Michigan Alternative Health Care

Denturist Education

Mills Grae University
College of Medical Denturitry
Great Falls, Montana
www.mgu.edu

Fall 2011 Continuing Education

Mills Grae University College of Medical Denturitry cordially invites you to this continuing educational seminar designed specifically for denturists:

Implant Retained Prostheses
September 16^th and 17^th 2011
9 A.M. - 5 P.M.
Great Falls, Montana

Approved by the Montana Academy of Medical Denturitry; in conjunction with the continuing educational oversight of the American Academy of Medical Denturitry Accreditation [AAMDA] for 14 hours of CE Credit Certificates of Attendance Awarded at the Conclusion

Please click this link for more information.

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Fall 2010 Continuing Education

Mills Grae University College of Medical Denturitry cordially invites you to this continuing educational seminar designed specifically for denturists:

The Diabetic Patient
October 8^th and 9^th 2010
9 A.M. - 4 P.M.
Great Falls, Montana

Approved by the Montana Academy of Medical Denturitry; in conjunction with the continuing educational oversight of the American Academy of Medical Denturitry Accreditation [AAMDA] for 14 hours of CE Credit Certificates of Attendance Awarded at the Conclusion

Please click this link for more information.

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Medical Denturitry Introduction

One of the erroneous claims that opponents of the practice of medical denturitry voice consistently is that the practitioners of medical denturitry, if allowed to work independently on the public, pose a serious threat to the health, safety, and well-being of the patients they serve. These opponents support their claim by stating that medical denturists lack a fundamental education and are, therefore, unqualified to practice clinically. The best way to refute these spurious claims is to present to the public the actual training and education of a medical denturist so that they can judge for themselves the veracity of the allegation.

What is Medical Denturitry?

Medical Denturitry is a branch of medical science that emphasizes the use of removable prosthetic appliances to correct specific medical conditions. It employs applied neurophysiologic techniques based on the theory that the masticatory apparatus, when physiologically and/or pathologically out of balance, results in a variety of human health conditions, many of which may be corrected through the use of removable prosthetic appliances. Comprehensive physical examination determines the presence or absence of destabilizing factors. Diagnosis (in the broadest sense) is the identification of the factors causing the lack of homeostasis, be they biological, chemical, mechanical, physical, and/or psychological, and treatment is their correction by the most conservative methods—prescribed home therapy and removable prosthetic appliances. The practice of medical denturitry involves no invasive techniques and all treatments are reversible.

What is a removable prosthetic appliance?

Most persons would say that removable prosthetic appliance used in the mouth is a denture and they would be correct. A denture, however, is not merely a product, but a functional biophysiologic appliance designed to replace lost human dentition and associated tissues required to restore adequate neuromuscular masticatory and oratory function to the patient. In other words, medical denturists design the appliance specifically to restore lost teeth in a manner that will duplicate, as closely as possible, the ability of the patients to eat and speak properly and to reestablish their initial digestive processes.

Medical Denturitry Curriculum

The medical denturitry practitioner requires considerable training and skill in order to perform the clinical services needed by their patients. Their education and training is at the doctoral level and is a competency-based, project-driven curriculum consisting of a minimum of 50 semester-credit hours (one academic year prerequisite) plus 202 quarter-credit hours (three academic years) encompassing the following four major academic areas.

1. Basic medical sciences including anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, nutrition, pathology, pharmacology, and physiology.
2. Basic clinical sciences including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, history taking, physical examination, medical office emergencies, radiology and radiographic interpretation, gerontology, public health, psychology, pain management, and sleep disorders.
3. Medical denturitry including asepsis and infection control, occlusion, periodontology, oral diagnosis, clinical diagnostic pathology, practice management, ethics and jurisprudence, implantology, and clinical removable prosthodontics.
4. The temporomandibular joint is the most complex joint in the human body. Most dentists and physicians poorly understand its anatomy, physiology, and biokinetics, yet it is the linchpin of the masticatory apparatus. Without a comprehensive evaluation of the TMJ, denture therapy is doomed to failure and the patient to continuous suffering. The medical importance of obtaining an appropriate and accurate TMJ evaluation cannot be overemphasized, as it forms the basis for subsequent diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of all individuals seeking medical denturitry services.

In addition, all medical denturitry students, prior to graduation, must sit for and pass the National Board of Medical Denturitry Examination, a three-day comprehensive written examination, measuring the skills and competencies necessary for the practice of medical denturitry.

Specific mandatory medical denturitry services The education and training of medical denturists include the following comprehensive diagnostic services specifically designed to protect the health, safety, and well-being of every patient seeking clinical services.

1. The medical denturist must obtain a comprehensive medical history of the patient, including the past medical history, present illness, chief complaint, medications, allergies, and other significant factors that could affect the health of the patient. Current vital signs of the patient must be taken and recorded.
2. The medical denturist must review this medical data and discuss it thoroughly with the patient to assure that all parameters are covered, that any contraindications for treatment are identified, and that any indications for the occurrence of a potential medical emergency are discovered (e.g. the patient is diabetic, asthmatic, epileptic, has hypertension, is a cardiac patient, etc.). This procedure ensures that the health of the patient is paramount and protected. In addition, the interview process establishes a duty to the patient and a doctor/patient relationship.
3. The medical denturist, after obtaining the patient’s informed consent, must perform a comprehensive head and neck physical examination to determine the presence or absence of any abnormalities that may be contraindications for the proposed treatment or a threat to the patient’s health.
4. The medical denturist, prior to the fabrication of any removable oral prosthetic appliance, must perform a comprehensive temporomandibular joint (TMJ) evaluation. This evaluation must include neuromuscular centric registration; ranges of mandibular movement; TMJ auscultation for the presence or absence of joint sounds; masticatory muscle palpation for tenderness/pain/trigger points; craniocervical flexibility and range of motion; cervical muscle and osseous palpation; and cranial nerve function.
5. The medical denturist must take, or order, and interpret appropriate radiographs to determine the nature and health, or lack thereof, of the underlying osseous tissue.
6. The medical denturist, after gathering all the above medical data, must now formulate a differential diagnosis (a list of all the disease entities or abnormalities that correspond to the medical data found). He or she must then determine the need for additional laboratory tests and/or medical data and, most importantly, determine the possible need to refer the patient to a more relevant and competent health care provider based on the data acquired.
7. The medical denturist must then determine his or her definitive diagnosis and formulate an appropriate treatment plan based on this diagnosis.
8. The medical denturist must then discuss with the patient all the medical findings and the proposed plan of treatment. He or she must also discuss, in some detail, all material risks associated with the treatment plan, alternatives to the treatment plan, and probabilities associated with not pursuing the proposed treatment. Finances must be discussed and agreed upon and a meaningful informed consent obtained from the patient.

After completing all the above medical procedures, the medical denturist may then proceed to construct the denture—the biophysiologic replacement of human teeth and associated tissues.