Education

GSK Health Partner showcases how UK dentistry is rising to the challenge

A new campaign by GSK aims to showcase how dental practices and professionals across the UK have risen to the challenges of effective patient care during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the video series, GSK showcases the resilience, passion and adaptability of the dental profession as it responds to new guidelines as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The videos are delivered by practitioners who have made small but imaginative changes to help patients to improve their dental health. Five voices, three videos, one goal: to share learnings and inspire better oral health. These videos can be viewed on: https://www.gskhealthpartner.com/en-gb/dentistry-innovation-rising-challenge/.

The series includes advice from Stuart Garton, a Practice Owner from Liverpool on seizing opportunities to embrace innovation, rethink practice and transform the patient experience. Additional content includes help with behaviour change and how the profession is coming together to evolve dental care including the role of new guidelines as a catalyst for innovation, inspiration and collaboration.

Andrei Gutierrez, Senior Expert Marketing Manager at GSK comments: “We hope that this series of videos can help to raise the profile of the continued dedication and commitment of the dental team during this challenging time and provide inspiration to other dental care professionals about how guidelines have become a catalyst for innovation, inspiration and collaboration. As Covid-19 restrictions continue across the world, the message of prevention of oral disease is more important than ever”.

Communication course helps dental teams secure success in 2021

2020 robbed many of us of one of the most fundamental things we crave – human contact and connection – with lockdowns and restrictions to our daily lives having a huge impact on mental health1-2 and leaving many people feeling isolated, afraid and alone.

As we head into 2021 with yet more uncertainty ahead of us, Dr Barry Oulton, a highly experienced dentist, lecturer, trainer and business man, is encouraging dental teams to put building rapport with their patients at the forefront.

His two-day course, Influencing Smiles, is a powerful lesson in communication and sales which teaches principal dentists and their teams how to sell with integrity and communicate with confidence.

It helps dentists boost their confidence and reduce conflict and complaints in their practices at the same time as improving their interactions with patients and boosting treatment uptake by facilitating clearer discussions around options and costs.

Upcoming events for 2021 (depending on Covid-restrictions) include:

  • 12th & 13th March – Birmingham
  • 14th &15th May – London
  • 11th & 12th June – Birmingham
  • 24th & 25th Sept – London
  • 15th & 16th Oct – Birmingham

Courses run from 9am-6pm on Friday and 8am to 5pm on Saturday.

For further details, please visit www.theconfidentdentist.com or call 0333 220 2447 or email sally@theconfidentdentist.com.

Megan Fairhall running tooth whitening training courses online

Megan Fairhall has been successfully running tooth whitening training course for a number of years, but has launched them online to help DH&DT’s get started with whitening treatments once they are able to return back to work after lockdown, especially as whitening is a non AGP procedure, and therefore could help them reignite their patient engagement.

As well as covering all the theory behind teeth whitening, Megan talks her peers through the practical aspects of the whitening journey. From gaining appropriate prescriptions through to managing individual patient cases and explaining aftercare, for both take-home and chair-side whitening with using Philips ZOOM!  Her ultimate aim is to ensure attendees finish the course confident to play their role in teeth whitening procedures in their practice. Megan also shares her expertise on marketing and social media to empower each delegate to create their own marketing plans and maximise the newly acquired skills to attract new patients. 

On Zoom

The online day course will run via a live Zoom link which course delegates receive upon signing up. 

The online courses are being run in association with Philips Oral Healthcare and are designed to educate Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists.  Next dates for 2020 are Saturday 14th November and Saturday 5th December. Each delegate will also receive a Philips Sonicare electric toothbrush and a certificate for six hours eCPD.

The course costs £299.00.

Megan will be taking a step by step guide to the process of whitening; sharing information about which treatments are available, taking impressions, making home whitening trays, the procedure itself, and finally following patients up.  Megan will also be looking at marketing and social media activities and how to attract patients through the digital channels.

Megan commented: “The business of tooth whitening makes most business sense when every member of the team gets involved. The fact that tooth whitening treatment can be legally and safely provided to the prescription of a dentist does not mean that all necessary steps linked to tooth whitening are incumbent on them to carry out. Dental hygienists and therapists can carry out the whitening itself under the prescription from a dentist and treatment coordinators, dental nurses, practice managers, receptionists, can actively contribute. This creates a collaborative sense of achievement, helps maintain good teamwork spirit, helps the dentist, and ultimately creates all the right ingredients to deliver a flawless experience to the patient”.

For more information and to sign up please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/megan-fairhall-17244777321

DDU launches free Situation Judgement Test e-learning course for student members

The Dental Defence Union (DDU) has today launched its online DF1Success course to support its student dental members taking the Situation Judgement Test (SJT) this November.

