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The World‘s Dental Newspaper Published in london uk.dental-tribune.com Vol. 13, No. 3 UK NEWS UK NEWS EVENT A new study on AI and ChatGPT out- lines its role in shaping the future of dentistry. New research shows a link be- tween periodontal disease and the formation of amyloid plaque, a hallmark of Alzheimer's dis- ease. Bredent's pioneer in Immediate3 tour lands in Rome on 22-23 September 2023. Page 3 Page 5 Page 6 Growin g patients and chan gin g expectation s: Meetin g the challen ge with digital tran sfor m ation Dr Guy Deeming and Dr Simonetta Meuli detail how they approach younger patients, the technology they rely on and why treating them is entirely different treating adults. from Setting the scene for his view on the importance of a digital workflow, Dr Deeming explains there’s now a big gap between teenagers and middle-aged adults. He stresses that Generation Z – those born between 1997 and mid-2000s and Genera- tion Alpha – youngsters born after 2012 are a “visual demographic”, adding: “They want everything on-demand and they want it to adapt to their needs in a very dy- namic fashion, and we, as orthodon- tists and as service providers must try to find a way to embed that visual, on-demand element into their expe- riences. Being a digitally adept and dynamic organisation that can evolve and recognise the need to change is absolutely essential if we are going to future-proof ourselves for the needs of Generation Alpha and beyond.” This includes using social media to reach younger patients, because they look to their contemporaries on social platforms for advice and re- views. “Half of Gen Z use YouTube to search for opinions and information before they make a purchasing decision. And 40% use TikTok and Instagram in a similar way. Our practices are now on TikTok. 90% of traffic is com- ing from mobile phones, with a mas- sive skew towards that younger gen- eration. So, if your services are not accessible via a mobile device in an instant – in that on-demand fashion, you are going to be missing all the opportunities to serve that younger and growing community,” says Dr Deeming. Technology, he points out, not only offers treatment in a form that suits younger patients, it also offers them the all-important customer experi- ence. “That’s about virtual care. It’s about using the different technolo- gies to engage the patients through- out the treatment, monitor their progress with you so they can see how their teeth are moving, so they feel involved and feel like their treat- ment will be more successful.” In terms of specific technologies, Dr Deeming highlights Invisalign Smile View which allows patients to generate their own virtual smile im- provements via a selfie. “A tool that builds that hope, excitement and en- gagement with the process so that the patient can then take that next step.” “Using technology in front of our pa- tients helps them to feel like we’re part of their world. The next part of that is the Invisalign Outcome Simu- lator Pro. Once we have our scans, we can then demonstrate how our skills come into play by modifying that simulation in real time on the iTero scanner to show them the tweaks and the artistry of orthodon- tic tooth movement, to create that excitement.” ▶ Page 2 Digital dental pioneer and ‘The Sm ilin g Dentist’ Dr Alif Moosajee shares h is dental life lesson s Alif Moosajee is the award-winning Principal Dentist of Oakdale Dental and the author of the book The Smiling Dentist. Being at the fore- front of technological advancement in dentistry, Alif has become a sought-after speaker both nationally and internationally in the disciplines of Digital and Implant Dentistry. With a mission to give back and to also help improve the standards in den- tistry, Alif created his Smiling Dentist YouTube Channel and runs his study clubs in Leicester both with the aim to disseminate knowledge to his peers in all facets of professional and personal excellence. Dr Moosajee shares his dental story. Who inspired you to become a dentist, and who continues to inspire and influence you? I did work experience in year 10 in preparation for my GCSEs. At that point, I thought I either wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer so I had one week at a magistrate’s court, but un- fortunately school couldn’t organise a week GP practice so they ended up putting me in a dental practice. I be- lieve they thought that I might not even notice! It ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me because I absolutely loved shadow- ing the dentist who was there. Her name was Dr Sabrina Khan at Wex- ham Road dental surgery in Slough, which is where I grew up. day every day. What I didn’t realise, was just how many opportunities there are for dentists to have such an amazing variety within their career. I now work three days a week clini- cally, I run a business looking after staff and finding opportunities to look after patients and their experi- ence in even more fun and interest- ing ways. I actually had the opportunity to visit the practice again recently and they were absolutely wonderful and wel- comed me so nicely. I can certainly say that I owe my decision to becom- ing a dentist in a large part to her. What were your career expecta- tions, and have these been ex- ceeded? Yes! I was expecting to have a nice steady job that I felt good about doing, and also financially rewarded me well enough that I would be comfortable. I expected that I would sit in my surgery and treat patients all I’m also a lecturer, a published au- thor, and also a presenter of my Smiling Dentist YouTube channel. In my young, limited way, I thought my rewards would be financial for join- ing this profession, but I realise now that the rewards are myriad and that’s a wonderful thing to have dis- covered. What challenges have you faced? Challenges are there and the strug- gle is real, but in order to overcome all of the challenges, I feel I have to be my best self and bring my ‘A- game’ every day. I know some people might think that’s daunting and arduous, but without the motivation to be my best self, it’s very seductive and easy for me not to be. Getting comfortable in that way is a sure-fire way to short- change myself out of leading the best life that I can. With respect to managing specific challenges, one must always understand and ac- knowledge when things have not gone the best way that they could and try to reflect and find a way to ensure that things go better the next time What have you learnt? There is no shortcut when making sure that patients experience the best dentistry you can offer them. Make sure that the clinical work you do is excellent. However, what I have really noticed transforms success in the business of dentistry is focusing on the experience of the patient. If you can obsess about giving patients the best possible experience, you will always do well. What you would do differently if you could start again? I had a very mediocre career for my first ten years. I wasn’t confident about my abilities and skills and lan- guished for too long. If I had im- proved my mind-set and realised that, even if you are not naturally gifted, then through application and dedication and hard work you can get better, then I would have been able to achieve more in the early part of my career. ▶ Page 3
Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 03/2023 ▶ Page 1 - Growing patients and changing expectations: Meeting the chal- lenge with digital transformation efficient And Invisalign Virtual Care allows for effective, interaction throughout the treatment journey: “Because teenagers don’t want to be inconvenienced", Dr Deeming says. "We can give them that always-on feeling through the app, and we can give our younger patients control over their treatment, through the ability to share and communicate and have interaction directly with your team without always having to go through their parents. Align is now making it so much easier for us to engage our patients in the way they want to be engaged.” Interceptive orthodontics with Invisalign First Dr Simonetta Meuli, explains that she relies heavily on digital tools to sup- port her consultancy work, particu- larly the iTero Element 5D Plus Mo- important bile imaging system, whose Cloud capabilities allows her to work in a more flexible way, even when travel- ling. Even more for younger children, a scan is pain-free. She favours using interceptive or- thodontics incorporating Invisalign First, which she says has advantages, such as reducing the incidence of pre-molar extractions, orthognathic surgery and root reabsorption, while also increasing the long-term stabil- ity of the alignment of the lower in- cisors. She also stresses that inter- ceptive orthodontics made it unnec- essary to solve every issue immedi- ately, but instead recommended a concise focus using the digital plan- ning workflow, to plan simple proce- dures, beginning with the upper arch. Dr Meuli uses iTero NIRI technology to detect interproximal cavities and the iTero scanner’s SnapShot feature to help patient communication and acceptance of treatment. Echoing UK NEWS 2 i n a F k n V / k c o t s r e t t u h S © through Dr Deeming’s views on how teens are the ‘visual’ generation, she adds: “Communication images has become an important language that can influence people’s minds – transmitting strong emotions. They are also one of the most powerful means of virtual story-telling.” Dr Meuli also highlights the impor- tance of planning using ClinCheck Pro when embarking on an Invisalign First treatment to enable informed decisions, which she says is particu- larly relevant for early orthodontic treatment in mixed dentition. She is also an advocate of monitor- ing patient progress and underlined what she sees as a responsibility to keep track of young patients’ cases over extended periods as they grow. In conclusion, she said that all pa- tients respond positively to the digi- tal environment, and children in par- ticular, who accept it as “the norm”. A new wellbein g platfor m is on a m ission to suppor t ever yone workin g in dental practice Canny Dentists is a brand-new social network for everyone working in dental practice. Conceived and founded by dentist Dr Jatinder Ubhi and advertising and marketing pro- fessional Andrew Phillips, the closed group aims to unite dental profes- sionals, no matter how senior or ju- nior their practice role, in a space that supports their emotional, phys- ical and financial wellbeing. Says Ubhi, who has worked in both the NHS and private practice, and now owns his own clinics: “Being a dentist can be quite an isolating pro- fession and myself and my col- leagues have been through various struggles. We also have a kind of bravado, which means if we need help, we don’t ask or don’t know where to ask. Post-COVID I thought it would be great to create some- thing that united the entire profes- sion – not just dentists, but everyone behind the mask.” He adds that where other medical professions have support networks, nothing similar exists that unites ev- eryone working in dentistry, or that isn’t purely focused on the clinical aspects of the profession. “That’s why Canny Dentists aims to focus on what people do in their personal lives that make them feel and per- form better at work: It’s saying, ‘for- get you’re a dentist, a nurse or a practice manager…How are you IMPRINT INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS PUBLISHER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF- FICER: Torsten Oemus CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER: Claudia Duschek feeling, what support do you need?’ And then opening that up to peer- to-peer support, alongside sign- posting to a directory of services and resources where people can access additional help if they need it.” The platform, which is currently still in its test phase, is designed to be in- tuitive to navigate, with many famil- iar features similar to those on other social media sites - an infinite scroll newsfeed, notifications, groups and a chat function, but with content uniquely tailored to each user. Phillips explains new members are asked a series of questions to ensure their Canny Dentists experience is bespoke to them: “One of the chal- lenges with Facebook, for example, is that it just bombards you with tonnes of content, whether you want it or not. We’re trying to create an experience that only shows things people are interested in; new mem- bers are put into groups with like- minded people who share their in- terests, so their newsfeed only in- cludes those topics,” he says, stress- ing that it’s easy for to filter the site according to interests, or the type of advice someone might be seeking. And to ensure Canny Dentists suits members’ needs, the test phase sees around 100 dentists, therapists, hy- gienists and practice managers helping Ubhi and Phillips to hone Dental Tribune International GmbH Holbeinstr. 29, 04229 Leipzig, Germany Tel.: +49 341 4847 4302 Fax: +49 341 4847 4173 General requests: info@dental-tribune.com Sales requests: mediasales@dental-tribune.com www.dental-tribune.com Material from Dental Tribune International GmbH that has been reprinted or translated and reprinted Dental Tribune International GmbH makes every in this issue is copyrighted by Dental Tribune Inter- effort to report clinical information and manufac- national GmbH. Such material must be published turers’ product news accurately but cannot assume content and the user experience. “We’ve got a vision of how Canny Dentists should be, but the test will ensure it’s what the profession actu- ally wants and needs and will benefit from it,” says Ubhi. Phillips adds that Canny Dentists also features content, including podcasts, from experts both inside the dental profession and parallel markets. “For example I’ve recently interviewed the former head of performance at Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club to talk about performance, and how you can get the best out of your day. The site will also include things such as how to spot if someone else is strug- gling and how to be supportive with- out being intrusive. So, we’re offer- ing learning from experts, but also learning from each other, because the peer-to-peer communication is really, really important.” He adds that as Canny Dentists evolves it will in- clude webinars with experts, plus online and in-person events and meet-ups. The initial aim is for around 15,000 members, and while Canny Dentists is, for now, primarily aimed at people working in dental practices based in the UK, Ubhi and Phillips expect it to attract professionals from other countries. “Plus, in this increasingly nomadic world we live in, people can work from anywhere, so we have po- tential to scale,” he adds. Canny Dentists is the first ‘Canny’ branded platform under the wider Canny Healthcare business created by Ubhi and Phillips, which gives them scope to expand into other sectors. “If we can get the format rights, we can roll out Canny Doc- tors, Canny Chiropractors, or Canny Opticians,” Phillips concludes. To find out more about Canny Den- tists, visit the website https://canny- dentists.com. with the permission of Dental Tribune International responsibility for the validity of product claims or for PUBLISHER: GmbH. Dental Tribune is a trademark of Dental Tri- typographical errors. The publisher also does not Dental Tribune UK bune International GmbH. assume responsibility for product names, claims or 167-169 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF All rights reserved. © 2023 Dental Tribune Internati- onal GmbH. Reproduction in any manner in any lan- guage, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of Dental Tribune International GmbH is expressly prohibited. statements made by advertisers. Opinions expres- sed by authors are their own and may not reflect those of Dental Tribune International GmbH. MANAGING EDITOR: Georgia Field editor@now-learning.co.uk CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR: Lisa Moore DESIGNER: Pioneer Designs
Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 03/2023 3 ▶ Page 1 - Digital dental pioneer and ‘The Smiling Dentist’ Dr Alif Moosajee shares his dental life lessons dentists things that I hope will be useful for them. What are your proudest profes- sional achievements? I’m really happy that after a career of being a general dental practitioner I am now in the privileged position of being able to limit my practice to im- plant dentistry as this is the facet of dentistry that I like the most and feel I can serve my patients best with. I’m also really proud to have been selected to be on the editorial board of publications, and also now a judge for the awards as this gives me the opportunity to interact with the next generation of dentists who want to achieve the best that they can and gives me an opportunity to shape and influence that process. I also love lecturing and being in a class- room and being able to teach other What products would you strug- gle without? I found out my confidence in provid- ing dentistry improved dramatically when I adopted digital dentistry. I’ve been a CEREC user for many years now, and I’ve taught the CEREC new user training for many years as well. I use it for my implant planning and for fabrication of guides, and this again gives me huge confidence in knowing that when I plan a particular position for an implant, then I want to make sure that it gets there, and guided implant workflow and a digi- tal workflow has allowed me to do that. Other things that I have noticed from a practice point of view to work well are making sure that patients are maintained well and having seen the UK NEWS e e j a s o o M f i l A r D © difference between the health of pa- tients who use manual and electric brushes it’s clear to me that recom- mending electric brushes for all pa- tients is a win-win. My particular preference is for Sonicare, but I be- lieve all electric brushes represent step in the right direction for our pa- tients. What have you got planned for the future? I am going to be lecturing for the im- plant MSc program in Manchester at the ICE dental hospital on the topic of Planning for surgical success. I will also be lecturing at the Dentinal Tu- bules Student Congress, on the topic of communication. New study on AI and ChatGPT outlines its role in shapin g the futu re of dentistr y u Z u Y m o S / k c o t s r e t t u h S © ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) powered language model, ca- pable of generating human-like text based on context and past conversa- tions. A new study from researchers in China investigates the future ap- plications of AI, and ChatGPT, within dentistry. Artificial intelligence has promoted recent progress in digital health for many years. AI-equipped applica- tions in dentistry have been found useful in analysing medical imaging, including diagnosing dental caries, periodontitis, and implantitis, and assisting oral and maxillofacial sur- gery with surgical planning. Besides the imaging data, audio data analy- ses can also benefit from deep-learn- ing applications, as speech is one of the most important functions of the oral structure. Dental education is another application. ChatGPT stirred up lots of interest among millions of scientists and en- gineers on account of its impressive human conversational response as a chatbot. However, its potential im- pact on revolutionising a series of technologies is more significant. Re- search, published in the Interna- emerging tional Journal of Oral Science pro- vides an insight into its potential use in dentistry. The study authors suggest that ChatGPT has served as a valuable tool to assist medical education for more effective instruction and anal- ysis of teacher-student interaction. Medical writing can be assisted or even accomplished by ChatGPT which enables efficient documenta- tion. Furthermore, language chal- lenges in medical research or clinical processes can be alleviated by ChatGPT. They continue to observe that AI technology has promoted clinical applications by improving patient outcomes, streamlining processes, and reducing costs. In clinical prac- tice, AI has achieved striking success in analysing patient data. Equipped with a cross-modal en- coder, a single large language model can manage multi-source data and conduct advanced natural language reasoning to perform complex clini- cal operations. This has the potential to revolutionise dental diagnosis and treatment, which indicates a promis- ing avenue for clinical application and research in dentistry. However, the researchers caution that chal- lenges with AI in dentistry may in- clude data privacy, data quality, and model bias. As technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more in- novative applications of AI in clinical settings, ultimately leading to more effective healthcare services tailored to the needs of patients.
Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 03/2023 UK NEWS 4 MSc in Advanced General Dental Practice: Comprehensive support to pass the ORE, plus a deep-dive into clinical governance D M o C © Egyptian dentist Dr Ahmed Wasfy practises in the northeast coastal town of Whitby following his com- pletion of a Master’s in Advanced General Dental Practice (AGDP) at the College of Medicine and Den- tistry (CoMD). Here he explains how the College not only helped him pre- pare for part two of his Overseas Registration Exam (ORE), but also how it took him through the legisla- tion and regulations essential to UK practice. I've now worked for a year as a pri- vate dentist and am currently waiting for approval to practice under the NHS. I originally graduated in 2003 so most of my experience was in Egypt, until 2016 when I qualified as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in the UK. It was then that I thought it would be a good idea to move my career to the UK. In 2021, I joined the CoMD’s Master’s in Advanced General Dental Prac- tice. I had already passed part one of the ORE, but at that point I couldn’t sit part two because the pandemic had put a stop to the exams… I even- tually sat part two during my second term at the College. Extensive preparation Aside from all the training covered by the MSc, the College also helped me to prepare for the exam in lots of ways. Firstly there was a lot of prac- tice on phantom heads, so I had pro- longed training over several months. The equipment in the college is al- most the same as that used in the ORE, so even during the exam it felt like just another practical session in the college – something particularly helpful for me because I tend to get very anxious. I also found the lec- tures given by Dr. Ziad Al-Ani very, very beneficial to passing the ORE. Another major benefit of the MSc was the focus on clinical governance and how dentists practising in the UK must comply with the numerous regulations imposed by the different governing bodies, such as the NHS, the GDC and CQC – it’s so important to be aware of all those. I’ve found there is no real difference in actual dentistry techniques between the UK and Egypt, but the legal and regula- tory circumstances are significantly different. Support into work I’d certainly recommend the CoMD to other dentists looking to practice in the UK, for all the reasons I’ve cited; the fantastic preparation to- wards the ORE, which is more exten- sive and extended than compared to other courses, while the parts of the curriculum focused on dentistry and medical legal issues are very benefi- cial to anyone starting their career in the UK. The College is also helpful in helping dentists looking for work in the UK too. It offered me lots of support im- mediately following my registration, but I didn’t really need it because I was offered work quickly, but the College was very ready to help me. Looking to the future, I’m now con- sidering joining another CoMD Mas- ter’s, this time in Clinical Implantol- ogy. I did some implants in Egypt, but only straightforward cases, but now I’d like to develop expertise here, and the MSc will give me addi- tional training before taking my ca- reer in that direction. To find out more, visit https://comd. o r g . u k / c o u r s e / m s c - i n - a d - vanced-general-dental-practice. Eu ropean dental qualification s will continue to be recogn ised in the UK for the next five year s t o b o r D n a e D / k c o t s r e t t u h S © The General Dental Council (GDC) has welcomed the announcement from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) that standstill provisions providing for automatic recognition of European dentists’ qualifications will be retained for a further period of five years. Around 17% of all dentists on the UK register have European qualifications and made up 37% of all dentists who joined the registered in 2022. They make an invaluable contribution to the UK dental workforce. for the assessment of European qualifications is needed. tion will be recognised in the UK when they return. Legislative reforms providing the GDC with the powers to amend rules for the registration of those who qualify outside the UK were provided just three months ago. The addi- tional time provided by the exten- sion of standstill arrangements will allow for modernisation and mean- ingful improvements to regulatory processes before additional capacity The continuation of the automatic recognition of European dentists’ di- plomas means that the process for those dentists to join the UK register will remain, including checks on lan- guage, health and character. The an- nouncement will also reassure those who have left the UK to study den- tistry in Europe that their qualifica- While this latest extension is wel- come, there are concerns about on- going uncertainty for professionals and regulators, as the extension of arrangements is again temporary, the need for a further review yet to be determined, and the timetable for full-scale reform of the GDC’s legislation remains unclear. Stefan Czerniawski, executive direc- tor of strategy, said, “We are pleased that the government has agreed with our arguments that the current arrangements for recognising Euro- pean dental qualifications should continue for the time being. Al- though in the longer term we believe there is a strong argument for a sin- gle approach to international regis- tration, now is not the time to disrupt the flow of new entrants to the UK dental workforce.”
