April 29, 2026 | 6:00 – 7:30 pm CT
Registration closes 4/29 at 5:15 pm CT
Speakers: Ann Eshenaur Spolarich, RDH, PhD, FSCDH & JoAnn Gurenlian, RDH, MS, PhD, AAFAAOM, FADHA

Dental hygienists are the cornerstone of periodontal disease prevention — and increasingly, the clinical expert that patients and practices rely on to translate evidence into action. Yet with nearly 1 billion people affected by periodontal disease worldwide, the gap between what the science tells us and what happens chairside remains significant.

This webinar is designed to close that gap. Dr. Ann Eshenaur Spolarich and Dr. JoAnn Gurenlian present the new ADHA 2026 whitepaper on periodontal disease prevention, equipping you with the clinical knowledge and decision-making frameworks to strengthen your impact at chairside — and beyond. You'll leave with practical tools to sharpen your clinical decision-making, deepen the conversations you're having with patients about home care, and elevate your role as an essential partner in the practice.

This webinar was developed with support from Kenvue.

In this webinar you will:

• Examine the evidence behind the burden of periodontal disease and gingivitis — including the critical role of at-home care in complementing professional treatment visits, what current guidelines tell us, and how this elevates the hygienist's role as an essential clinical partner in the practice
• Explore how to apply the P4 medicine framework to personalize preventive hygiene care, including recommending a comprehensive brush, floss, rinse regimen for patients most at risk of early periodontal disease
• Discover practical tools and strategies to translate the evidence into meaningful chairside conversations that support patient behavior change and long-term adherence to home care

Speakers:

Ann Eshenaur Spolarich, RDH, PhD, FSCDH is an internationally recognized author and speaker on pharmacology and the care of medically complex patients. She has presented over 1,000 invited lectures and has over 125 professional publications. She is Professor, Course Director of Pharmacology, and Assistant Dean for Research at the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, A.T. Still University (ATSU), where she teaches part-time in the Special Care Clinic. Ann is also a faculty member in the NYU Langone AEGD residency program at ATSU. Ann received the Education Award in 2021 from the Special Care Dentistry Association.

JoAnn Gurenlian, RDH, MS, PhD, AAFAAOM, FADHA is the Director of Education, Research, & Advocacy for the American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA). She is also a Professor Emerita for the Department of Dental Hygiene at Idaho State University, Fellow in the ADHA, Affiliate Academic Fellow in the American Academy of Oral Medicine, and Past President of ADHA and the International Federation of Dental Hygienists. Dr. Gurenlian is the author of over 350 papers in dental hygiene, dental and medical publications and has conducted over 650 presentations at regional, national, and international events.

1.5 LIVE/Interactive CE offered for those in attendance. Certificates will be available under the "Completed" tab in your CE Smart Learning Center immediately following the event.

Can't attend live? The recording will be automatically available in your CE Smart Learning Center within 24 hours post-event. 1.5 CE can be earned after successful completion of a post-test.