The free, one hour e-learning course is designed to offer practical interactive support to final year students, helping to boost their confidence with taking the SJT. It provides sample SJT questions and expert advice from our dento-legal advisers on how to apply dento-legal principles to the SJT.

Areas covered in the DF1Success course include:

  • What qualities the SJT is looking for
  • Practical tips on taking the test
  • Analysing sample SJT questions

Although the SJT has previously been part of the selection process for foundation training, it is even more important this year, as due to the coronavirus pandemic, applications will be ranked based on the SJT score alone.

Sue N’Jie, dento-legal adviser at the DDU, said: “Previously, our face-to-face DF1Success course was extremely popular because we used our expertise to help students understand how to apply dento-legal principles during the assessment process. This new e-learning course enables us to provide the same practical support virtually to our final year dental student members before their assessment in November.”

Debbie Herbst, also a dento-legal adviser at the DDU, commented: “Upon completing the course, not only will members have had experience of answering situational judgement questions but also an understanding of how to apply dento-legal principles to a range of professional situations.”

For more information about the DF1Success course, click here.  

Victoria Wilson hosting 5-week course on how to launch a sustainable oral health promotional project

Dental Therapist and creator of the Smile Revolution podcast series, Victoria Wilson, has developed a new course, supported by Philips, to help dental professionals learn the steps needed to launch a sustainable oral health promotional project in 5 weeks, and the confidence to start a new venture they have mapped out. The five-week course starts from Monday 24th August 2020.

“As a dental profession we continue to treat the most prevalent preventative disease globally,” explained Victoria. “We have so many amazing clinicians, but are limited in our reach through clinical work alone, staying in clinic and this is exactly why Smile Revolution is running the course, to give clinicians insight into opportunities they can explore and develop.

“More recently we are witnessing a very different landscape where many dental professionals are feeling more insecure, worried and vulnerable. I know many hygienists and therapists who have experienced real financial, mental health and professional challenges, and this really urged me to create this course for the profession.”

The course is designed to help dentists, DH&Ts and nurses explore how they can expand their horizons. At the end of the five weeks, participants will have learnt how to create a business proposal and will be ready to launch their project.

“Everyone has aspirations and ideas, and I want to help them ‘think outside the box’, use their working environment and their skillset to allow them to flourish,” Victoria continues. “It is not easy to work on your own so working collaboratively on the course to develop the right business skills should make a tangible difference. To enable delegates to reach this stage, they will be set specific tasks to work towards, and they will be asked to put together a viable sustainable business module with the elements which we will have discussed throughout the weeks.

“For delegates who still wish to be further supported and mentored following the course, I will be there for them to continue to move the project forward. I feel it is my duty as a dental professional to help my peers and I am committed throughout this journey. I want them to run a project that is viable, sustainable and has a measurable impact on oral health.”

The first four people to register for the course will receive a £700 discount. In addition, because Philips understands the need for resources for health promotion, the company is offering all registrants a resource kit which includes a Sonicare ProtectiveClean 4300, practice posters, recommender pads, clinical study information and patient information leaflets.

For more information about the course, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/launch-an-oral-health-promotion-project-business-5-week-course-tickets-107758117430.

A-Levels chaos could cause dentistry students to be deferred

Several universities have demanded urgent clarity from the government following the back-and-forth controversy that has plagued this year’s A-Level exam results. Following the public outcry and anger generated by the algorithms initially employed to determine the A-Level results of pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland it has now been announced that students will instead be able to receive grades scored by their teachers.

Now, leading universities have stated that students receiving higher grades following the government’s U-turn could be asked to defer their place if there is no space left on their preferred course. In some courses, including dentistry, institutions may not be able to admit students this year.

“We are therefore seeking clarity from the Government and relevant agencies about ensuring as many students as possible can be accepted to their first-choice university,” said vice-chancellor Professor Chris Day and deputy vice-chancellor Professor Julie Sanders from Newcastle University. “We recognise, however, that some programmes have an externally-determined cap where numbers are tightly restricted because of space or specialist facilities. This is particularly the case for clinical subjects such as medicine and dentistry. We are therefore seeking clarity from the Government and relevant agencies about ensuring as many students as possible can be accepted to their first-choice university. Where this is not possible, we will guarantee a deferred place for next year.”

Queen’s University Belfast, meanwhile, is seeking clarity as to whether the quotas for medicine and dentistry courses could be adjusted. A spokeswoman said: “Any applicants to quota-controlled courses who meet the conditions of their offer but cannot be allocated a place for the forthcoming academic year will be provided an unconditional offer for the 2021-22 academic year.”

Back to Practice webinars return with two-parter on sugarfree gum

The British Dental Conference & Dentistry Show is delighted to invite you to the next installment of its ‘Back to Practice’ webinar series in partnership with Wrigley Oral Healthcare Programme. All members of the dental team are welcome to join this free-to-attend two-part webinar series.