5 UK NEWS Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 03/2023 How to increase you r Google reviews: The new technology driving next-generation personalised patient engagement Google reviews provide a huge op- portunity to generate more patients. Pioneering new technology from Follow.App Care helps dental prac- tices create a seamless patient fol- low-up experience – stimulating valuable Google reviews. provides post-procedural recom- mendations, invites rebooking for future treatment and prompts feed- back on their experience – and in- vites patients to post a Google re- view, adding value to the practice’s online presence. “Follow.App Care can help you in- crease your Google ranking”, prom- ises founder Dr David Holmes. “The top 10% of UK dental practices have a near perfect rating and over 150 reviews, which helps actively gener- ate new patients. But for most prac- tices in the UK, Google isn’t helping – or is actively hurting – your busi- ness”, Dr Holmes explains. Where you do rank? Do you know how your practice ranks against dental groups that use Follow.App Care? Clinics using Fol- lowApp achieve four times more Google reviews. The FollowApp.Care system delivers automated notifications to patients post-appointment. The pre-emptive technology, based on each dental experience, checks in on patients, “We’ve only had five star reviews since we’ve used Follow.App Care”, says Dr Mark Hughes. “Rather than having to chase the patient manually and to ask over and over again, the system prompts them to do it and guides them to leave a review in an automated fashion, which is a huge help for the team. What we have no- ticed is that we're consistently get- ting reviews without having to ask. We're still asking in person and fol- lowing up those that have left a lovely comment but haven't written a review. But the automated ones are pretty steady and quite reflective of the number of patients that we see. It means that we're guaranteed to get reviews even if we do noth- ing.” This chart outlines how the impact Follow.App Care can have on a prac- tice’s Google reviews. Negative re- views, in red, reduce, whilst positive reviews, in green, can double. year, we’re now rolling it out to all group practices.” Recent data from FollowApp.Care shows that it takes five months on average to improve Google ratings, while 70% of practices achieve this in less than four months – with the help of FollowApp.Care. “FollowApp.Care is the only way we’ve managed to achieve signifi- cant traction with Google reviews.”, says John Townend, Marketing Di- rector at Real Good Dental Group. How it works 1. Integration: Integrates with your practice management system to au- tomatically extract the data needed to ensure appointment notifications trigger patient communications. 2. Communication: Makes patients feel cared for, while checking up on post procedural health, requesting feedback, rebooking their next ap- pointment and prompting reviews. 3. Results: Results are analysed and collated in the FollowApp.Care web application where clinics can resolve flagged issues or sit back and watch FollowApp.Care work for them by garnering improved Google reviews. More than 5,000 dentists have al- ready used FollowApp.Care - pre- dominantly in the UK and Australia, and millions of patients have con- nected with them through the app. For more information please visit https://www.followapp.care. “During the two- month pilot, we saw a 9.9 times in- crease in monthly reviews. Google One practice went from 3.2 to 4.2 stars, another from 3.8 to 4.5 stars, another from 3.9 to 4.5 stars. Because we’re now main- taining this level of good reviews throughout the Gu m disease lin ked to bu ildup of Alzheim er's plaque for m ation s u i z a l l e G s a d r i g A / k c o t s r e t t u h S © nior author of the study. "In this study, we were asking the question, can oral bacteria cause a change in the brain cells?" The microglial cells the researchers studied are a type of white blood cell responsible for digesting amyloid plaque. Forsyth scientists found that when exposed to oral bacteria the microglial cells became overstimu- lated and ate too much. "They basi- cally became obese" Dr Kantarci said. "They no longer could digest plaque formations." The finding is significant for showing the impact of gum disease on sys- temic health. Gum disease causes le- sions to develop between the gums and teeth. The area of this lesion is the size of your palm. Dr Kantarci ex- plained, "It's an open wound that al- lows the bacteria in your mouth to enter your bloodstream and circu- late to other parts of your body." These bacteria can pass through the blood/brain barrier and stimulate the microglial cells in your brain. Using mouse oral bacteria to cause gum disease in lab mice, the scien- tists were able to track periodontal disease progression in mice and confirm that the bacteria had trav- elled to the brain. They then isolated the brain microg- lial cells and exposed them to the oral bacteria. This exposure stimu- lated the microglial cells, activated neuroinflammation and changed how microglial cells dealt with amy- loid plaques. "Recognising how oral bacteria causes neuroinflammation will help us to develop much more targeted increasing While many patients don't associate oral disease with serious health problems, evidence shows that oral bacteria play a signif- icant role in systemic diseases like colon cancer and heart disease. Now, new research shows a link be- tween periodontal disease and the formation of amyloid plaque, a hall- mark of Alzheimer's disease. Oral bacteria traveling to the brain causes brain cells to become dysfunctional, promoting neuroinflammation. In their paper, Microglial cell re- sponse to experimental periodontal disease, published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation, Forsyth scien- tists and their collaborators at Bos- ton University demonstrate that gum disease can lead to changes in brain cells called microglial cells, which are responsible for defending the brain from amyloid plaque. This plaque is a type of protein that is associated with cell death, and cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer's. The study provides important insight into how oral bacteria makes its way to the brain, and the role of neuroin- flammation in Alzheimer's disease. "We knew from one of our previous studies that inflammation associated with gum disease activates an in- flammatory response in the brain," said Dr Alpdogan Kantarci, senior member of staff at Forsyth and a se- strategies," said Dr Kantarci. "This study suggests that in order to pre- vent neuroinflammation and neuro- degeneration, it will be critical to control the oral inflammation associ- ated with periodontal disease. The mouth is part of the body and if you don't take care of oral inflammation and infection, you cannot really pre- vent systemic diseases, like Alzhei- mer's, in a reproducible way." This study is the first time that scien- tists caused periodontal disease with mouse-specific bacteria and could study the effects of same-species oral microbiome on the brain. Hav- ing same-species bacteria and cells brings the test closer to replicating what the process looks like in hu- mans. The research team consisted of Rawan Almarhoumi, Carla Alvarez, Theodore Harris, Bruce J. Paster, and Alpdogan Kantarci of Forsyth, and Christina M. Tognoni, Isabel Carre- ras, and Alpaslan Dedeoglu of Bos- ton University. This study was sup- ported by a grant from the NIH/NIA (R01AG062496) awarded to Drs Dedeoglu and Kantarci).
Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 03/2023 EVENTS 6 Bredent’s Pioneer in Im m ediate3 tou r lands in Rom e on 22-23 Septem ber 2023 Bredent has announced that it has partnered with Sirio Roma to provide professionals with a new Pioneer in Immediate3 event which will present ‘implant solutions tailored to the pa- tient’. The event will be hosted at The Sheraton Parco De’Medici, Viale S. Rebecchini, Roma over two days on 22 (2:00 pm to 5:45 pm) and 23 Sep- tember (9:00 am to 4:30 pm). Bredent medical offers augmenta- tion-preventing therapies in the field of implantology (SKY implant sys- tems) and antimicrobial photody- namics (HELBO). The company is a pioneer in the field of immediate loading implantology – including SKY fast & fixed implant therapy. During the two-day event delegates will be immersed in an array of lec- tures and live surgeries from a line-up of renowned experts in the implant sector. The first day will look at the A.B.C.i. Protocol, biotechnical approach to immediate loading and ANCi protocol, egotechnical ap- proach to immediate loading, with Drs Ricardo Ciolli and Nazzareno Cappelli. Delegates will be pre- one time" technique, which encom- passes the integration and tissue re- sponse with hybrid abutment in BioHPP, presented by Dr Fabio De Pascalis. sented details of a radiological eval- uation of cases for implant purposes by Dr Luigi Rubino and will also be introduced to the "One abutment On Saturday, delegates will be privy to a live surgery session showcasing bredent’s whiteSKY zirconia im- plants with Dr Andrea Borgonovo. The lectures will also cover the appli- cations of photodynamic techniques in the surgical and non-surgical ther- apies of peri-implantitis, by Dr Gi- anpaolo Poli, and the prevention of peri-implantitis: medical history and therapies by Professor Luca Viganò. The event will end with a second live surgery session entitled ‘Simplified approach to the rehabilitation of edentulous arches’ with Drs Giovanni Ghirlanda and Carlo Baroncini. Throughout these Pioneer in Imme- diate3 lectures, bredent medical will highlight its philosophy of holistic patient management which em- braces an interdisciplinary approach among the specialists in the dental practice and laboratory during an era of fast-paced digitalisation. Tissue-related implant management is the optimal combination of HELBO therapy to ensure safe osseointegra- tion, SKY and copaSKY implant sys- tems for excellent bone preservation and prosthetic components/materi- als which ensure a hermetic soft tis- sue seal, while respecting biome- chanical principles, backed by com- plete digital workflows with the com- pany’s ALL-in-One concept as a complete solution provider. For more information about this event, please visit and register at https://www.sirioroma.org. MiSm ile fou nder shares the central role ph ilanth ropy plays in the bu siness including restoring or removing teeth with infections and decay, cre- ating a healthy environment for treatment and giving essential pre- ventative advice. There are a num- ber of ways UK dentists can help support Operation Smile including fundraising, raising awareness in your practice or on social media. Operation Smile carries out hun- dreds of medical missions to help people with cleft lip and cleft palate. Just £150 provides one child with cleft lip or cleft palate with a life-changing operation. MiSmile Network is the fastest grow- ing network of Invisalign-focused GDPs in the UK The MiSmile Network provides a unique opportunity to be part of a successful dental brand with a unique support business growth support model, whilst allowing den- tists to lead, control and drive their clinical practice. For more information, visit www.op- erationsmile.org.uk/fundraise. e l i i m S M © a strong community of 350 practices across the country. The business is doing phenomenally.” Dr Kumar outlines why he wanted to support a charity. “In 2016, my busi- ness was doing very well and my team was getting bigger and bigger. I felt a sense of responsibility to give part of what I was doing to those who needed it, as I felt I was in a very privileged position. I can’t do any- thing half hearted, and went to Mad- agascar with Operation Smile to see in person how the charity helps peo- ple with cleft conditions. What I saw blew me away. They were changing the lives of the patients, as well as the whole families. The moment of joy of the patient and parents’ faces was very touching.” “Operation Smile is helping people to smile who wouldn’t be able to without support”, continues Dr Kumar. “I feel very connected with their work, because we’re also mak- ing people smile. The charity is at the heart of our philanthropic support.” MiSmile started to contribute to Op- eration Smile in 2018, and aims to raise £1million for the charity. “Last year, we raised £70,000, with a total of £200,000 in the years we have been supporting them. We all feel like we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.” If not treated, infants born with cleft conditions have nine times the risk of dying within the first year of life. They may be rejected by their families or communities. They may be unable to feed or have problems speaking due to the palatal perforation. Operation Smile provides treatment for people with cleft conditions, on medical missions or in cleft centres Operation Smile has set up and trained local medical professionals to run in de- veloping countries around the world. MiSmile raises money for Operation Smile in two ways: “We contribute £7 per case to the charity. £3 comes from the MiSmile community mem- bers, and £4 is donated by me and my team. As our community is get- ting bigger, the more we raise for Operation Smile, so it’s a real win win. Once a year we hold a confer- ence and gala dinner, with a focus of raising money for Operation Smile through an auction and raffle.” Dr Kumar outlines the role dentists can play in philanthropy. “As dentists, we are in a very privileged position. We work very hard and have had to make a lot of sacrifices to get to where we are, but dentistry is a very privileged and good profession. I believe you owe it to the world to share whatever you have. There are people who don’t have the same ad- vantages we have.” As MiSmile grows, so does the sup- port for Operation Smile. “We are planning to launch MiSmile in UAE, and then will be announcing a col- laboration with orthodontists. And every case we work on helps Opera- tion Smile. That will never change.” Dentists play an essential role on Operation Smile medical missions, MiSmile founder Dr Sandeep Kumar is passionate about helping patients achieve their dream smile. After wit- nessing the essential support Oper- ation Smile provides for people with cleft lip and cleft palate, Dr Kumar put his organisation’s substantial support behind the charity with an innovative initiative – sharing a do- nation for every Invisalign treatment performed. He shares the role cor- porate responsibility plays within his business. The MiSmile Network is an umbrella organisation, comprising indepen- dent dental practices located across the UK. Their founder Dr Kumar shares: “By 2014, I was the biggest provider of Invisalign outside Lon- don in the country”, says Dr Kumar. “I wanted to help other dentists in the UK grow their businesses too, and teamed up with Align Technol- ogy to develop MiSmile. Now we are
7 UK NEWS Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 03/2023 Per spectives for oral regeneration Botiss introduces new biomaterials recent focus on biological factors and their influence on wound heal- ing. Now botiss impressed the den- tal community at the IDS and most recently at the German ITI Congress with the two new products NO- VAMag and cerabone plus, which support tissue regeneration with their special physical properties. Ad- ditionally, a product line for testing, analysis and supplementation of vi- properties of the and material combinability individual NOVAMag products with other biomaterials open up new treatment options for a variety of indications. Dr Akiva Elad (Israel) presents the "Magnesium Membrane Shield Technique" as an alternative to the invasive and time-consuming gold standard for this treatment. In his recent publication1, the technique m r o t s k a M / k c o t s r e t t u h S © Botiss biomaterials impresses with innovations in bone regeneration, treatment comfort, and optimization of systemic factors for therapy suc- cess. conference during The international driver of innovation in the field of dental biomaterials, botiss biomaterials GmbH, is enriching the dental market with three groundbreaking new solutions, which the company presented at a press IDS. NOVAMag membranes and screws made of resorbable magnesium enable new regenerative measures while avoiding for secondary surgeries. cerabone plus, the exclusive mix of bovine bone and hyaluronate directly out of box, is captivating the field of dental bone regeneration with its excellent handling properties. BotissCARE provides a simple and fast point-of- care solution to optimise vitamin D levels and thereby improve oral regeneration. the need Innovations for optimal solutions in every situa- tion In the holistic treatment of bones, soft tissues, and aesthetics, suitable and coordinated biomaterials make an essential contribution to the con- struction and regeneration of oral tissues as well as support in surgical procedures. Dr Svenja Rogge, head of new developments and tech- niques at botiss, explains: "We work closely with scientists and clinicians to continuously develop new solu- tions that meet the requirements in practice." Since its founding in 2009, the Germany-based company has been expanding its portfolio, with a tamin D is offered from now on. Stable and absorbable magnesium for GBR demonstrates the straightforward use of this novel material and enables uncomplicated introduction to the novel material. an The NOVAMag product line includes membranes and screws that are completely resorbed within a few months. This eliminates the need for secondary interventions for removal and increases comfort for patients and practitioners. Dr Giorgio Tabanella (Italy) explains, "Compared to titanium meshes and titanium- reinforced membranes, the handling is definitely easier." The unique The plus for handling and performance — bovine bone with hyaluronate Hydrating, shaping and applying - with the combination of long-term stable granules and biopolymer, cerabone plus is captivating the field of dental bone regeneration for some time. As the only xenogeneic bone substitute material with hyal- uronate directly from the blister, it forms a "sticky bone" after hydration, offering unique application comfort. Dr Rafael Block Veras (Germany) ex- plains: "The product is very comfort- able to use and apply intraopera- tively." For Prof. Anton Sculean (Switzer- land), the biopolymer as an import- ant component of connective tissue is interesting for regenerative den- tistry for one more reason: "Hyal- uronic acid has been shown to en- hance the proliferative, migratory and wound healing properties of cell types involved in soft tissue wound healing, thus pointing to its potential indication in oral reconstructive