Screening for Functional and Developmental Issues in Children Under Age 6 with Airway Concerns
2026-04-28 18:00 - 20:00 UTC
This course will provide dentists with a comprehensive framework for identifying airway-related craniofacial development concerns in children under six years of age. Participants will learn how to assess skeletal and functional indicators, determine when early expansion may be appropriate, and understand interdisciplinary collaboration for optimal patient outcomes.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will learn how to:

Understand oral functional development and how it may impact craniofacial growth and development.
Understand the relationship between airway development and growth of the nasomaxillary complex, along with clinical signs of airway compromise in children under age six
Identify screening methods appropriate for young patients
Become familiar with treatment approaches for oral functional issues based on age or stage of development
Understand challenges to achieving successful outcomes with releasing oral soft tissue restrictions and growth modification/maxillary expansion

Tracy Tran, DDS

About the Speaker

Dr. Tran is a Board-Certified Pediatric Dentist who specializes in infant & pediatric oral ties, as well as pediatric sleep issues. She is a Michigan native who first landed in Southern California to attend dental school at USC’s Ostrow School of Dentistry (Fight on class of 2011!) After graduation, Dr. Tran went on to complete a 1-year general practice residency where she received additional training in all aspects of dentistry, with an emphasis in oral surgery. She performed surgical procedures in maxillofacial trauma under the attending of Oromaxillofacial, ENT and plastic surgeons. During the following two years, Dr. Tran continued her specialty training in pediatric dentistry, while completing her Master’s in Biomedical Science.
‍
Since being in private practice, Dr. Tran has focused her continuing education on pediatric tethered oral tissue (TOTs) and its relationship with oral dysfunction in order to diagnose orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMDs). This includes difficulties with infant nursing, toddler feeding & swallowing, speech articulation, and pediatric sleep disordered breathing. She has successfully treated these patients through a collaborative team approach, and continues to expand her knowledge and experience in this niche specialty.
Becoming a board certified Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry is not an easy feat, and Dr. Tran is proud to say she did it!

Membership is being verified. All registrants will receive a personalized webinar link. If you do not receive a webinar link 2 days before the class, please call the OCDS office at (714) 634-8944 or email srobers@ocds.org. This course will not be recorded.

CANCELLATION POLICY: Refund requests for meetings will only be honored up to 4:30 pm one week prior to the meeting. No refunds will be made for requests received subsequent to that time.
