Course Description: This course provides a comprehensive review of the fundamentals of a healthy dental revenue cycle. It will include an overview of the revenue cycle process, guidance on proper documentation, and a review of coding and billing requirements. The session will also address strategies for managing aged claims, effective denial follow-up, and practical approaches to improving overall revenue cycle performance.

How does your course better enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: This course enhances the participant’s ability to protect the public by ensuring accurate, ethical, and compliant dental billing practices. 

Course Outline:

1. Roles in the Revenue Cycle
2. Diagnosis Coding and Common Deficiencies
3. Documentation Review
4. Billing  and A/R
5. Denial Management

Course Description: This presentation provides an overview of dental risk management within the Indian Health Service, including key concepts, the Federal Tort Claims Act, malpractice trends, and best practices for preventing adverse events. It emphasizes creating a culture of safety through proper documentation, informed consent, adherence to standards of care, and continuous quality improvement.

How does the course better enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: The course strengthens participants’ ability to protect the public by equipping them with practical strategies to reduce clinical risks, improve patient safety, and ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards.

Course Outline:

1. Review risk management concepts
2. Discuss common dental scenarios and best practices
3. Review lessons learned from IHS dental malpractice claims
4. Discuss common questions about the Federal Tort Claims Act

Course Description: This one-hour presentation explores the demographic waves of the aging Baby Boomer generation and the unique demands they will place on health care. Attendees will learn how artificial intelligence serves as the essential integrating fabric between advanced technologies, enabling greater patient autonomy as they age.​

How does your course better enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: This presentation highlights the evolving patient demands of geriatric care and promotes awareness of how these demands are being met by a largely unregulated AI industry.​ 

Course Outline:

At the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Articulate the demands on future health care technology in the geriatric population.​
2. Describe the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in closing the gap to attain optimal health care for the geriatric population.​
3. Position themselves to address the future demands on oral health care providers from the geriatric population.​

Course Description: Clinical practice today uses scientifically sound evidence-based approaches.  There has been dramatic changes in caries management paradigm by better preventing and treating caries as a disease.

This presentation will provide an overview of recent changes in current caries management strategies supported by ADA Clinical Practice Guidelines.  A brief review of caries risk assessment, along with the utilization of chemical treatments for caries disease at the patient level and minimally invasive dentistry (MID) at the tooth level will be presented, including new tools, such as the ADA Caries Classification System (ADA CCS), selective caries removal, and chemical approaches like silver diamine fluoride (SDF) and glass ionomer cement (GIC). Clinical cases will be presented to illustrate these concepts.

The presentation provides an excellent update relevant to clinical applications for the dentist, dental therapist, hygienist, assistant, and front office.

How does your course better enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: Clinical cases will be used to demonstrate how these strategies can expand access to care, improve disease control, and support underserved populations while maintaining high clinical standards.

Course Outline:
At the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Perform a caries risk assessment and present science-based treatment options
2. Classify caries lesions using the ADA CCS
3. Use operative treatment only when necessary, using selective caries removal, GIC, and SDF to treat chemically at the tooth level

Course Description: This two-hour course demystifies artificial intelligence (AI) concepts and terminology, providing an overview of AI's current uses and potential ethical pitfalls for oral health providers. Attendees will gain the ethical knowledge and frameworks needed to integrate these emerging technologies into their practice.​ 

How does your course better enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: By understanding and applying the ADA’s principles of ethics, practitioners can navigate many common concerns arising from the use of AI.​ 

Course Outline:

At the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Define artificial intelligence (AI) and AI adjacent terms.​
2. Describe common ethical quandaries with AI use in oral health care.​
3. Apply AI to oral health care ethically.​

ATTENDEES MUST SCAN BADGE WITH CRIHB STAFF BEFORE ENTERING THIS SPECIFIC COURSE.

Course Description: This course fulfills the mandatory infection control requirement for re-licensure (dental, dental hygiene, dental assisting. Participants will learn how to evaluate whether their practice settings are in compliance with the minimum standards for infection control as required by California law with an emphasis on both patient and health care worker safety.