Part one: Chew on this! Does sugarfree gum help prevent caries?

Sponsored by Wrigley Oral Healthcare Programme, this webinar on 21st July at 7pm is led by Professor Avi Banerjee of Kings’ College London, who will consider the role, efficacy and impact of sugarfree gum in minimum intervention oral healthcare. 

Learning Outcomes:

  • Describe the minimum intervention approach towards delivering better oral health;
  • Outline the effects of sugarfree gum on oral tissues and their effectiveness in different populations;
  • Discuss the implementation of sugarfree gum in minimum intervention preventive regimes to help combat oral diseases/conditions;
  • Understand the basic formulation, claims and regulatory positioning of sugarfree gum;
  • Describe how sugarfree gum exerts oral health benefits primarily through salivary stimulation;
  • Describe how different sweeteners and active agents might influence efficacy of sugarfree gum;
  • Highlight the range of published studies that have explored the impact of sugarfree gum on oral health;
  • Outline the effects of sugarfree gum on salivary flow.

 

Part two: Chewing it over! Implementation of sugarfree gum in caries prevention regimes

Taking place 4th August at 7PM, part two will consider the materials and tools needed by dental professionals to support oral health strategies and promote healthy mouths.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Identification of practical brief chair side interventions to behaviour change in dental practice;
  • Identification of relevant facilitating factors and barriers to practitioner/patient communication;
  • Identification of strategies to ensure the advice offered by the dental professional is received and recalled by the patient;
  • Seeking the view of practitioners regarding what materials and tools they find useful to support patients to change their behaviour.

By signing-up to this online series, you will have exclusive access to both webinars.
http://dentistryshow.msgfocus.com/c/12wqfrBHMXAj28zu0Ta2A6s3GM

Inaugural GC Europe International MI Congress presents Minimum Intervention Dentistry

In preparation for GC’s 100th anniversary in 2021, the 1st GC Europe International MI Congress took place on 20th June 2020. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the format had to be changed to an online continuing education event. Over 2,000 participants signed up for the live sessions and were able to be a part of a remarkable and successful day.

The Congress consisted of nine sessions on Minimum Intervention Dentistry, informing delegates about the latest scientific and professional strategies to promote responsible decision-making in modern dentistry. Question and answer sessions rounded up the professional exchange to the topics at hand.

Online continuing education is in high demand among dental professionals, especially during the current exceptional circumstances.

Dental professionals and administration teams feel more comfortable utilising the internet to learn about new treatment options, related innovative products as well as application strategies from the comfort of their home or office. The high level of attendance and participation in the Congress webinars throughout the entire day confirmed the increased interest in this alternative format.

The webinars can be accessed on demand at www.gceuropecampus.com.

Dentsply Sirona’s Clinical Education Program results in strong attendance worldwide – three times higher than pre-pandemic

Dentsply Sirona is recognised as one of the largest providers of comprehensive clinical education programs in the dental industry. Education and training are core to the mission of Dentsply Sirona’s Academy, with the goal of providing dentists, team members and dental technicians with training on dental procedures, latest dental technology as well as inspiration to develop themselves and their practices. In 2019, more than 470,000 dental professionals participated in nearly 15,000 courses organised by the Dentsply Sirona Academy and supported by leading clinical experts and organisations. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Dentsply Sirona Academy team quickly transitioned from in-person courses to webinars and on-demand learning and provided timely education and support during this global health crisis.

The statistics prove it: Dentsply Sirona has its finger on the pulse of important educational topics in dentistry. In 2019, more than 470,000 dental professionals in 97 countries participated in one or more courses. More than three-fourths of participants were dentists, four percent were hygienists, and nearly 20,000 were dental technicians. Also, the number of participating students grew to more than 41,000. Altogether, they took part in almost 15,000 courses, including live lectures, product trainings, train-the-trainer sessions, self-instructional courses, webinars and hands-on workshops.

Covid-19: A catalyst for digital dentistry and education
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many traditional workflows and procedures in dental practices are currently being evaluated, largely due to the enhanced hygiene requirements brought by the pandemic. The digital workflow and single visit dentistry are becoming increasingly important as it enables more contactless work processes and communication and can limit the number of office visits needed for dental treatment. While dentists may have been hesitant to go digital in the past, they can see the value of adopting digital solutions in their offices.

