Glenn Canares, DDS, MSD is a professional keynote speaker, pediatric dentist, and dental educator at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. He serves as the Program Director for the Pediatric Dentistry Residency. His mission is to inspire colleagues, students, and patients by fostering a Culture of Kindness.

Dr. Canares is an American-born child of Filipino immigrants and was raised in a blue-collar community. Through his upbringing, he learned that no dream is too big to go after and that no work is ever beneath him. His educational philosophy is summed up by Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Norman Tinanoff, DDS, MS received his dental degree from the University of Maryland.  After receiving his certificate and Master’s Degree in Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Iowa, he spent another year at the V.A. Hospital in Iowa City in a research fellowship.  Dr. Tinanoff's two-year military service was at the Army Institute of Dental Research at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. 

For 23 years he was at the University of Connecticut Health Center where he was director of the Pediatric Dentistry graduate program for 16 years.  From 1999 to 2016 he was Chairman of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and the Department of Health Promotion and Policy at the University of Maryland.  Dr. Tinanoff has authored or co-authored over 215 publications, primarily on fluoride mechanisms, antimicrobials, caries risk factors, early childhood caries, and prevention.  His current interests are concerned with preventing dental caries, oral health access for underserved children, and developing clinical policies and guidelines.

Vineet Dhar, BDS, MDS, Ph.D. is a board-certified pediatric dentist serving as the assistant dean of postgraduate and professional Studies and the department chair of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, USA. He serves as the Chair of the Science Committee of IAPD and as a member of the Council on Scientific Affairs and Editorial Board of AAPD.  He is also the chair of the AAPD Council on Post-doctoral Education, and the ADA Clinical Excellence Subcommittee of the Council on Scientific Affairs. Dr. Dhar is passionate about evidence-based dentistry and serves on several clinical practice guideline panels.

Kuei-Ling Christine Hsu, DDS, MS currently serves as Clinical Associate Professor and research director in the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD).  Dr. Hsu completed her pediatric dental residency and M.S. at the University of Alabama at Birmingham followed by the completion of her pediatric dentistry fellowship at UMSOD. Dr. Hsu is also a Ph.D. candidate in the Dental Biomedical Science program at UMSOD. 

In addition to clinical dentistry, her research interests primarily focus on the oral microbiome and its functional aspects related to dental diseases. Dr. Hsu’s current project involves ‘omic analyses (proteomic, transcriptomic, metabolomics, and lipidomic) of oral microbial populations in caries and periodontitis progression of the pediatric population through collaborations with Faculty within the campus and outside the campus.

Dr. Hsu holds a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and serves as a reviewer of several professional dental journals.

Erica Caffrey, DDS is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Program Director of the pediatric dentistry residency program at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, where her clinical and research areas are focused on resident education and dental care for vulnerable populations.  Previously, Dr. Caffrey spent five years as an attending at Children’s National Hospital and a private practitioner in the DMV.  She received her dental degree from Columbia University and completed her residency at Children’s National.

Dr. Caffrey is the Chair-Elect of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s Council of Clinical Affairs and has been the lead author on multiple AAPD Policies and Best Practice documents. 

She is the recipient of multiple awards, including the 2017 AAPD Samuel Harris Public Policy Fellowship and the 2022 American Board of Pediatric Dentistry Research Fellowship.  She has presented her past research at numerous hospitals and international conferences, including her work on childhood obesity and state Medicaid benefits for children’s dental services. 

Dr. Caffrey lives in Maryland with her husband and two children. 

Martina Majstorovic, D.M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D. is a clinical associate professor and a full-time faculty at the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Division of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, with a clinical privilege at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

She has been mentoring both undergraduate and postgraduate dental students/residents in their academic and clinical education. She received her clinical certificate, as well as master's and doctoral degrees in pediatric dentistry in Europe (Croatia).

She has been professionally active both domestically and internationally. She was awarded the Huygens scholarship for scientific and clinical research which she spent in the Cariology, Endodontology, and Pedodontology Department at the Academisch Centrum Tandheelkunde Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She accomplished her Fulbright fellowship in the pediatric dentistry department at the New York University College of Dentistry, where she later became an Adjunct Associate Professor. She has been actively participating in conferences and meetings as a member of both the European and American professional societies. She has been involved in research and clinical projects and has published scientific papers in the field of pediatric dentistry.

Evidence-based Non-restorative Care Pathways for Caries Management
Presenter: Glenn Canares, DDS, MSD
The latest in research in evidence-based dentistry can be confusing, hard to interpret, and difficult to adapt into clinical practice. We can run into barriers of too much information, not enough, or data contrary to what we currently believe. We will review the current evidence and non-restorative care pathways for caries management to empower ourselves with more tools to fight dental disease.