How does your course better enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: This course provides participants with up-to-date information on how to apply the minimum standards for infection control, OSHA and Cal/OSHA requirements to reduce the risk of infection while delivering dental care.

Course Outline:

1. Describe the minimum standards for infection control as required by the DBC and DHBC
2. Describe the OSHA and Cal/OSHA regulations as they apply to dentistry.
3. Discuss the potential pathogens and the modes of transmission that can result in infections acquired in a dental practice setting.
4. Discuss the strategies for preventing disease transmission in the dental practice setting.
5. Describe the various strategies for dental healthcare workers to stay healthy in the workplace.

HANDS-ON SESSION PART 1: Maximum of 30 attendees (same 30 for Part 1 & 2). Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis using the sign-in sheet provided by CRIHB staff at the registration table. 

Course Description: This course will provide the opportunity for dental assistants to practice fabrication and cementation of indirect provisional restorations. Critical components to a functional and esthetic temporary will be identified and students will receive direction and guidance as they fabricate and cement both a single unit provisional crown and a three-unit provisional bridge.

How does your course better enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: This course will provide the participants with the opportunity to practice fabrication of provisionals with focus on contact points, sealed margins, and proper occlusion. The skills acquired in this class will enable the participants to provide their patients with clinically acceptable temporary restorations that will help to maintain proper positioning of the prepared teeth and provide functional chewing ability for the patient. 

Course Outline:

At the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Identify three critical components to an ideal Indirect Provisional Restoration (IPR)
2. Fabricate a functional IPR on a typodont using automix acrylic and a putty stint
3. Cement a functional IPR using Tempbond
4. Remove excess Tempbond cement around the margins of the IPR
5. Remove an IPR and clean all remaining cement from typodont

ATTENDEES MUST SCAN BADGE WITH CRIHB STAFF BEFORE ENTERING THIS SPECIFIC COURSE.

Course Description: This will review the required California Dental Practice Act topics for dentists, dental hygienists and registered dental assistants including licensure, scope of practice, auxiliary duties and supervision requirements, unprofessional conduct and mandated reporting requirements. A special emphasis will be placed on the principles of ethical behavior and the code of law.

How does your course better enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: California law requires that every dental professional is responsible for understanding and following the regulations and statutes governing the practice of dentistry. Violations can result in loss of license or discipline as well as criminal prosecution. This course fulfills the California Law requirement for re-licensure (dental, dental hygiene, dental assisting).

Course Outline:

1. Describe the scope of practice for dentists, dental hygienists and registered dental assistants in California.
2. Describe all the aspects of the licensure process for oral health care providers in California.
3. Explain the differences between the law and standard of care as they relate to dentistry, dental hygiene and dental assisting.
4. Describe the mandated reporter requirements for child abuse and elder abuse.
5. Discuss the ethical responsibilities of a licensed oral health care professional in California

HANDS-ON SESSION PART 2: Maximum of 30 attendees (same 30 for Part 1 & 2). Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis using the sign-in sheet provided by CRIHB staff at the registration table. 

Course Description: This course will provide the opportunity for dental assistants to practice fabrication and cementation of indirect provisional restorations. Critical components to a functional and esthetic temporary will be identified and students will receive direction and guidance as they fabricate and cement both a single unit provisional crown and a three-unit provisional bridge.

How does your course better enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: This course will provide the participants with the opportunity to practice fabrication of provisionals with focus on contact points, sealed margins, and proper occlusion. The skills acquired in this class will enable the participants to provide their patients with clinically acceptable temporary restorations that will help to maintain proper positioning of the prepared teeth and provide functional chewing ability for the patient. 

Course Outline:

At the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Identify three critical components to an ideal Indirect Provisional Restoration (IPR)
2. Fabricate a functional IPR on a typodont using automix acrylic and a putty stint
3. Cement a functional IPR using Tempbond
4. Remove excess Tempbond cement around the margins of the IPR
5. Remove an IPR and clean all remaining cement from typodont

IHS:

Dental Support Center: 

Course Description: Provide an overview of California Dental Support Center (CADSC) mission, goals, ongoing efforts, deliverables, GPRA results, and upcoming activities. 

