INTER VIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9>
academics is tough. It is simpler to become an NHS consultant, earn a respectable salary and live without the additional hassle of an academic career. “Most dental schools have a
senior staff complement in their 50s. Many will retire soon and there are concerns about the numbers coming through to replace them. We have lots of local dentists who help teach the students – they do a fabulous job, but don’t have the time to look at or get involved with curriculum design and management or research.” International recruitment could
provide a solution, but that too has become more difficult. It can be hard to verify the training received by applicants from different parts of the world, and there are often difficulties around obtaining work permits. Te UK Border Agency’s robust approach also affects the student body. Even if a School offers an international student a place, there is no guarantee they will obtain a study visa. It not only affects the individual, but also the universities, which increasingly depend on the fee income from international students.
Direct access and demographics Mark predicts that one of the things the profession will have to wrestle with is doing away with dental amalgam. He believes the materials that replace it may not last as long and may need more maintenance. “Direct patient access to dental
hygienists and therapists will have an impact,” he added. “But exactly how they will operate is not clear. I suspect most will work as a team alongside dentists in specific dental centres. Changing demographics mean there will be more elderly people who need ongoing, complex dental care.” In Scotland, one priority is the
provision of services to people in remote areas. Mark acknowledges
Mark Hector is confident about the future of high-quality dentistry in Scotland
that measures are being taken to address this, but it will take some time to know if they are successful. He continued: “Equally impor-
tant is engaging with the most deprived parts of society who still suffer most of the oral ill health. Many avoid regular visits, and their dental and other health may be compromised by a poor diet and lifestyle. “It may be that hygienists and
therapists, possibly together with dentists, end up being the group that provides care for patients who need routine treatment but perhaps can’t get to the practice – the practice might have to go to them.” Tere may be challenges, but
Mark is positive about the future. He concluded: “Dental schools are producing high-quality people who are well trained and have the skills to make a real difference. “I’m very confident about our
graduates – the overwhelming majority are doing a superb job when they leave us, and I am very proud of them.”
11
FROM NAIROBI TO DUNDEE
Mark was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and graduated in Physiology then Dentistry in 1981 from Guy’s Hospital. After three years at the University of Bristol and King’s College, London, he received his PhD. Following three years in oral medicine and pathology at Guy’s Hospital Dental School, he worked at the London Hospital Medical College as a lecturer in Child Dental Health. He gained his Readership in 2001 and in 2002 became Professor of Oral Health of Children at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. From 2009-11, he was President of the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry. Mark has been Dean of Dentistry and Professor of Oral Health of Children at Dundee University since August 2011.
SCO TTISH DENT AL
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