pro- cedures.” Dr Koray Feran (United Kingdom), who uses cerabone plus in many clinical situations, adds: "soft tissue healing over it has been excel- lent.” Measurement and optimi- sation of vitamin D — A success factor for oral re- generation The importance of vitamin D for the health of oral soft and hard tissues has been widely recognized. Dr Mi- guel Stanley (Portugal) emphasizes that vitamin D is essential for the normal functioning of cells involved in wound healing and regeneration and may reduce the risk of complica- tions after oral procedures and ac- celerate the healing process. Dr Stanley has been regularly measur- ing his patients' vitamin D levels for the past four years and urges his col- leagues at the botiss press confer- ence to do the same. He states: "As doctors of the oral cavity, when per- forming complex surgery, we should measure vitamin D, supplement it, and provide this additional support to our patients." Dr Miguel Stanley Instead of a blood draw by a general practitioner and time-consuming laboratory diagnostics, botissCARE offers a simple and reliable vitamin D testing system that pro- vides results in just 15 minutes di- rectly in the clinic using a drop of blood from the fingertip. If a vitamin D deficiency is detected, which is the case for over 50% of the European population, the high-quality vitamin D3+K2 spray allows convenient sup- plementation, creating an optimal foundation for subsequent treat- ments. Dr Jochen Tunkel (Germany) agrees, stating: "In my practice, the botissCARE system represents a valuable new component in my im- plantological and periodontological treatment concepts." 1. Elad, A., Rider, P., Rogge, S., Witte, F., Tadić, D., Kačarević, Ž.P. and Steigmann, L. Application of Biodegradable Magnesium Mem- brane Shield Technique for Imme- diate Dentoalveolar Bone Regener- ation. Biomedicines 2023, 11, 744. Align er Den tal Academ y an n ou n ces accreditation path way When a dentist be- comes a member of the Aligner Dental Acad- emy they are demon- strating their commit- ment to continually de- veloping their knowl- edge and skills in order to offer patients opti- mum care and results. It also gives them an op- portunity to immerse themselves in an envi- ronment with peers and experienced mentors, as well as always-on ac- cess to support and guidance to en- sure clinical excellence with every patient they treat. By doing so they will be able to ensure they are best- equipped to catapult their careers. Not only does membership of the Aligner Dental Academy confer ac- cess to all the education, support, events and mentors, but dentists can elevate their status within the profes- sion to peers as well as patients as they have the option to apply to be- come ‘Accredited’ and ultimately be- come a ’Fellow’ of the Academy. Growing status To achieve this, members are re- quired to complete an application as well as submit clinical cases for re- view by The Academy’s Clinical Board. If the requirements are met and the dentist achieves the mini- mum 85% pass mark, they will re- ceive Accredited Member status. In order to become an Aligner Dental Academy Fellow, members need to first have become Accredited. They are then required to have been ‘pub- lished’ in a recognised clinical publi- cation and will then be required to complete a case presentation ses- sion and viva with the Clinical Board. Membership levels Members who dedicate the time and energy to their learning journey can then attain accredited member sta- tus with the Academy, providing pa- tients with an invaluable measure of their treating GDP’s knowledge and expertise. According to Aligner Dental Acad- emy Co-Founder Dr Barry Buckley: “The longer a dentist spends with the Academy – attending educational events and sharing peer-reviewed cases with the group – the more their status within the Academy can im- prove, from a Registered Member to an Accredited Member, right up to becoming a Fellow of the Academy.” All Accredited and Fellows of the Academy also receive the following benefits: • An official certificate for Accred- ited members and a plaque for Fel- lows. • A digital collateral pack including badges for social media and web- sites, profile banners and market- ing material to showcase your achievement. • Patient facing collateral pack ex- plaining the value being an Ac- credited Aligner Dental Academy Member or a Fellow confers on pa- tients • Patient facing blog and social media posts pack to further illus- trate the dentist’s achievement. Membership of the newly formed Aligner Dental Academy is being heralded as a badge of excellence and commitment to best practice GP Aligner Therapy, through gold stan- dard continued education, mentor- ing and career support, as well as conferring a recognised accredita- tion pathway.
Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 03/2023 UK NEWS 8 Evolvin g bu siness system s into 2023 and beyond An article series on five basic systems to improve practice management—Part 4: Leadership and Management By Chris Barrow, UK You as delegator member the circus act of a per- former spinning plates on top of sticks? We look on in amazement as the artist adds more and more plates—and great show is made of letting plates lose momentum, wob- ble and almost fall—but just in time, the artist reaches the stick and spins, and the plate regains momentum. As the artist does that, at the other end of the line, another plate begins to wobble. The audience loves the “risk” that a plate will fall. We love to watch others take risks like that—the plate spinner, the trapeze artist, the walker balancing on the high wire. How often does your life seem like the plate spinner’s act? We have a habit of making our lives too compli- cated: too many relationships, too many patients or clients, too many apps on our devices, too many ap- pointments in the calendar, too many decisions to make, too many emails to reply to. Too many times, we poke our noses into things we should not bother with (bright shiny objects—I am terribly guilty of this) or we micromanage people who do not need or appreciate it. We have too many plates to keep spinning. Plate spinners know their limits. Do you know yours? Think about the plates you have spin- ning—and ask yourself: • Do you have enough? • Do you have too many? • What can you do to simplify your life? • Opportunities—where do you see your greatest chances of suc- cess, both personally and profes- sionally? • Threats—what can stop you, drag you down, block you, dam- age you? The controversial subject of tolerations and how to remove them i e n t s C l u n d e r s t a n d that personal and p r o f e s s i o n a l evolution is about deciding what you want more and less of in life—and doing something about it. If you want more money, more time, greater fitness, more clients, more qualifications, and if you want less travel, less procrastination, less having to do everything, then take action! paperwork, less stress, less If only it were that easy. Ask yourself what you must remove from your life before you can move forward. We all tolerate things that do not work properly, situations that are not right and relationships that do not work, in our personal and profes- sional lives. Those tolerations slow us down, eat into our self-confidence and prevent us from moving for- Chris Barrow has more than 50 years of work experience and has been active as a consultant, trainer and coach to the UK dental profession for over 25 years. His main professional focus is through his Extreme Business company, providing coaching and mentorship to independent dentistry around the world via virtual consultancy, practice visits, a workshop programme and an online learning platform. His blog, Thinking Business, enjoys a strong following. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Barrow created the Regeneration Coaching Programme to help practices to survive lockdowns and to bounce back higher after their return to work. More information on his work can When I first conducted this exercise for myself, many years ago, I decided that what I wanted to do more of was public speaking, writing, coaching and content development and that I would focus all my efforts and fi- nances on creating an environment in which I could spend 80% of my time on my unique abilities and 20% of my time doing “everything else”. Take a sheet of paper. Draw a line down the middle. Head the left- hand column “My unique abilities”. Head the right-hand column “Every- thing else”. Start writing and deter- mine what your unique abilities are. You delegate everything that does not involve your unique abilities and invest 80% of your time in your unique abilities, leading the team the other 20%—because your team members are the managers of your business (and your life). To do so, you explain what you want in clear terms, describe the outcome you are look- ing for and agree on a deadline for completion. You then back off and do not micromanage, but neither do you back off too far—into abdica- tion. In delegating, you accept that the best team players will get it right 90% of the time and mess up 10%— that will be how they learn. Management Everything you ever needed to know about business is embodied in the fundamental originally identified by Michael Gerber and about which I have said much in my series of articles so far: systems 1. financial systems (discussed in Part 1); 2. lead