Thanks to its many years of leadership and innovation in digital dentistry, Dentsply Sirona offers the state-of-the art digital solutions for a wide range of dental procedures, perfectly adapted to the current needs of dentists and dental technicians. And since the introduction of the Primescan intraoral scanner, the interest in digital dentistry has increased noticeably in the market. Dentsply Sirona has organised comprehensive Clinical Education programs and resources specifically designed to support customers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Like many other aspects of the dental industry, in-person clinical education and workshops were no longer possible during the Covid-19 outbreaks throughout the world, so many dental professionals have been using the time to improve their knowledge about various dental fields including infection prevention, endodontics, and implant dentistry using the Dentsply Sirona online courses. Since the start of the corona pandemic, more than 377,000 people around the globe registered for 636 Dentsply Sirona Academy live webinars over a ten-week period. Enrollment and completion of the on-demand courses are also rising – with almost 10,764 new program enrollees in the last couple of months. Attendance peaked in late April and has steadily declined since then, as dental professionals turned their attention back to resuming dental services. Even so, Dentsply Sirona’s pace of educational offerings remains strong. Webinars are settling in at a “new normal” of up to 48 webinars/week, three times higher than pre-pandemic. And the On-Demand library now contains 154 courses.

The program’s three key course topics remain the same: endodontics, implant dentistry and restorative dentistry, and there is still steady interest in CAD/CAM, preventive dentistry and ultrasonic instrumentation and imaging. However, there is a noticeable spike in program participants for classes on hygiene, infection prevention, risk minimization, and practical implementation during the Covid-19 crisis.

“The past few months have not been easy. Dealing with the pandemic, the massive reduction in the number of treatments in the practice has been an enormous challenge,” summarises Dr Lori Trost, dentist from Red Bud, Illinois, USA. “I was able to make good use of the time for further training and was particularly grateful for the very early information on infection prevention when establishing new practice protocols in the webinars and on-demand courses offered by Dentsply Sirona”.

“The dental profession is globally respected for its commitment to the prevention of oral diseases and to patient safety. Similarly, the profession is recognised for its willingness to adapt to challenging situations, including disease outbreaks, in order to support the public’s health and well-being. I am glad that we have faced the current pandemic together with our customers. We have focused our attention on providing them with helpful clinical resources, including a comprehensive webinar offering and on-demand courses,” explains Dr Terri Dolan, Chief Clinical Officer of Dentsply Sirona. “Supporting the dental profession and the safe delivery of dental services remains a primary focus of these seminars. We see the use of educational technologies as a great way to support our customers, introduce new clinical concepts, and explain procedures and solutions. Providing these educational opportunities, paired with our leading materials and technologies, is key to empowering dental professionals and improving dental care and oral health.”

In developing and providing courses, Dentsply Sirona actively collaborates with clinical and technical experts in all aspects of dentistry. Curricula are developed in collaboration with universities and dental schools, as well as professional dental organisations, to support dental professionals around the world.

More information about webinars and on-demand courses is available on Dentsply Sirona Website: https://www.dentsplysirona.com/education.

The Time Bomb of Children’s Oral Health – Upcoming Webinar to Discuss Post-Covid Issues

Eminent dentists, hygienists, academics and a politician are being brought together to discuss current issues around children’s oral health and the challenges arising from Covid-19 as it effects the UK and the rest of the world. In the UK alone, around a quarter of 5 year olds in the UK having had tooth decay and the latest Public Health England figures showing there were 14,545 tooth extractions within this age group. And, the cost of tooth extractions for young children is now approaching £8 million.

A webinar for dentists, hygienists and all those interested in children’s oral health, is being held on Wednesday 24 June at 13.00 UK time. The event is free and you can register via: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9zUm2inVRJ2Ag8JD1atVUg 

All participants will be eligible for one hour CDP.

Speakers on the webinar will include Sir Paul Beresford, Dentist and MP; Professor Ferranti Wong, Professor of Paediatric Dentistry QMUL and Emma Pacey, Regional Lead for Dental Therapy at Health Education England LaKSS

The webinar is being hosted by Victoria Wilson, Dental Hygienist and Founder of the Smile Revolution and also includes Dr Nigel Carter, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation and Professor Robert Hill Chair of Physical Sciences in the Dental Institute at QMUL.

Richard Whatley, Chief Executive of Biomin Technologies, who is organising the webinar said,” These expert professionals are well placed to discuss the serious issues around oral health for children both currently and in the post Covid world. They will look at the situation from a global perspective covering policy to clinical matters and assess how children’s oral health can be improved.”

The speakers will also consider the Government’s current strategy and how Britain compares to the rest of the world in terms of oral health for children.

“It is estimated there have been 800,000 missed dental appointments, across all ages, in the UK alone due to Covid-19,” said Biomin’s Richard Whatley. “Looking ahead, it is important to not only ensure safe dental treatment but also to come up with strategies to motivate and inspire engagement in oral health among young children.”

The webinar will also look problems areas including hypoplysia and possible solutions including re-mineralising products, such as the new Biomin F for Kids, which could help address children’s oral health. This new toothpaste for children aged three to six, is based on the same clinically proven technology as BioMin F and actively restores and protects children’s teeth, preventing damage.