora in systemic diseases, with a focus on autoimmune arthritis. He also collaborates with the Herff College of Engineering Bioengineering Program on guided bone regeneration and local drug delivery using novel nanofiber chitosan membranes. |
ACDE Webinar Partnership
Purpose
The ACDE unites individuals from college and university-based continuing dental education programs, fostering a collective mission to create leadership opportunities, encourage collaboration, and support the development of university-based continuing dental education professionals. Our primary goal is to promote the highest standards of continuing dental education.
Mission
Dedicated to leadership, collaboration, and professional development, ACDE strives to be the beacon for university-based continuing dental education professionals. Our mission is to elevate the quality of continuing dental education, setting the stage for excellence in oral health care.
Vision
ACDE envisions itself as the foremost advocate and the benchmark for high-quality, evidence-based continuing dental education. Our vision is to promote excellence in oral health care through innovative, exceptional programming.
Values
Lifelong Learning: Dedication to ongoing education for our members and the wider professional dental communities we serve.
- Excellence: Ensuring top-notch planning, organization, and presentation of high-quality, innovative educational programs.
- Professionalism: Fostering a culture of support, networking, mentoring, and respect for diversity in all interactions.
- Integrity: Upholding honest, cooperative working relationships and evidence-based programming that remains non-commercial.
Please note that the ACDE webinars are open to everyone; however, no discounts are available because they are a collaboration with the ACDE member schools, and the fee is advertised the same across all member schools.
Questions: Contact us at CESOD@hsc.utah.edu. If you have trouble logging in before the course, please reach out to the school where you registered. They will assist you.
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