Fluoride Mechanisms, Efficacy, and Clinical Applications
Presenter: Norman Tinanoff, DDS, MS
This presentation will address both systemic and topical fluoride therapy for children in the context of the changes in systemic fluoride, benefits in an era of less caries, and recent clinical guidelines. The mechanisms of topical fluoride also have evolved, especially regarding metal/fluorides, and will be discussed. Additionally, the efficacy of various fluoride therapies (fluoride supplements, fluoridated toothpaste, and professional applications) along with caries risk assessment should help guide clinicians regarding optimizing benefits.

Evidence for Pulp Therapies in Primary Teeth
Presenter: Vineet Dhar, BDS, MDS, PhD
This presentation will explain AAPD’s pulp therapy guidelines from a clinician’s perspective and evaluate in-depth the basis and interpretation of the evidence-based findings for vital and non-vital pulp therapies in primary teeth.

Evidence-based Review on Using Stainless Steel Crowns (SSCs) in Primary Teeth
Presenter: Kuei-Ling Christine Hsu, DDS, MS
This presentation will review the concept and the process of the systematic review and its contribution to evidence-based care in restorative treatment of primary teeth, including the indications/contraindications of using SSCs, current systems & evidence, and step-by-step clinical procedures.

Dental Management of Children with Special Health Care Needs
Presenter: Erica Caffrey, DDS
In this presentation, Dr. Caffrey will highlight screening tools for common conditions such as autism, ADHD, and depression that may be used to gather information about pediatric patients prior to their dental exam and may inform ways to improve their time in the dental chair. She’ll review common childhood conditions, give examples of child patients with medical complexities and discuss strategies to manage their dental needs in the operatory.  The need for collaboration and coordination of care with medical professionals will be further addressed through case presentations.  

Odontogenic Infection in Pediatric Dentistry
Presenter: Martina Majstorović, DMD, MSc, PhD
Odontogenic infection, commonly referred to as “dental infection”, typically originates from a bacterial infection related to either untreated dental caries or periodontal (“periodontitis”) and/or gingival (“gingivitis”) diseases.  If any of these conditions are left untreated, the infection can spread further into the gum and supporting tissues, eventually resulting in swelling, jaw pain, and further dissemination to the head and neck regions, which ultimately could be life-threatening to the patient.  Odontogenic infection requires immediate and urgent treatment.  The decision-making process often implies collaboration and mutual agreement between a pediatric dentist and an oral-maxillofacial surgeon.

Evidence-based Non-restorative Care Pathways for Caries Management
During this presentation, participants will:

• Explain the principles of controlling Early Childhood Caries (ECC) via the Chronic Disease Model (CDM).
• Explain care pathways that guide the selection of multiple ECC management options to address the individual needs of each patient and the goals and elements of an ‘active surveillance loop’.
• Contrast the evidence supporting the use of each treatment modality of the ECC-CDM.
• Recognize the indications of caries arrest mechanisms in both pediatric and adult populations.

Fluoride Mechanisms, Efficacy, and Clinical Applications
During this presentation, participants will:

• Understand the differences between topical and systematic fluoride.
• Know the mechanisms of action of fluoride that affect the carious process.
• Know the mechanisms of action of fluoride compounds other than sodium fluoride.
• Be familiar with the concentrations of fluoride in professional topical treatments, and home fluoride products.
• Know the relative efficacy of fluoride water, mouth rinses, 0.1 and 0.5% toothpaste, fluoride varnish, gels, and SDF.
• Design a fluoride program for children of different ages with low and at high caries risk.
• Understand the issues raised by individuals that are against fluoride.

Evidence for Pulp Therapies in Primary Teeth
During this presentation, participants will:

• Upon completion, the participant will be able to understand the evidence-based recommendations supporting vital pulp therapies in teeth.
• Upon completion, the participant will be able to understand the evidence-based recommendations supporting non-vital pulp therapies in primary teeth including LSTR.

Evidence-based Review and Hands-on Workshop on Using Stainless Steel Crowns (SSCs) in Primary Teeth
During this presentation, participants will:

• Understand the concept of the systematic review process and contribution to evidence-based guidelines.
• Understand the indications of using SSCs in primary teeth based on the current literature.
• Summarize the evidence base for the use of SSCs in primary teeth.

Dental Management of Children with Special Health Care Needs 
During this presentation, participants will:

• Learn about current screening tools and diagnoses for children with special health care needs and their relevance to the dental clinic.
• Review common childhood medical conditions and how to communicate concerns with pediatricians.

Odontogenic Infection in Pediatric Dentistry 
During this presentation, participants will:

• Discuss and define basic principles of effective management care regarding diagnosis, the election of setting care, and treatment options, including surgical interventions and medical support, and/or antibiotic therapy.