Written by Miss Cathy-Ann Smith & Miss Kim Alleyne
Dentistry in Paradise, a Continuing Dental Education programme was held for one week (June 14th-20th 2003), at The Jolly Beach Resort Antigua. The convention started with an opening ceremony where the guest speaker was the Governor General of Antigua, Sir James Carlisle, who is a Dentist by profession. The meeting was well attended by Dentists, Dental Auxiliaries, Dental Technicians and Dental Assistants, from the Caribbean and Canada, the USA and the UK.
This convention covered a wide variety of topics ranging from Oral Health, Implants to Effective Customer Service. The information provided served to benefit the entire dental team through the enhancement of communication, education and teamwork that would result in quality service for the person who needs it most, the patient who would be more knowledgeable on accepting treatment when leaving the dental office.
There were two pre-convention "hands-on" workshops. The first one dealt with Basic and Advanced Implantology. Dentists who wanted to get involved in this discipline of dentistry attended this workshop. Dr. Rick Ferguson, co-director of the Miami Implant Dentistry Continuum, and Dr. SenGupta of Antigua administered the implant course. They also did "hand-on" demonstrations on live patients including bone grafting and sinus lifting techniques. Although we did not attend the implant workshop, the information received from the dentists who attended was that it was most beneficial and reassuring.
Mrs. Anita Jupp who was most informal in getting delegates to appreciate the basic needs in practice management hosted the second workshop. Her workshop imparted much knowledge and demonstrated better techniques that can be used to improve individual practices. Mrs. Jupp also lectured on "I can't wait to get to work on Monday" where it is imperative that staff must be motivated enough to enjoy coming to work by eliminating things that causes stress while at the same time setting goals and challenging oneself. She stressed the need to talk Dentistry by careful choice of words, marketing patient education that includes introducing treatments, listening to patients needs, answering patients questions, dealing with difficult patients by using personality profile (whether a patient is dominant, influencing, steady, cautious) and eliminating crisis management by being pro active.
For the receptionist, her lectures and the hands-on workshop were ideal as they dealt with various types of patient profiles that were encountered in reception e.g. the difficult, demanding and anxious patients. Mrs. Jupp emphasised the importance of making patients feel welcome and how the reception team should greet them. She stressed that the receptionist plays a key role, in that his or her work attitude has a direct influence on the practice.
Dental assistants, who attended Mrs. Jupp's lectures and workshop, were given a summary of what their job entailed. This included setting up the treatment room, assisting the dentist, anticipating the needs within a set procedure, communicating with the patients/dentists/other staff, stocking treatment rooms and lab work. The role and importance of each member of the team could not be emphasised enough.
Dr. Katherine Ferguson covered "Sterile Technique and Instrumentation". Not only were we informed of the correct equipment to wear and the different methods of sterilisation but we were also given the do's and don'ts of various chemicals used in the office.
Dr. Eastmond gave a lecture on "The Use of Good Radiography and Radiology". Slides were used to show how to position the patient and the different techniques used to take intraoral and extraoral x-rays. We were also taught how x-rays should be processed. One point that was stressed was that dentists has a responsibility to ensure their staff, patients and themselves are always protected when taking x-rays. He also gave an update on Sars in another lecture.
Sandra Slauenwhite covered "Ways to Maximise the Hygiene/Perio Recall Programme". Her presentation discussed in great detail some of the challenges/problems faced, patient education, treatment-planning and scheduling for success. Power Point Case Acceptance will maximise the hygiene perio recall but requires having committed staff who believes in the dentist, the quality of treatment and a staff who are excited to share with patients.
Dr. Alison Mayers gave an excellent presentation in her relaxed and informative fashion. She was excited about Perio and stressed that their mission for The New Millennium was advancing oral health inclusive of expertise in implantology.
One topic that I found to be quite informative and enlightening was Interprofessional Relationships, Teamwork and its Legal Pitfalls by Dr. Nancy Boodho who was very thorough in her presentation. The importance of effective communication between the dental team and the patient was made very clear and how interaction within the team and patient relates to the legal aspect of the business. How communication and effective listening between staff, patients, parents interested in children, the hygienist, the therapist and referrals could be interpreted becomes very important to avoid unnecessary legal action. Documents such as contracts, referral letters, prescriptions etc must be clear. Patients must be well informed before giving their consent to treatment. Dr. Boodho also taught that each member of the team should be valued and respected.
Orthodontics by Dr. Ramsay, reviewed what happens when a case is referred to an orthodontist, and the steps involved which included the clinical examination, diagnostic/study models, case analysis, treatment, consultation or case presentation, debonding, post treatment and retention.
The Diagnosis and Management of Non-Carious Cervical Lesions and The Role of Occlusion by Dr. William Smith, UWI lecturer on conservative Dentistry was most riveting. This topic involved the way teeth should meet and slide against each other. He further dealt with how the occlusion is affected and the symptoms of occlusal discrepancy with the presenting complaints of fractured teeth, lockjaws and headaches.
Several other topics were covered day by day. Some of which were "The Integration of Oral Health" by Dr. Joyous Pickstock. This included the need for dental personnel to be aware of medical problems that were manifested in the oral cavity. Dental Assisting in Canada by Mrs. Marie Harvey who was also a dental assistant and is now president of the Canadian Dental Assistants' Association, which has over 21,000 assistants.
Dr. Joanes Jean, Chief Dental Officer of Guyana, lectured at very short notice as a replacement for Dr. Stroud of Grenada who was unavailable. Dr. Jean gave an overview of the Guyana situation and how the country was able to use their limited manpower and financial resources to attain satisfactory oral health for its population.
Dr. Sen gave us a brief history of General Anesthesia and was very direct and to the point of Keeping Your Patient Alive when General Anesthesia is used.
Sickle Cell was one of the diseases discussed by Dr. Simone Alleyne who gave us the factors, the organs damaged, new approaches to treatment and the prognosis as it relates to sickle cell.
SUMMARY
Dentistry in Paradise was a well-rounded informative educational programme. The lecturers were very knowledgeable and thorough in their presentations with the use of slides and relevant literature. The interaction between the lecturers and other delegates was very positive as a result of the numerous questions asked and the answers given. It was a wonderful experience meeting others from the Caribbean and other parts of the world, which resulted in new friendships being formed. To be a part of this programme which covered such a wide variety of topics, I came away better educated with a greater respect for dentistry and the assurance that dentistry in the Caribbean is not to be taken lightly and is definitely advancing.
The convention ended with a Gala Dinner where participants, exhibitors, and specially invited guests attended. Certificates were issued to participants.
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