How does your course better enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: Our mission: Reduce dental decay in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) infants, children, and adults.  Provide training, technical assistance, and resources to Tribal and Urban Indian Dental Clinics operating in California.

Course Outline:
At the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Understand the mission of the California Dental Support Center (CADSC)
2. Gain an overview of the CADSC Program
3. Review the goals of the CADSC Program
4. Receive updates about the CADSC Program

Course description: This lecture aims to establish a foundation for recognizing, discussing, and managing odontogenic injuries.

How does the course better enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: Prompt and appropriate treatment provides the highest chance of success when managing dental injuries. Proper training and strong foundational decision-making skills will enable audience members to gain the insight and confidence needed to effectively apply the necessary treatment when these injuries occur at home, in public, or present in clinical settings.  

Course outline:

1. Accurate Diagnosis and Classification
2. Time-sensitive management
3. Pulpal considerations (open apex vs closed apex)
4. Splinting principles
5. Follow-up and Long-term monitoring

Course Description: Participants of this course will gain an introductory knowledge of forensic odontology and how the law dictates a forensic human identification.  A step-by-step exploration of a comprehensive dental autopsy will be presented, including physical examination, photography, radiography and forensic evidence management needs of varying postmortem states including skeletonized, fragmented, decomposed and burned.  

How does your course better enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: This program reinforces excellent medical record creation, curation and keeping and will improve the attendee's appreciation for the forensic (legal) value of accurate dental records.  The attendee will learn how their role as a provider cooperates within the legal environment.  

Course Outline:

1. The role(s) of the dental team in scientific human identification needs.

2. The responsibility health care providers have when legally necessary record requests are made in compliance of, and when given within HIPAA definitions and exclusions. 

2. A walk-through of comprehensive forensic dental examination as part of a medical-legal/forensic human autopsy, in coordination as part of the team of medical examination providers and supporting interdisciplinary forensic consultants.     

HANDS-ON SESSION PART 1: Maximum of 30 attendees (same 30 for Part 1 & 2). Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis using the sign-in sheet provided by CRIHB staff at the registration table.

Course description: This dynamic, interactive course sheds light on pH and buffering of saliva, the composition of remedies, and the impact of nutritional intake on oral disease risks. Attendees will gain a first-hand appreciation of the challenges using actual tasting and testing activities.

How does your course enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: Caries, erosion, dentinal hypersensitivity, and candida infections are all pH mediated diseases that undermine the overall health of children, adolescents, and adults. Clinicians understand and implement salivary pH testing and product composition are better able to guide patients in the prevention and intervention of these complex disease processes.

Course outline:

• Discuss the role of salivary risk assessment for caries, erosion, and fungal infections
• Learn how to perform simple chairside salivary chemistry testing and how to use pH and buffering data
• Compare the pH levels of common beverages, supplements, medications, and dry mouth relief products.
• Understand the range of options to create and support a neutral salivary pH.

Course Description: This course provides a comprehensive review of facial injuries commonly encountered in contemporary Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery practice. It emphasizes accurate diagnosis, timely intervention, and appropriate surgical management strategies for complex maxillofacial trauma.

Participants will gain practical insight into the evaluation and treatment of these challenging injuries, with a focus on restoring normal function and achieving optimal aesthetic outcomes. Through evidence-based approaches and clinical examples, the course demonstrates how prompt and skilled surgical care can significantly reduce long-term morbidity.

With appropriate management, even severe facial injuries can be effectively treated, allowing patients to regain masticatory function, preserve or restore visual integrity, and return to normal social and professional activities with acceptable aesthetic outcomes.

How does your course better enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: This program strengthens the clinician’s ability to recognize and appropriately manage facial trauma in a timely manner. By improving diagnostic accuracy and clinical decision-making, participants are better equipped to identify injuries that require urgent or specialized care.