generation systems (mar- keting, discussed in Part 2); 3. lead conversion systems (treat- ment plan presentation and con- version, discussed in Part 3); 4. customer relationship manage- ment systems (the patient experi- ence, also discussed in Part 3); 5. operational systems governance and compliance); and 6. people systems (creating, lead- ing and managing the team, dis- cussed in this article). (clinical t i H t r A r M / k c o t s r e t t u h S © In previous articles of this series, I have referenced the seminal work The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. I looked at financial systems in Part 1, practice marketing in Part 2 and the patient experience in Part 3. In Part 4, I would like to address the topics of leadership and manage- ment—terms which are often misun- derstood, transposed and confusing. In this article, I want to focus not so much on the performance of people but on their behaviour and highlight the behavioural habits that charac- terise great leaders and managers in dental practice. What is the difference be- tween leadership and man- agement? Leadership is about your relationship with people. Management is about the deployment of systems. You cannot lead systems. You cannot manage people. You can lead peo- ple. You can manage systems. As a practice owner, you must be a good leader of good managers. As a prac- tice manager, you must be a good leader of your team and in charge of systems. Leadership Let me give you my own definition of good leadership: • you are the custodian of the vi- sion; • you are the example of on-brand performance and behaviour; • you are brilliant at effective dele- gation. You as custodian You have a three-year vision, a 12- month plan, 90-day goals, monthly management objectives, a weekly focus and daily tasks. You share the vision, plan and goals with all your team on a regular basis—and they understand and accept that the vi- sion, plan and goals evolve all the time. You imbue every aspect of the business and every member of your team with the passion and excite- ment you feel. You as example If you are late, everyone can be. If you are untidy, everyone can be. If you are miserable, everyone is! You are on stage, in the spotlight, 24/7! You must be in first and out last, must possess an eye for detail and must be aware of everything and everyone. You must be able to read a 1,000-word newsletter after everyone else—and spot the typo they all missed. You must lead your team, your clients, your suppliers, your advisers, your strategic alliance partners, your family, your friends and (sometimes) yourself. There is no time off! In his fourth article on evolving practice business systems, dental consultant Chris Barrow explains that the secret to successful leadership is sustainability, maintaining a constant pace over time. First, read The E-Myth Revisited and learn the principles. Second, read The E-Myth Dentist and learn how the principles apply in practice (dec- laration of interest—I am co-author but receive no royalties). Performing and behaving like a leader or manager How do you find the time to be a great leader or manager? Do you re- Are you any good as a leader or manager? It can be useful to conduct a SWOT analysis on yourself before you start to consider how you can lead others and manage systems: • Strengths—what do you consider to be your strongest capabilities? When do you feel in the zone? • Weaknesses—how do you let yourself down? When do you feel outside of your comfort zone? ward. The job you hate, the com- mute that wears you out, the com- puter that does not process data fast enough, the team member who is not on-brand, the patient or client who drives you nuts. Make a list of all the tolerations in your life. Let me warn you—this is scary stuff—it will move you outside of your comfort zone—trust me and be brave. Learning effectively to delegate Delegation is an essential aspect of time management. We are all doing too much—some more than others. How do we delegate well? The first step you should have already com- pleted by listing your unique abilities in the left-hand column and every- thing else in the right-hand column. The second step is to identify who
9 UK NEWS you are going to delegate “every- thing else” to. For example, in my personal life, I delegate: • housekeeping to the cleaners; • gardening to the gardener; • holidays, social occasions and special events to my wife; • my work–life balance calendar to my business manager, Phillippa Goodwin. In my professional life, I delegate: • finance to my accountant, Doug Murphy (hand-picked because he is also a mentor); • calendar, calls, meetings, travel, accommodation, even lost prop- erty to Phillippa; • branding and marketing to my daughter, Rachel Barrow, who runs her own marketing agency. The third step is often problematic— the act of delegation: • Explain and agree on the task— give a full and proper brief. • Agree on the resources required. • Agree on what the outcome will look like. • Agree on any cost implications. • Agree on a deadline. • Agree on the method of report- ing back. For simple tasks, this is far too com- plicated. In situations like that, you can rely on the individual to whom you have delegated the task to use their common sense—if they do not have any, they should not be work- ing for you! For more complex tasks—like building a website—you must have these agreements in place. The secret of attractive leadership is to then step back and leave your team to get on with it. The reason I am successful at delegation is that I do not interfere when the task has been agreed on—in any event, I am busy with other things. My support team love it that I trust them enough to make their own decisions—it gives them a sense of purpose in their work that they do for me; they own it. An empowered team, en- trusted with responsibility, will in- crease your effectiveness by an order of magnitude that far sur- passes the investment you make in them. How leaders and managers communicate How often do you communicate with your internal support team? Not often enough. How do I know that? Because part of my work is dealing with the consequences. My all-time number one saying is “All problems exist in the absence of a good con- versation.” Those conversations can be one-on- one or team meetings. Here is a meeting schedule I devised some years ago for “perfect practice” and to minimise the risk of relationship and communication problems in any business: Daily A 15-minute daily huddle before the curtain is raised, to review the good and bad points of the previous day and to preview the day ahead Weekly A 30-minute weekly reflection on the best and worst bits of the previous week and agreement on what we can learn and how we can evolve Monthly A 3-hour (half-day) monthly review of all key aspects of the business: • financial performance; • marketing results; • customer relationship manage- ment highlights; • pipeline and sales; • operational issues; • team well-being. Quarterly A full-day quarterly meeting that covers the items in a monthly meet- ing in the morning and that involves team training on any of these in the afternoon Annually An annual getaway that includes an overnight ideally in a location away from the practice location, dedi- cated to: • the same agenda as for the quar- terly meeting but with the annual review on the first morning; • fun on the first afternoon; • party and awards on the first eve- ning; Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 03/2023 • plans for the coming year on the second morning; • fun on the second afternoon. having fun—in that order. It is not all about the money. Closing Success is defined as “doing what you love to do, with the people you love doing it with, when you love doing it”.1 The secret of long-term success is sustainability—not short sharp shocks on training courses but the ability to maintain that 80% pace for mile after mile, for month after month, stretching into years. Great leaders and managers are those who follow these guidelines relentlessly and consistently over long periods. I love being a tortoise, and people seem to enjoy my leadership and management style. Reference 1. Morris T. True success: a new phi- losophy of excellence. New York: Berkeley Books; 1995. 