Dental Tribune Pakistan Edition No.2, 2017

2017(cid:9) Pakistan Edition(cid:9)DENTAL TRIBUNE(cid:9) 11 March sitting in a village or smaller towns than the one sitting in a tertiary care hospital and therefore the requirement of CME will also vary accordingly and we are in the process of developing CME according to the specific needs to cater to their specific requirements. Without CME, medical education cannot be strengthened. For example, DHQ medical office cannot go to Islamabad or Karachi for their CMEs and now we have included Polio or AIDS awareness programmes as part of CME to facilitate such doctors. DTI: How is the issue of quackery being handled? S Lehri: At Tehsil, district, provincial and national level, different people are handling the issue of quackery at different levels and in that long list PMDC is perhaps the last one in this chain. We have no court or force to apprehend the culprits so we inform the relevant people in the region and in most of the cases they are already aware of this menace. DTI: Have you taken or do you plan to take steps to upgrade the existing curriculum and & academic training of the faculty to bring it at par with the international requirements? S Lehri: We are in the process of introducing a uniform undergraduate curriculum to be implemented across the board. This will bring to an end the multiple curricula being used including modular, hybrid or even traditional curriculum. A committee has been formed in this regard. Now we are working on the postgraduate curriculum and soon we will have a uniform PG curriculum as well. DTI: What is the future of medical professionals in Pakistan especially those without any post- grad qualifications? S Lehri: The way the medical education has evolved over the years the doctors without any postgrad qualifications are likely to lag behind. People without any postgrad qualifications will be the opportunities to upgrade their knowledge through programmes like CME and this will result in overall improvement. DTI: Can you tell us something about the doctor patient ratio in Pakistan and also whether the admissions into medical and dental colleges are being done keeping in view the desired ratio? S Lehri: We have about 180,000 doctors catering to a population of over 200 million. Whether it is in the public or private sector, medical education is the most expensive education.It is impossible for us to make everyone a doctor but we are working towards improving this huge gap. DTI: What is the criterion for establishing Medical & Dental Colleges, and their implementation? Do you think there is a mushroom growth of private medical and dental colleges in our country? If so, what measures you have taken to control it? S Lehri: In the past PMDC criteria was not followed in awarding recognition to medical and dental colleges. The PMDC has laid down guidelines but unfortunately in the past they were not fulfilled. In one year alone 20 colleges were given recognition. DTI: It is observed that the fee structure amongst the private colleges varies even though PMDC has put a ceiling on the maximum fee that can be charged according to the ranking. Is it legal and if not how do you plan to control it? The tuition fee for the Medical & Dental Colleges is now out of reach for a common man do you plan to check this trend? S Lehri: Yes there is variation and we are trying to address it. We recently introduced the uniform admission policy with the hopes that merit will be the sole criteria but it is unfortunate that some of the stakeholders have gone for a stay order against it. I would not comment on this any further as this is a sub-judiciary matter now. DTI: It has been observed that the stipend during house job is also a concern since some private entities pay as little as 7000/-is there no criteria to ensure that a bare minimum is paid during house job? S Lehri: We are working to fix this issue, the system is currently in progress. Whosoever has received medical education from a private institution, it will be required that they receive equal stipend in house job as those students doing their house job from government institutions. I love it! A personal story by Dubai dental hygienist Raheleh Mahtabpour By Raheleh Mahtabpour I have always been very passionate about dental hygiene education and spreading oral health and hygiene awareness in schools in Dubai. Not only do I love the interaction with my patients, but I also continue to learn from them and with them every day. One topic has been of particular importance to me: individually trained oral prophylaxis. A healthier and happier life can be achieved through proper oral hygiene—if one knows how to do it. I have been a dental hygienist for over 14 years. Originally from Iran, I started working in a clinic specialising in implantology and periodontics. After a while, I moved to Dubai to work at the Department of Health and Prevention in the UAE. I was with them for almost five years, gained excellent experience and worked with students. But I wanted a change, so I moved to the largest dental clinic in Dubai. After six years of working in a private clinic, I decided to take a short break, so moved to Canada for a while and experienced motherhood. I came back to Dubai with a new addition to the family. I finished my degree in Iran 16 years ago. Iranians are hungry for new things related to dental hygiene and dentistry. Programmes there range from two to three years. After that, dental hygienists need to spend at least two years in the hospital before becoming a qualified professional. The schools in Iran ensure that we gain a great deal of exposure to patients. This might sound a bit biased, but when I came to Dubai, I saw myself as being a little bit more prepared than the other hygienists I met. Patient interaction and experience have always been very important. Dental hygiene treatment in Iran is not different than in the rest of the world. We do the scaling, polishing, whitening and charting. In fact, we care about charting a great deal. We usually work with periodontists and our profession is truly appreciated. Oral hygiene does not only affect one’s teeth, it also influences a person’s overall physical and emotional health. By imparting good oral hygiene habits, we help patients live healthier and happier lives Today, I work at Dr Michael’s Dental Clinic in the heart of Dubai. I think that the clinic is one of the most beautiful private practices. We have three clinics, one for orthodontics, one for general dentistry and one for paediatrics. Our clinic is surrounded by gardens; we have a beautiful atmosphere in the clinic. All of our patients feel welcome immediately. My daily morning fun Daily work starts at 8 a.m. I take my daughter to kindergarten and then go to the clinic. I start preparing my brushes and my room. When the first patient comes in, I immediately begin discussing oral hygiene. The session starts with photographs. I then do the overall check-up and cancer screening, checking for anything abnormal and informing the dentists if necessary. After that, I perform 15–20 minutes of ultrasound scaling and follow with hand scaling and polishing. Appointments usually last 1 hour. In fact, I might do the probing and charting in a separate appointment. The hygienist and dentist work closely together, discussing cases and referring patients to each other. I love it! I love the daily interaction with my patients. I have learnt so much from my patients and made many new friends. At the same time, I do my best to teach them about oral hygiene and how it can affect their health. I enjoy seeing my patients smile. This is especially rewarding, as a large number of patients in the UAE do not know how to floss and brush properly. Even worse, many patients are referred from dentists who advised them to buy a medium toothbrush. I then show them the benefits of a soft toothbrush and explain that failure to use the correct brushing technique leaves plaque around the teeth, leading to caries and even gingival infection. One of my favourite pieces of information continues to be: “Yes, you can remove bacteria and biofilm with a soft toothbrush.” In Iran, many patients only go to the clinic when they already have a dental problem. In the UAE, there are many patients with poor oral health. Furthermore, there are many smokers, and judging from the oral health of many patients, they certainly like to eat sweets and drink sugary beverages. Patients usually come when it is too late. This is even the case with children. That is why I usually see my patients twice a year, because most insurance covers those visits. Sometimes, I see my patients again after two months or two weeks. I then ask them to bring their toothbrushes, which we will check together. I am still in love About ten years ago, I started ordering many toothbrushes and interdental brushes from the Swiss brand CURAPROX and introduced them to my patients. One day, a representative approached me and told me more about individually trained oral prophylaxis (iTOP). I attended the initial training programme—and loved it! After attending four more iTOP seminars in Prague in the Czech Republic, I am still in love. I feel every dentist and hygienist can benefit from this. In the second iTOP programme, I practised brushing, but I continued Continued on page 14

Dental Tribune Pakistan Edition No.2, 2017

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