Enhanced knowledge of maxillofacial trauma reduces the risk of misdiagnosis, delayed referral, and improper treatment—factors that can lead to permanent functional deficits or aesthetic deformities.

By promoting adherence to established standards of care and evidence-based treatment protocols, this course directly contributes to improved patient safety, preservation of function, and protection of long-term health outcomes.

Course Outline:
At the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Review the common etiologies of facial trauma in the United States, including interpersonal violence, motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, and falls.

2. Present the spectrum of injuries involving the maxillofacial complex, including soft tissue, dentoalveolar, and skeletal trauma.

3. Discuss the components of a comprehensive clinical examination and appropriate imaging workup for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.

4. Demonstrate common facial injury patterns and evidence-based surgical approaches for their management.

5. Highlight the importance of functional and aesthetic reconstruction in restoring patient outcomes following maxillofacial trauma.

HANDS-ON SESSION PART 2: Maximum of 30 attendees (same 30 for Part 1 & 2). Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis using the sign-in sheet provided by CRIHB staff at the registration table.

Course description: This dynamic, interactive course sheds light on pH and buffering of saliva, the composition of remedies, and the impact of nutritional intake on oral disease risks. Attendees will gain a first-hand appreciation of the challenges using actual tasting and testing activities.

How does your course enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: Caries, erosion, dentinal hypersensitivity, and candida infections are all pH mediated diseases that undermine the overall health of children, adolescents, and adults. Clinicians understand and implement salivary pH testing and product composition are better able to guide patients in the prevention and intervention of these complex disease processes.

Course outline:

• Discuss the role of salivary risk assessment for caries, erosion, and fungal infections
• Learn how to perform simple chairside salivary chemistry testing and how to use pH and buffering data
• Compare the pH levels of common beverages, supplements, medications, and dry mouth relief products.
• Understand the range of options to create and support a neutral salivary pH.

Course Description: This course will explain the value of adequate sleep.  It will also cover one way (but not the only way) to make a night guard.

How does your course better enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: Identify and address inadequate sleep, and sleep bruxism.

Course Outline:

1. Sleep architecture
2. Consequences of inadequate sleep
3. Signs and symptoms of sleep bruxism
4. One way to make a night guard
5. Night guard schedule and care

Course description: Desiccation therapy, using a sulfonated compound, affects how deposits attach to a surface microscopically. Desiccation disrupts and destroys biofilm EPS and complex polymicrobial communities that have been difficult to disrupt and eradicate using conventional therapies.

How does your course enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: Desiccation therapy is a unique and valuable addition that improves clinical outcomes, speeds up healing, increases patient comfort, and reduces clinician MSD stresses. Desiccation therapy focuses on pathogen reduction without the use of systemic or locally delivered antibiotics and is of value to those suffering from systemic conditions that are fueled by chronic inflammation.

 Course outline:

• Identify how periodontal pathogens create and support a dysbiotic biofilm community.
• Understand the role of microbial persisters in chronic oral infections.
• Examine the role of desiccation therapy in biofilm dysregulation, debris removal, hemostasis, and treating infections without antibiotics
• Appreciate how desiccation is used in non-surgical periodontal therapy, endodontics, and restorative dentistry.
• Learn how to recreate a thriving, sustainable, healthy oral microbiome.

ATTENDEES MUST SCAN BADGE WITH CRIHB STAFF BEFORE ENTERING THIS SPECIFIC COURSE.

Course Description: Sometimes pain in the orofacial region is not due to dental causes.  This course will cover the other possible causes of such pain, and equip the oral health care professional in how to figure out the cause

How does your course better enable the participant’s ability to protect the public: Participants will be able to better manage patient’s pain, while reducing the number of individuals who fall into a substance use disorder.  Both pain and substance use disorder are prevalent in the public.

Course Outline:

1. Understanding opioids and diversion
2. Regulatory requirements for prescribers and dispensers
3. Understanding Pain
4. Practices for pain management in dentistry
5. Dental office procedures for managing vulnerable or substance-use disorder patients