A large proportion of dental hygiene patients suffer with mental health issues which in turn affect their oral health. Evidence concerning mental health issues and how patients and dental professionals are affected will be discussed in this live session, along with signs and symptoms of the most common conditions of anxiety and depression. Management and treatment strategies will be covered, including proactive approaches for suicide prevention. The key takeaways from this session can be utilized in patient care and for achieving whole body health in ourselves.

Sherri Lukes, RDH, MS, FAADH has more than 40 years of experience in dentistry, 28 spent in academia. In 2014 she retired as an associate professor from Southern Illinois University Dental Hygiene Program where she taught oral pathology, community oral health, multicultural dental hygiene, and advanced periodontics clinic. Her research concentration was in oral pathology, migrant farm worker oral health, and challenges of other underserved groups, resulting in multiple peer-reviewed publications. A Pathology Fellow and approved speaker of the American Academy of Dental Hygiene, Sherri enjoys integrating her expertise from years of teaching and research into CE courses to empower hygienists in the delivery of care. Ms. Lukes is a Past President of the Illinois Dental Hygienists’ Association.

Community service projects include biannual mission trips to central Mexico, where accompanied by SIU dental hygiene students, she provides oral health care in an orphanage and remote villages. She received Community Service, Teacher of the Year, and Research Paper of the Year awards while at SIU, was named an Oral Health Champion by the IFLOSS Coalition and the Illinois Department of Public Health and is a past recipient of the Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction.