Dietary Counseling: The Intersection of Sugars and Oral Health
Speaker:
Dr. Teresa Marshall
May 8, 2026
Date:
Time:
1:30 PM-4:30 PM
3
CE Credits:
Dietary Counseling: The Intersection of Sugars and Oral Health
Dr. Teresa Marshall
About the Course
Caries is diet-dependent; without ‘sugars’ caries do not occur. This presentation will review sugars in the caries process, diet-related caries screening and counseling, and environmental barriers (i.e., food/water insecurity) to healthy diets. The audience will discuss strategies to enable the office team to engage patients to reduce caries risk.
Educational Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
Describe the role of sugars intakes and dietary behaviors in the caries process.
Identify key caries screening questions.
Describe strategies to encourage patients to achieve better dietary habits.
Identify environmental barriers to healthy dietary habits and strategies to overcome such barriers.
Your Instructor
Dr. Teresa Marshall
Dr. Marshall is a Professor in the Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry at the University of Iowa. She completed her bachelor’s degree in hospital dietetics at the University of Illinois and her dietetic internship and doctoral degree in human nutrition at the University of Iowa. She practiced pediatric nutrition in the Center for Developmental Disabilities prior to joining the College of Dentistry full time in 2000. Within the College, she designed and implemented both the nutrition and evidence-based practice curriculums. In addition to teaching the nutrition curriculum, she currently serves as the Director of the Student Research Program and is the Michael W. Finkelstein Centennial Professor of Teaching. Dr. Marshall’s primary research interests address the relationships among dietary behaviors including sugar sweetened beverage intakes, dental caries, and/or growth. She is also engaged in exploratory research to understand environmental and cultural factors impact caries risk via dietary behaviors. She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Society for Nutrition, the International Association for Dental Research, and the American Academy of Cariology.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure
None reported
The TDA is an ADA CERP provider (May 2024 – June 2028)
ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry. Concerns or complaints about a CE provider may be directed to the provider or to ADA CERP at ada.org/cerp.