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08 SCIENCE & PRACTICE Dental Tribune Asia Pacific Edition | 9/2017 The Clip Mirror: Increasing productivity and easing daily physical stressors An interview with dental hygienist Patricia Blundon, Canada ting up your business, D.H. Essentials? The Clip Mirror idea came to me about ten years into my career. I was working on a patient with a super strong lower lip and a protruding tongue. With a scaler in one hand and mirror in the other and the patient’s tongue pushing out the saliva ejector, I thought to myself, “Why does this need to be so hard?”. I thought about having a mirror clip di- rectly on to the saliva ejector to free up a hand and wondered why no one had invented this. Then I thought to myself, “Who better to invent a dental tool than a dental hygienist?”. When designing the Clip Mirror, what did you pay attention to? I knew the design I wanted and I visited a multitude of hardware stores to see what clips were avail- able. The steel for the clip had to be medical grade and 400 series so that it would not rust or corrode with sterilization, and the clip it- self was designed to snap securely to the saliva ejector while still al- lowing rotation if needed. I de- signed the rolled clip ends so one can feed a line of floss through and attach the Clip Mirror to the saliva ejector using sterile tape as an added precaution in hospital set- tings or compromised patients. I chose the brighter size 5 titanium mirror, as the standard rhodium pales in brightness and quality in comparison, and then decided to tal clinicians may find themselves using a less than ideal posture while craning their necks and con- torting their bodies to complete the necessary treatment. I would Dental hygienists have been ask- ing about the Clip Mirror, stating they wish their employers would purchase them for their hygiene tray setups. Many have seen the value of “Dentistry can take a huge toll on one’s body.” encourage dental care providers to try various products to find what works best for them to help maintain proper posture, as we all know dentistry can take a huge toll on one’s body. What has user feedback been so far? Feedback on the Clip Mirror has been great, and for those who have struggled in the past, like I have, with no help from a dental nurse or assistant, it has been a great body and time saver. Many report find- ing it very helpful when they have a patient who cannot recline and need to scale the maxillary lingual surface. I have received some feed- back requesting a smaller mirror size for use with patients with a narrow or smaller arch and will be introducing the Clip Mirror MINI in the near future. the Clip Mirror in increasing their productivity and easing the daily physical stressors of providing dental hygiene treatment. The ma- jority of purchases are by dental hygienists who are already suffer- ing from a career of dental hygiene. How has the success of the Clip Mirror been globally? I decided to introduce the Clip Mirror to the US after years of market research and positive feedback from my Canadian cus- tomers. I have had customer inter- est from Australia, Ireland and the UK and would love to team up with a partner to serve these mar- kets and many others. Dentistry is worldwide, so the sky is the limit. Thank you very much for the inter- view. PatriciaC Blundon,C developerC ofC theC DentalC HygieneC ClipC Mirror,C isC dedi- catedC toC providingC innovativeC qualityC toolsCforCdentalChygienists.C have the clip electron beam welded by hand for the best results. What is the importance of good ergonomics for dental hygienists and clinicians? The key reason I designed the Clip Mirror was to make the job of dental hygienists and clinicians easier on their body and more effi- cient. As the population ages, den- By Julia Maciejek, DTI Dental hygienist Patricia Blundon is the developer of a mirror that clips on to a saliva ejector to aid dental hygienists, therapists and assistants in treating patients. In response to growing demand for the Dental Hygiene Clip Mirror, she has introduced the device to the US market and plans to expand her business globally. Dental Tribune Online spoke with Blundon, who has 30 years’ experience and grad- uated from the Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology in Ottawa, to learn more about the mirror. Helping to improve treatment has always been important in den- tistry. Why did you decide on de- veloping the Clip Mirror and set- Asia’s first Research Academy Course in Hong Kong a success g n o K g n o H f o y t i s r e v i n U © g n o K g n o H f o y t i s r e v i n U © TheC four-dayC courseC heldC inC HongC KongC offeredC intensiveC educationC onC goodC CscientificCpracticeCandCresearchCmethodology. By DTI HONG KONG: For the first time ever, Asia played host to an Osteol- ogy Research Academy Course. Held from 3–6 June in Hong Kong, the Core Module Course received enthusiastic feedback from partic- ipants and presenters alike, the Osteology Foundation stated. The four-day course, which was jointly organised by the foundation and the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Dentistry, brought together 33 participants from 11 different countries, includ- ing Australia, China, Japan, Malay- sia, South Korea, Taiwan and the UK. Equally international were the presenters, who came from Ger- many, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Spain and Switzerland. In lectures and workshops, the participants elaborated on all kinds of topics related to the field of dental and craniofacial research, including good research practice, methodology and design, as well as strategies to obtain research funding and managing research communication. Designed for postgraduates and dentists who are more scien- tifically inclined, the research- focused educational courses are available as core and expert mod- ules. So far, more than 200 young clinicians from all over the world have participated in the pro- gramme. More information about the registration process, study grants and upcoming courses can be found at www.osteology.org/edu- cation/research-academy/.