VISTA Institute · Woodland Hills, California
Dentistry & Whole-Body Health:
An Evidence-Based Approach to Wellness and Integrative Care
What we know. What is emerging. What remains unproven.
Evidence · Science · Wellness · Integration · Patient-Centered Care
DDS, PhD
MSDMD, MDSc, MS
Connect oral health and whole-body health through evidence
The relationship between oral health and overall health is receiving unprecedented attention from patients, clinicians, and researchers. At the same time, the growing popularity of wellness, integrative medicine, supplements, biohacking, microbiome testing, and alternative approaches has created a challenging environment in which established science, emerging evidence, and unsupported claims frequently overlap.
This interdisciplinary course examines the connections between dentistry and whole-body health through a critical, evidence-based lens. Leading experts will explore periodontal-systemic health, sleep and airway disorders, nutrition and metabolism, the oral microbiome, biomaterial biocompatibility, medications, supplements, and mind-body health.
The goal is not simply to introduce new concepts, but to help clinicians distinguish what we know, what is emerging, and what remains unproven—and translate credible evidence into better patient care.
Learn with the course speakers
Homa Zadeh, DDS, PhD
Satish Kumar, MSDMD, MDSc, MS
8 core clinical pillars
Perio-Systemic Health
- Periodontitis & chronic inflammation
- Links to CVD, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s & more
- Biological mechanisms: bacteria, inflammation, mediators
- Association vs. causation
- Does treatment improve systemic outcomes?
- Communicating risk with scientific integrity
Oral Microbiome
- Healthy microbiome & dysbiosis
- Pathogens & systemic dissemination
- Oral–gut microbiome interactions
- Salivary & microbial testing
- Probiotics, prebiotics & products
- Personalized microbiome therapy: reality or future?
- Separating science from marketing claims
Nutrition, Metabolism & Oral Health
- Nutrition & periodontal health
- Obesity, inflammation & metabolic syndrome
- Protein, healing & tissue repair
- Vitamin D, Omega-3s & implant osseointegration
- Micronutrient deficiencies
- Dietary patterns, aging & inflammatory burden
- When to counsel vs. when to refer
Mind-Body Medicine in Dentistry
- Stress, HPA axis & cortisol
- Stress, immunity & inflammation
- Stress & periodontal disease
- Anxiety, pain perception, bruxism
- Autonomic nervous system regulation
- Breathing, meditation, mindfulness
- Evidence for mind-body interventions
- Guided breathing / mindfulness exercise
Sleep & Airway: The Dentist’s Role
- Sleep & systemic health
- OSA & medical consequences
- Screening, questionnaires & clinical exam
- Dental & craniofacial risk indicators
- Bruxism & sleep-disordered breathing
- Airway assessment: scope & limits
- Oral appliance therapy vs. CPAP
- Collaboration with sleep physicians
- When to treat, when to refer
- Airway dentistry: controversies
Ceramic Implants & Biocompatibility
- Titanium vs. zirconia: biology
- Corrosion, particles & inflammation
- Metal hypersensitivity: facts vs. controversy
- Zirconia properties & osseointegration
- Soft tissue response & esthetics
- Plaque, peri-implant inflammation
- Mechanical limits & prosthetics
- When ceramic implants offer a clinical advantage
Metabolic Medicine & Medications
- GLP-1 therapies: semaglutide, tirzepatide & more
- Diabetes meds & glycemic control
- Obesity treatment & metabolic improvement
- Oral manifestations & implications
- Osteoporosis & antiresorptives
- Polypharmacy in aging patients
- Xerostomia & oral disease
- When medical consultation is indicated
Supplements, Vitamins & Biohacking
- Vitamins: D, C, Mg, Zn, B-complex
- Omega-3s, curcumin, antioxidants, NAC & glutathione
- Probiotics, prebiotics & gut health
- Collagen, protein & bone health
- Longevity, biohacking & biomarkers
- Evidence vs. extrapolation
- Quality, interactions & regulation
- How should dentists respond to patient inquiries?
Wellness & Integrative Dentistry: Separating Science from Pseudoscience
An interactive multidisciplinary discussion on the role of integrative care, testing, supplements, microbiome, airway, implant materials, oral–systemic links, and the appropriate scope of dental practice.
Multidisciplinary perspective · Evidence-based decisions · Respecting limits · Protecting patients
Educational Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Evaluate evidence linking periodontal disease with systemic conditions.
- Distinguish association from causation in oral–systemic relationships.
- Recognize sleep-disordered breathing risk & referral pathways.
- Critically assess microbiome science, testing & related therapies.
- Describe nutrition & metabolism’s impact on oral health & healing.
- Compare titanium vs. ceramic implants biologically & clinically.
- Recognize dental implications of GLP-1 medications & therapies.
- Critically assess vitamins, supplements & biohacking interventions.
- Understand stress, neuroendocrine function, inflammation & healing.
- Integrate whole-body health into practice within evidence & scope.
Choose how you attend
| Registration period | In-person | Remote (live or on-demand) |
|---|---|---|
| Before January 1, 2027 | $1,495 | $695 |
| Before March 1, 2027 | $1,695 | $795 |
| After March 1, 2027 | $1,895 | $895 |
Gold membership: In-person attendance is free.
Gold & Silver membership: Remote attendance is free.
Venue: VISTA Institute, 6325 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Suite 101, Woodland Hills, CA 91367.
Registration information: info@learnvista.com · 818-338-9220
Evidence. Experience. Innovation. Excellence.
Two days of evidence-based education · Expert-led insights · Practical strategies · Better patient outcomes