Learning Objectives: 

• Identify key oral-systemic mechanisms, including inflammatory load, epithelial barrier dysfunction, and immune dysregulation.  
• Evaluate how oral biofilms and cellular activity influence chronic systemic conditions.  
• Incorporate science-based hygiene tools—including specific ingredients and diagnostics—that support mucosal healing and microbiome balance.  
• Translate complex science into practical patient education for improved adherence and outcomes.  
• Reframe the role of the dental hygienist in systemic care with confidence, credibility, and collaboration.

Everyone’s talking about oral-systemic health—but how many of us really understand what’s happening at the cellular and immunological level?  This session goes beyond the buzzwords to uncover the overlooked mechanisms linking the mouth to the body. We’ll trace the impact of gingival inflammation, dysbiosis, and neutrophil dysregulation on chronic disease pathways including cardiovascular risk, autoimmunity, and metabolic dysfunction. Using clinically relevant case studies, emerging microbiome science, and actionable product insights, this talk will equip hygienists with the knowledge they need to detect systemic clues in the mouth—and intervene meaningfully.  Learn how salivary biomarkers (like neutrophil elastase and inflammatory cytokines) are transforming diagnostic hygiene, and how the right hygiene products—and ingredients—can modulate healing at the epithelial and microbiome levels.  This session will challenge outdated thinking and give you a framework for integrative hygiene practice: one rooted in science, empowered by tools, and ready for the next generation of preventive care.  This is for the clinician who wants more than just a “healthy mouth.” This is for the clinician who wants a healthier human.