August 2010
Tipton Training in Cape Town – the Implant and Aesthetic Academy, started a number of years ago by Dr Howard Gluckman, Professor Andre van Zyl and the late Dr Mark Otto; three gifted clinicians with a strong academic backing. They offer a two-year course in
implantology which can lead to an MSc in Implantology from a leading German University. The Aesthetic Dentistry course
proved to be exactly what I needed. The course days were presented in a logical fashion with a combination of hands-on tooth preparation, practicals, demonstrations and lectures with a small amount of scientific reading. It gave me a completely new way of thinking and the emphasis on detail and quality in all aspects of the programme was very reassuring. It certainly helped me to steer away from bad habits, and the important time- and cost-saving “short cuts” I learned have really benefited my own practice.
Although an old dog like me was
obviously familiar with most of the content and clinical procedures, it was still a great exercise in confirming I am still on the right track, and I most definitely picked up a lot of subtle detail with every session.
Overall, it was very useful for me
as an “outsider” to see where I could slot into the UK system. As for working in the UK, a fully
private practice in the beautiful city of Cape Town is a long way removed from a mixed NHS/private practice in the Midlands. Clients and their expectations
differ tremendously, but I have found British patients to be highly appreciative of the extra little bit of time and care you give them when consulting on cosmetic options. In time, I hope to reap the benefits of giving patients the proper care and attention they deserve which should result in more patients coming to me for cosmetic work. In this regard, the training has
given me the confidence to spread the gospel that is “aesthetic dentistry” as I am assured my approach is backed by solid scientific fact and clinical know-how. My positive experience of the
aesthetic dentistry course has also prompted me to enrol for the implantology course this year. While I have performed many
implant “cases”, I need to find a UK benchmark and, from past experience, I am convinced further training will stand me in good stead and help me to develop my interest in the field of implants even more.
DENTAL EDUCATION LTD presents
Dr Howard Stean and his team BDS, LDS MGDS, RCS
Visiting Professor in Restorative Dentistry, Univ Havana 2010-2011 COURSE IN AESTHETIC RESTORATIVE DENTISTRY
5 Wednesdays 2-8 pm, September to February
u Practical Hands-on exercises u State of the art educational animations u Suitable for practitioners of all ages and designed for the busy dentist u Benefit from the
college of knowledge
u Conveniently arranged for attendance from most parts of the UK u Fully accredited postgraduate tuition: 30 hours verifiable CPD u Pioneers in dental aesthetics since 1971
Fee £2,250 plus VAT Tel: 020 8876 4542
Email:
howardstean@ukteeth.com Website:
www.dentaleducation.org
Apply to: 103 MORTLAKE ROAD, KEW, LONDON TW9 4AA “The best course I ever took.” Dr Nick Jullien. Woking “It will change your working life forever.” Dr Alka Nathewani. Bradford “Given me confidence to tackle more complicated Aesthetic cases.” Dr Marina Carew. Essex “Helped me to enjoy dentistry again.” Dr A. London
www.dental-practice.org
The case for academic dental research
Alistair Lax, Professor of Cellular Microbiology and Director of Graduate Studies at King’s College London Dental Institute
telling me just a few years ago that he could see no need for research, as he could tell by eye if a tooth was decayed or not and needed treatment. I would have been wasting my
I
breath to point out that even I as a non-dentist could see that the current state of dentistry had come about through years of research on the microbiological causes of decay, materials science, engineering and instrumentation. It is always dangerous to assume
that anything has reached its peak and cannot be improved on. Dentistry is no different, and research in all its forms is still necessary and vital if dentistry is to advance. Research is often categorised
somewhat arbitrarily into different kinds, such as basic, strategic, applied
S there a need for academic dental research in 2010? I recall someone from the old school
and translational. What do we mean by these terms, and what value do they have? Basic research is often referred to
rather disparagingly as “curiosity- driven”, with the implication that the benefit is only for the intellectual satisfaction of the person doing it. However, the history of science and medicine tells us that many of the most fundamentally useful discoveries came from someone wanting to discover how things worked – the application of such discoveries often occurs in quite unexpected fields. Were x-rays discovered and developed to enable dentists to identify decay? Strategic and applied research are
somewhat overlapping terms. Both have an underlying aim of wanting to use the discovery in a practical way. Strategic research often tries to find out information that may be useful, for example the catalogue of bacteria
linked to a particular oral infection, while applied research would want to apply that knowledge directly. Translational is similar, but is the
current buzz word that emphasises that basic and strategic research is being translated for patient benefit. The usefulness of these definitions can probably most easily be dealt with by quoting Louis Pasteur who carried out basic and applied research: There is no such thing as basic research and applied research – there are only research and the applications of the results of research. The future direction of dentistry
may be unpredictable, in more ways than one, but we can be certain that technological advances in the subject will only come about through a mix of research and development. Some research may bring incremental change; other discoveries and inventions can cause a paradigm shift. For example, materials will
continue to improve, and a better understanding of the role of microbes is highly likely to lead to new therapies. Stem cell biology offers a tantalising future of new treatments. Carrying out research is often
frustrating, but it is almost always exciting. Master’s students on our courses at King’s all carry out research projects as an essential part of their degree. PhD students on the other hand carry out much more substantial projects over three years, and can really delve into a subject. It is often the work of PhD students that underpins the primary research output of universities. We have a mix of basic scientists
and dentists working on PhDs at the Dental Institute at King’s, but we need more dentists to be seduced by the exhilaration of research. Part- time PhDs are also possible, so why not look into the options of escaping from the routine for a few years?
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READER ENQUIRY DP 121
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