cosmetic dentistry_ beauty & science International

bring the GBAS programme to Germany after hearing the story of Mona, a domestic violence survivor who sustained injuries to her mouth af- ter being shot at close range by her former part- ner. Mona spoke at the AACD’s Annual Scientific Session in Honolulu, Hawaii, and told attendees how GBAS restored her smile—and helped to change her life. Wahlmann was so stirred and impressed by Mona’s account of courage that he spoke to his fellow board members of the German Society of Cosmetic Dentistry, who agreed to start the GBAS programme in Germany. After the AACD had given itsapproval,Wahlmannpresentedtheprogramme tothesociety’sannualmeeting.“Theresponsewas overwhelming. We hope to make GBAS in Germa- ny as successful as it is in the US. So far, around 20 dentists have shown interest in joining the programme.Iwouldbehappyiftendentistssigned up at first,” he told cosmetic dentistry. According to Wahlmann, funding should not be a problem. “All participating dentists will work for free. Also, the majority of laboratories have agreed to work without payment. Some dental manufacturers, such as General Implants and Friadent, provide their products for free,” he said. Additionally, fundraising events, such as Bleaching Day, which was held in September, help raise money for the project. On Bleaching Day, dentists all over Germany whitened patients’ teeth and donated the proceeds towards GBAS. The bleaching materials required were provided free by American Dental Systems, BriteSmile, Ultradent and other companies. Both the feedback from dental experts and fromthoseaffectedhasbeenverypositive.“Ihave an agreement with the domestic violence shelter inOldenburg.Atfirst,peoplethereweresurprised about the project,” Wahlmann stated. He added that his GBAS colleague, Prof Martin Jörgens from Düsseldorf, has also received positive feed- back. The treatment of domestic violence victims is often rather complicated. Almost all have experi- enced trauma and misery over several years and have horrifying stories to tell. Owing to this, they are often unreliable when it comes to keeping ap- pointments. As treatment in most cases entails treatmentinstagesbyateamofspecialists,thisis a problem. “Usually, the complete treatment takes six months. Only patients whose teeth have been damaged through domestic violence can be treated within the scope of GBAS. Dentists can easily tell if this is the case. Seventy per cent of all female victims of domestic violence have ex- perienced trauma to the head,” Wahlmann told cosmetic dentistry. “Another prerequisite for treatment is that the patient has been out of the abusive relationship for at least one year. Statis- tics show that the risk of a return to this kind of relationship is very high during the first year of separation.” While treating GBAS patients will not be easy, Wahlmann and his colleagues are dedicated to the project. In addition to Mona’s story, the touching statement of another US woman con- tributed to his decision to bring the project to Germany. “After her treatment this woman said that, if she looks into the mirror she does not see the past but the future,” Wahlmann said. “Those of us who are fortunate not to have experienced suchsorrowshouldgivebacksomeofourfortune in some way.” Formoreinformationabouttheproject,please contact Dr Jürgen Wahlmann on +49 4405 4050 or at givebackasmile@drwahlmann.de._ I 35 feature _ GBAS I cosmeticdentistry 3_2011