IDEC Jakarta, 2017

“The role of the dentist has signiﬁcantly changed over the last decade” An interview with IDEC speaker Dr Rajiv Saini, India news In anticipation of his presentation on the link between oral hygiene and systemic health at IDEC 2017, today international spoke with him about patients’ knowledge, treatment ex- pectations and the changing role of the dentist. In your lecture abstract, you write that “Dentistry has experienced the greatest era in its history over the last 30 years”. Can you explain that? Dentistry has changed a great deal in areas such as diagnosis, pre- vention and treatment over the last three decades. Now, we are in the era of cellular- and biotechnology-based diagnosis, novel preventative meas- ures, such as advanced dental biofilm elimination and new treatment mo- dalities, including artificial intelli- gence in dentistry. There is increasing awareness of the link between oral health and sys- temic health. Where are we in this regard today? n Specialised in periodontology and oral implantology, Dr Rajiv Saini is an avid lecturer in both fields. He is Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Experimental Dental Science and the Journal of Clinical Periodontology and Implant Dentistry. AD 2 IDEC 2017 5 According to Saini, there should be greater focus on oral health in developing countries and children’s oral health education. “We should consider it a joint effort to advocate preventative measures in the profession.” We are in a very dynamic time! We are experiencing new scientific evidence every day that adds to the body of knowledge on the link be- tween oral and systemic health. Apart from affecting overall well- being, diseases such as periodontal disease have been associated with cardiovascular disease and several types of cancer. Do you think the im- portant role dentistry plays regard- ing systemic health has already been recognised by the public and among policymakers? No! The public is still very much unaware of the bidirectional impact of this strong oral–systemic connec- tion. Regarding policymakers, I per- sonally believe more emphasis should be given to preventative strategies rather than treatment mo- dalities. What are the most common misper- ceptions regarding oral hygiene reg- imen and oral health that you en- counter regularly? Many people, especially in the Asian region, believe that through regular professional cleaning they will develop sensitivity or mobility of their teeth. Secondly, people are not consistent and thorough with their oral hygiene regimen. In order to change that, I believe there should be significantly more education through the media and public campaigns. Dentistry has continued to see a dig- ital leap, yet many countries still ex- perience great inequalities in basic dental care. Where will this develop- ment lead in your opinion? We should consider it a joint ef- fort to advocate preventative meas- ures in the profession. In addition, there should be greater focus on oral health in developing countries and children’s oral health education. Caught between preventative den- tistry and an ever-growing demand for aesthetic procedures, what will the main challenges of the profes- sion be in the future? The main challenge will be bal- ancing patients’ expectations on the one hand and necessary oral health procedures on the other. For example, dental implants are increasingly fac- ing failure challenges owing to poor oral hygiene. More consideration should go into seeking a balance be- tween patients’ expectations and re- alistic oral health outcomes. How will the role of the dentist change? Will or should there be more interconnectedness between den- tistry and medicine? The role of the dentist has signif- icantly changed over the last decade, and the dentist’s role and responsibil- ity are now to maintain overall health rather than focus on oral health only. Yes. In the years to come, dentists will play an integral part in the pres- ervation of systemic health, and I be- lieve, they will be recognised as oral physicians. Thank you very much for the inter- view. 7 Editorial note: Dr Rajiv Saini will be presenting a lecture titled “Oral hy- giene and systemic health” on 17 Sep- tember from 11.30 to 12.30 in the Merak room. © Casezy idea/shutterstock.com

IDEC Jakarta, 2017

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