Package Description

This webinar will offer an overview of the progression of safety activities emerging from one specialty, serving as a blueprint for other organizations interested in building their safety portfolio and expertise. Participants will examine how pediatric dentistry has responded to safety events with the development of policy and best practices, safety curriculum for residency programs, easy-to-implement tools for private practice dentistry, and more.

The session will not only highlight the current movement of safety in pediatric dental care but also serve as a resource for dental professionals, administrators, and anyone interested in fostering a culture of safety in their dental work environment.

Please join the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry as we delve into the strategies and collaborative efforts that have helped kickstart safety initiatives in our organization and hear some of the feedback that has been offered to us along the way to create a culture of safety that seeks to be inclusive of all voices in pediatric dentistry from residents to dental faculty and private practitioners.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe themes of patient and team safety in the clinical dental environment.
2. Find and employ tools for maintaining a safe environment for dental care.
3. Discuss gaps in current safety research in dentistry.

Price:

• Members & Non-Members: Free

Continuing Education

ADS, formerly known as OSAP, 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.

Please email the ADS office at [email protected] or call +1 (410) 571-0003 if you wish to be in contact with the course author/creator(s) with any questions or for clarification of course concepts or for technical assistance in completing the online test.

All participants assume individual responsibility for providing evidence of contact hours of continuing education to the appropriate authorities and for the maintenance of their individual records.

Learn more about our CE Program & Provider Recognition.

CE Credits: 1.0
Educational Method: Self-instructional (self-study)
Location: Online
Publication Date: September 2025 
Expiration Date: September 30, 2028

Speakers:

Joe Castellano, DDS

Dr. Joe Castellano is the partner in a private practice in Laredo, Texas. He is a graduate of the University of Texas Dental Branch in Houston and completed his one-year residency in advanced general dentistry and later a two-year residency to specialize in the field of pediatric dentistry. Both residencies were completed at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Castellano is board certified and an assistant Clinical Professor for the Department of Developmental Dentistry at UTHSC-SA Dental School. He is also a graduate of the AAPD Leadership Institute and the AAPD Advanced Leadership Institute. Dr. Castellano is a fellow of the American College of Dentists and past president of the AAPD.

Disclosures: No relevant financial relationships to disclose

Alexandra Otto, DDS, FACD, FACD, FPFA

Dr. Alexandra Otto is a pediatric dentist and co-founder of Kids Tooth Team Pediatric Dentistry, a pediatric group practice with locations in Buda, Kyle & South Austin, Texas. She and her husband Tim are also the founders of Alcan Dental Cooperative, a pediatric dental Practice Partnership Organization. Dr. Otto is a graduate of VCU’s School of Dentistry, Denver Health Medical Center’s General Practice Residency, and the NYU Langone Health’s Advanced Education in Pediatric Dentistry program at Southcentral Foundation in Anchorage, Alaska. Dr. Otto is a passionate advocate for the dental profession and has served as a national leader for the ADA, AGD, and ASDA. She is a current ADA Success Program speaker, KOL and speaker for Sprig and Carestack, and a 2021 graduate of the ADA’s Institute for Diversity in Leadership. She is honored to have been inducted as a fellow in the American College of Dentists, Academy of General Dentistry, and the Pierre Fauchard Academy. Dr. Otto and her family reside in Buda, Texas and are also the founders of a 501c3 non-profit organization called Kids Tooth Team Outreach. The program is a school based dental home that provides free dental care to underserved children in central Texas through the use of a 2-operatory dental RV mobile clinic. Kids Tooth Team Outreach began in 2022 and already provided over $200k of free dental care to children in need.

Disclosures: No relevant financial relationships to disclose

Educational Funding Provided By: