The International Pemphigus & Pemphigoid Foundation (IPPF) has recently announced that is has partnered with the American Dental Association (ADA) for a continuing education course that will help dental professionals identify pemphigus. The course is titled Know-It-When-You-See-It: Diagnosis and Treatment of Oral Pemphigus Vulgaris. Click here to learn more about it. This partnership will help spread awareness about the disease in the field of dentistry and hopefully improve the speed of diagnosis.

About Pemphigus

Pemphigus vulgaris is the most common form of pemphigus, a rare disease that causes blisters to form on the skin and mucus membranes. Pemphigus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system creates autoantibodies. This disease is more common in women and in people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, revealing that people with certain genetic variants are more likely to get it. Symptoms include blisters that break and form into lesions and open wounds. They often first appear in the throat and mouth, making eating and swallowing extremely painful. Other surfaces where blisters may occur include the eyelids, genitalia, anus, and esophagus. Diagnosis of the disease can take a long time. In the past, this disease was often lethal as the open wounds that form can become easily infected, and the painful nature of mouth lesions can prevent patients from eating normally. Click here to learn more about pemphigus.

Spreading Awareness

Initially, this course was presented live as a webinar on April 29th. As it turned out, the program was in high demand and was presented again on June 3rd. A total of 4,000 people registered for these sessions. The course, which is 1.5 hours long, will be made available as part of the ADA’s enduring content. Presenters for this program include:

• Donna Culton, MD, PhD (The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
• Joel Laudenbach, DMD (Atrium Health)
• Rebecca Strong, RN (International Pemphigus & Pemphigoid Foundation)

The course primarily focuses on using case studies to highlight the symptoms and signs of the disease. In addition, the most effective, evidence-based approaches for diagnosis are also covered. For years the IPPF has sought to help spread awareness about pemphigus in the dental field. Pemphigus patients have played a critical role in establishing the partnership with the ADA by sharing their powerful stories with dental students and professionals. 

To learn more about the IPPF, click here.