Joana Vasconcelos e Cruz
Health begins in the mouth: dentistry as a pillar of systemic regulation
- Integrated Master’s Degree in Dentistry from Egas Moniz School of Health & Science (2004–2009).
- PhD in Medical Sciences from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), 2020.
- Dentist with clinical practice dedicated to oral surgery and ceramic implantology, neural therapy, and ozone therapy (since 2014).
- Assistant Professor of the curricular units Dental Materials I and II in the Integrated Master’s Degree in Dentistry at Egas Moniz School of Health & Science (since 2010).
- Lecturer in the Postgraduate Program in Ozone Therapy at Egas Moniz School of Health & Science (since 2024).
- Member of the Egas Moniz Interdisciplinary Research Center (CiiEM), since 2018, and holder of Patent No. 115064 for a new BPA-free dental adhesive.
- Author of several scientific articles in indexed journals, as well as posters and oral communications in congresses.
- Thesis Supervisor and Co-Advisor of Master’s theses in the Integrated Master’s Degree in Dentistry.
- Postgraduate in Ozone Therapy from Erisa School (since 2017).
- Master in Neural Therapy from the University of Barcelona (since 2025).
Nationality: Portugal
Scientific areas: Integrative Medicine
8 of november, from 09h45 until 10h30
Room 2
Conference summary
The influence of oral health on overall health is a topic that is increasingly gaining attention in the scientific community. The bidirectional relationship between the two is now widely supported in the current literature.
Integrative dentistry is an approach that regards the patient as a whole, continuously seeking to identify active or silent oral foci that may interfere with systemic health, compromise proper immune function, induce dysbiosis, or fuel chronic inflammatory processes.
In addition to the careful selection of materials—always aiming for more biocompatible and natural options—this approach also includes the study and application of complementary therapeutic tools such as ozone therapy and neural therapy, designed to enhance clinical efficacy and contribute to the global regulation of the organism, thereby promoting a true recovery of homeostasis.
This lecture aims to provide clarity on the benefits of this approach through a review of the latest scientific literature, while emphasizing the active role of the dentist in promoting the patient’s overall health.