Food is Medicine: What Dentists Should Know About Nutrition and Patient Care

Thursday, January 28, 2027

2:00 – 5:00 pm

Course Code:

433TL

Cost:

$130

Credits:

3

CE Hours

Assistant
Dentist
General Health
Hygienist
Lecture

Food is Medicine: What Dentists Should Know About Nutrition, Community Engagement, and Patient Care


This course will introduce the growing “Food is Medicine” (FIM) movement and its relevance to dental practice. Participants will gain an overview of the evolution, scope, and policy landscape shaping FIM, alongside emerging evidence demonstrating its impact on patient outcomes. The session will also highlight practical approaches for integrating FIM into clinical practice and explore how community-engaged strategies for designing and delivering effective FIM interventions to support patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes. These concepts will be introduced to dental medicine, highlighting practical opportunities to incorporate nutrition-informed care into clinical practice and patient education. The session will conclude with a question-and-answer panel with experts from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and its Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University and Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. 

Speakers

After this course attendees will be able to:

  • Define the “Food is Medicine” (FIM) framework, including its scope, key components, and policy context
  • Examine the evidence base supporting FIM interventions and their impact on patient outcomes
  • Implement strategies for integrating FIM into clinical care, including food and nutrition security screening and use of implementation tools such as the Food is Medicine Toolkit
  • Identify how community engagement and local food environments influence the design and success of FIM interventions
  • Assess the role of FIM approaches in improving diet quality and managing chronic conditions, including diabetes, and their implications for dental care
  • Apply practical strategies for integrating FIM into dental practice

Thank you to The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and Tufts School of Dental Medicine for their collaboration on this program.

The Massachusetts Dental Society is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider

ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental 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 the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition at

ADA.org/CERP