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12 TRENDS & APPLICATIONS Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 5+6/2017 Professionalism in dentistry By Tim Bradstock-Smith, UK Professionalism has been defined as the conduct, aims or qualities that characterise or mark a profes- sion or a professional person. Liter- ature pertaining to health care sug- gests that professionalism is a com- petency that can be taught, devel- oped, measured and assessed.[1] Nevertheless, it can be argued that professionalism extends beyond the scope of clinical knowledge and skills and is most certainly multifac- eted. Professionalism includes work- ing within a regulatory framework with adherence to ethical practice; situational judgement and aware- ness; the ability to interact and communicate with patients as well as inter-professionally; and the commitment to continually en- hance and improve the knowledge, values, skills and understanding required to provide consistently high-quality dental care. As every dental professional is aware, continual development and progression are essential in every part of the industry. However, with the rapid advancements we are seeing year on year, it may not be possible to keep abreast of everything. As such, practitioners should at least make the effort to be familiar with clinical and tech- nical innovations that may poten- tially affect their practices. While this may seem like being a perpet- ual student, it is the personal re- sponsibility of every dental pro- fessional to remain up to date with all the relevant skills and experi- ence they need to maintain clini- cal competency, as well as gain confidence in those acquisitions in order to strengthen their profes- sional judgements. Continual development and progression also enable practi- tioners to build on their abilities and capabilities to pursue a par- ticular area of interest or to strengthen their treatment port- folio. For example, the demo- graphic of a practice may reveal high periodontal disease rates, which would mean that enhancing skills in this area would be advan- tageous for both the clinician and the dental practice. Alternatively, with the rising demand for areas of dentistry such as short-term or- thodontics and aesthetic solu- tions, some practitioners may wish to extend their expertise into these areas. Nevertheless, learning how to apply skills, knowledge and experience to treatment with sound judgement is critical to the provision of professional dental health care. Judgement, at its simplest, is forming an opinion. Yet, when ap- plied to dental care, it becomes part of a process that involves weighing up all the clinical facts and treatment options with their © Solis Images/Shutterstock.com Developing the trust of patients is one of the most important attributes of professionalism, according to Bradstock-Smith. Learning how to apply skills, knowledge and experience to treatment with sound judgement is critical to the provision of professional dental health care. advantages and risks, as well as in- teraction between the practitioner and the patient, to come to the most appropriate method for treatment. together, the patient–practitioner relationship is enhanced with trust and confidence, and this is more likely to result in patient sat- isfaction. Most would agree that well-in- formed, engaged patients are in a stronger position to decide be- tween treatment options and are more likely to take ownership of the final treatment decision and results. Research suggests that pa- tients seem to prefer this collabo- rative approach, with the patient and the dentist equally sharing re- sponsibility for decision-making. [2] Consequently, practitioners re- quire interpersonal competency to communicate with and relate to patients by listening, understand- ing, and providing complete and honest information. For instance, discussing a treatment plan step by step can help the patient to un- derstand and appreciate the rea- sons for and the health benefits of each procedure. Fundamentally, this enables the patient to make an informed decision before consent and, by developing a plan of action This does not necessarily mean that one practitioner should be able to perform all areas of treat- ment. Part of acting with profes- sionalism is the ability to recog- nise our individual capabilities and acknowledge that there will al- ways be cases that are beyond our skills or the technological parame- ters of a practice. This could be due to the particular needs of the pa- tient or the complexity of the treatment required. Yet, whatever the reason, having the profes- sional judgement to refer a patient to another dental professional with the relevant skills and facili- ties is essential. By requesting the skills and services of clinicians that perhaps specialise in a spe- cific area of dentistry or by utilis- ing the advanced technology of another practice, it is possible to add value in terms of accuracy and outcome, but it also extends the scope and professionalism of the practice. When it comes to referring pa- tients, it is of course imperative to work with dental professionals that can be trusted to deliver first- class dentistry. It is a good idea to look around. The London Smile Clinic, for example, is a dedicated referral practice with a team of highly qualified dentists that strive to provide a five-star dental service to referring dentists and their patients. As a centre of excel- lence in dentistry, the clinic offers an efficient and streamlined path- way for all types of complex treat- ment, including endodontics, or- thodontics, prosthodontics and implants. Above all, the London Smile Clinic recognises how im- portant it is to work with profes- sionalism as part of the referring dentist’s team. Developing the trust of pa- tients is one of the most important attributes of professionalism. As all practitioners know, patients’ well-being should always be put ahead of costs or any other consid- erations. When patients trust a practitioner’s professionalism, competency and judgement, they are more likely to seek dental ser- vices, comply with treatment and recommendations, and return for further appointments. Further- more, referring strengthens the professionalism of the practice and team. Editorial note: A complete list of references is available from the publisher. Dr Tim Bradstock-Smith is principal of the London Smile Clinic, an award-win- ning centre of excellence in dentistry that is based in central London.