Potential and Barriers to Novel Preventive Agents for Dental Caries: Why Are Options Limited?

Monday, April 7, 2025

12:30 PM - 2:00 PM East Coast USA Time

Location: Seminole A-B

Earn 1.5 CE Credit

Moderator(s)

Hayley Buckner, RDH, BS, FADHA

Professional Relations Manager
Elevate Oral Care

Speaker(s)

Peter Milgrom, DDS (he/him/his)

Professor Emeritus
University of Washington
Jonny Norris, DDS, Pediatric Dentistry

Owner
Montshire Pediatric Dentistry
Rebecca Bernstein, MD, MS

Associate Professor
Medical College of Wisconsin
Medical College of Wisconsin

Disclosure(s):

Hayley Buckner, RDH, BS, FADHA: Elevate Oral Care: Employee (Ongoing)

Peter Milgrom, DDS: Advantage Silver Dental Arrest LLC: Member (Ongoing)

Jonny Norris, DDS, Pediatric Dentistry: Montshire Pediatric Dentistry: Employee (Ongoing), Shareholder (Ongoing)

Rebecca Bernstein, MD, MS: No financial relationships to disclose

Session Description: Most of the existing preventive and caries treatment agents available for public health programs are used off-label, many with limited data on efficacy. This symposium will explore the reasons for the lack of clinical evidence of efficacy and the limits to drug and device innovation for improved patient care. Presenters will frame the issues around product development costs, the FDA dental device path, the barriers to FDA new drug acceptance, how this process differs between the medical and dental markets, and the impact this has on the availability of new agents for caries prevention. The impact on day-to-day treatment decisions will also be presented. The symposium will explore how public health professionals can advocate for change to help increase the available therapies for prevention and treatment of new therapeutics.