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Q&A
Dr Manoj Tank, 3rd year specialty trainee registrar in periodontology at Guy’s Hospital
• What attracted you to a career in periodontology? I was initially inspired by a teacher of mine whilst at the University of Bristol who allowed me to assist him during some pocket reduction and root resection surgicals. This opened up the specialty as more than just root surface debridement. Once I truly understood that periodontology encompassed both non-surgical and a variety of interesting surgical procedures, I knew this would be perfect for me.
• What do you enjoy most about the specialty? My favourite aspect of periodontology is the delicate soft tissue surgery. There is so much skill involved in how we raise minimally invasive flaps and how we can manipulate soft tissue to do exactly what we want it to do. I also thoroughly enjoy periodontal plastic surgery for treating recession defects, whether that is via free gingival grafts, connective tissue grafts or even with the use of acellular dermal matrix grafts for multiple recession defects.
• What do you find most challenging? The challenge in this field is not always mastering your clinical skills, especially when it comes to your regular ‘bread and butter’ non-surgical treatments. You have to train yourself (no one can do this bit for you) to become an effective life coach for most of your patients. Getting them to understand they have periodontal disease in the first place can be a challenge as it is typically a painless disease. Added to this, modifying their oral hygiene regime can hit you with some resistance, especially as their parents taught them how to brush since early childhood!
• Have you been surprised by any aspect of the job? The main surprise so far has been how much research really goes into the field of periodontology. It’s amazing how many periodontal journals there are, as well as how many high quality scientific papers come through every month. There is research on absolutely everything: treatment techniques, grafting and regenerative materials, periodontal medicine, stem cell biology – the list goes on!
Periodontists offer a wide range of treatments, such as root surface debridement, pocket reduction surgery, regenerative procedures, root resections, crown-lengthening surgery and mucogingival surgery. In addition, periodontists are specially trained and well suited in the surgical placement of dental implants.
Helpful links More information on periodontics as a career is available via the following links:
• British Society of Periodontology: www.
bsperio.org.uk
• Curriculum for specialty training in periodontics:
goo.gl/tnF6HK
1 Steele, J. & O’Sullivan, I. (2011) Adult Dental Health Survey 2009. The Health and Social Care Information Centre. 2 Griffiths G S & Preshaw PM. Manpower planning in periodontology – how many specialists do we need? BDJ 2014; 217: 399-402
• What personal attributes do you feel are important in periodontology? The specialty is a very friendly one, and you would certainly feel this if you were to join us at our British Society of Periodontology (BSP) conferences. I think that inherent attribute paves the way for you to become a successful periodontist, as the patient interaction is so key in achieving high quality treatment results, as well as helping to build your referral base with local dentists.
• What advice would you give to a student or trainee considering the specialty? To know if you want to specialise in a certain field of dentistry you firstly need to experience it in some way. Consider visiting a local specialist in both primary and secondary care settings. If that inspires you then join the BSP and ask to join our new Early Career Group (ECG). We can provide more information about different career pathways in periodontology, as well as give you the opportunity to meet like-minded colleagues, specialty trainees, academics and recently qualified specialists. We meet at every BSP conference and also ensure we arrange a great informal dinner out too!
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