294 p. Appraisals are yesterday’s leadership tool. The concept of sitting down with an employee once a year for “judgement day” is Industrial Revo- lution stuff—not the connection rev- olution of today. I agree that individ- uals require personal progress inter- views however. If you decide on them, here is your meeting agenda: Part 1—questions member to answer: for the team • What do you like best about working here? • What do you like least about working here? • What would you most like to change about your work here? • In what area would you appreci- ate some further training? Part 2—feedback I would like to give to you: • What I like best about the work you do is ... • What I like least about the work you do is ... • What I would most like you to change about the work you do here is ... Just about every survey of employee satisfaction ever undertaken has come to the same conclusion: that people stay in a job when they feel genuinely appreciated, can see a ca- reer pathway for themselves, feel well paid for what they do and are The fu ndam entals of succeedin g in dentistr y Dentistry is progressing at fast pace, and dental practices need to adapt or die, says Dr Simon Chard, speak- ing ahead of his presentation to del- egates at the forthcoming Align Technology UKI Forum Live, when he will share his views on a dental practice of the future. He says digital technologies such as 3D printing, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics will change the shape of dentistry in the next five to ten years – more so than the combined developments of the past 30 years. He predicts: “I’ve been chairside mill- ing my restorations for many, many years, but I believe 3D printing will eventually surpass milling. The beau- tiful thing about 3D printing is you get the accuracy, you get the speed, but it’s a much less significant capital investment than with milling, so I think the adoption from dentists will be much faster as a result.” “I think AI and having an AI assistant to support you in your clinic with note taking and radiographic diag- nostics will be widespread, while ad- vances in Smile Design and the ca- pabilities of software such as exocad CAD/CAM in smile visualisation is going to be here much faster than we think. Workflows will also be re- ally, really streamlined.” And he adds: “There’s also some really exciting ad- vances in implant therapy – hap- tic-enhanced robotics to help im- prove the accuracy of implant place- ments. future-proof themselves, he To warns dentists they must adapt. “A mindset of adaptability will be im- portant for dentists in preparing for the changes to come. To paraphrase a saying … ‘it's not the fastest or the strongest that succeeds, it's the one that's most adaptable to change’. It’s about having an open mindset and not being restricted by dogmas of previous years. But that doesn't mean jumping into every different technology that presents as soon as it arrives, because obviously there's lots of companies looking to benefit financially from the technological advancement and not all of these technologies will succeed. However, having that open mindset, doing your research and adopting it prag- matically will reap multiple rewards for all parties involved in dentistry.” A.B.C.D Dr Chard sums up what he believes are the key fundamentals of den- tistry today with his his AI and air- ways, biological, cosmetic and digital (A.B.C.D) approach. These will form the pillars of his Align Technology UKI Live Forum presentation, as he explains: “It is really important for all today of us as dentists, both for the protec- tion of our own businesses, but also for the better treatment of our pa- tients, to stay abreast of the latest advances in technology; with the ad- vent of AI, those changes will hap- pen even faster. Directly through things such as radiographic diagnos- tic assistance, to software that can design restorations, and indirectly in the way that the hardware will ad- vance much, much faster with this in- creased processing power,” he says, adding that airways are another im- portant consideration in dentistry: According to some estimations one billion people globally may have un- diagnosed sleep apnoea1 and den- tists are in a very unique position to be able to diagnose those patients. After the correct diagnosis, there are also relatively simple treatment mo- dalities that dentists can prescribe, or we can refer them to the correct sleep physician. Dr Chard also stresses the biological link between the mouth and the whole body…both the mouth lead- ing to issues in the body and issues of the body being vitally important to things going on in the mouth. “For this we look at the microbiome and the linkage of systemic illnesses with periodontal disease and implant fail- ure, and other issues of oral health. So it's really not looking at the mouth as a silo but looking at it as a part of a living human being,” he stresses. He also points to the advent of technol- ogy and im- proved tech- niques, that places even more respon- sibility on den- tists to be biologi- cally responsible and ethical with regards to cosmetic dentistry provision: “How can we practice cosmetic dentistry in the most minimally invasive way possi- ble? This includes things such as no prep porcelain veneers following In- visalign treatment and a more con- servative approach to full arch im- plant work.” Last, but by no means least he un- derlines the importance of embrac- ing digital technology. “As we've seen in many industries, if you don't adapt, then your business can very quickly die… AI, robotics or technol- ogy to streamline workflows, make it a really exciting time to be a dentist: The next five years will show the big- gest changes in dentistry that we've seen in the past 30.” Dr Simon Chard practices cosmetic and implant dentistry at Rothley Lodge Dental just outside London. He sits on the board of directors for the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and has a strong focus towards achieving optimal aesthetic results using minimally invasive techniques. Reference Benjafield, A.V. et al. (2019) ‘Estima- tion of the global prevalence and burden of obstructive sleep apnoea: A literature-based analysis’, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 7(8), pp. 687–698. doi:10.1016/s2213- 2600(19)30198-5.
Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 03/2023 UK NEWS 10 The new power duo gu idin g Sinclair th rou gh its next phase of growth 2023 Sinclair's marketing leaders: John Campbell, Country Head for the UK&I and Lauren Clarke, Head of Marketing UK&I. happy and fulfilled team translates to better results and a greater expe- rience for our customers.” Beyond Sinclair’s internal team he recognises the importance of ad- dressing the professional develop- ment needs of aesthetic practi- tioners within the industry: “Ulti- mately, my goal is to create a symbi- otic relationship where our team's growth and dedication empowers aesthetic practitioners to deliver outstanding care and results to their clients.” Lauren has a comprehensive plan in place focused on innovation, cus- ing strategic alliances and collabo- rating with influencers, I aim to build solid customer loyalty and bolster Sinclair UKI’s brand trustworthiness.” She also stresses that digital trans- formation, with an emphasis on bet- ter use of social media, will be fun- damental to building Sinclair’s online presence. At the same time Lauren intends to strengthen Sinclair’s brand positioning by more actively engaging in industry functions and thought leadership initiatives. “Finally, I see immense value in pro- viding networking opportunities for our customers. Offering a compre- r e n r o c p o p / k c o t s r e t t u h S © Global aesthetics specialist Sinclair is paving the way for a future of strate- gic innovation and expansion with two key executive appointments ini- tiated to help spearhead Sinclair UKI’s ambition to be UK market leader. Medical aesthetics is in the career DNA of both John Campbell, who joins Sinclair as country head for the UK and Ireland, and Lauren Clarke, who comes on board as head of marketing UK and Ireland - and is leading the company’s marketing and training functions. Together they bring a wealth of industry expe- rience, mutual respect and under- standing which they plan to leverage as they take Sinclair UKI into the next phase of business expansion. John Campbell’s career in medical aesthetics spans 15 years, with com- panies such as Germany’s Merz Pharma and Allergan Aesthetics, un- derpinned by 20 years of sales and marketing expertise. His extensive background gives him a deep un- derstanding of the industry's com- plexities, which he believes will be in- strumental to his role at Sinclair. “What I bring is a really good under- standing of the industry, both at a national and global level. My experi- ence working with some of the larg- est medical aesthetic companies in the field has provided me with valu- able insights and expertise that I can readily apply to my current role,” he says. Similarly, Lauren boasts 16 years of expertise in the international aes- thetics market, which she explains “Encompasses strategic sales and marketing roles which demanded a deep understanding of diverse con- sumer preferences, distributor dy- namics, and manufacturer-to-pro- vider engagements.” She adds: "My most recent experience was as Di- rector of Marketing for an aesthetic clinic chain, however HydraFacial is probably the notable company for which I worked, where I led the expe- riential marketing focus for the EMEA region.” Mutual professional re- spect Certainly both John and Lauren are full of mutual professional admira- tion and respect for each other. Says John of Lauren: “Lauren has a true passion for medical aesthetics. With a wealth of experience in the indus- try. One of her greatest qualities is her innate ability to engage with people. Whether it's customers, col- leagues, or industry peers, she es- tablishes meaningful connections and builds strong relationships.” Lauren adds of John: “I hold com- plete faith in John's strategic ap- proach to decision-making, trusting success that it will guide our company in a well-planned and effective direction, fostering and growth throughout the UK, Ireland, and for all our customers. As we focus on building strategic partnerships for improvement and growth, John's well-established network and repu- tation will undoubtedly be key as- sets.” The two are also understandably im- pressed and excited by Sinclair’s track record and the opportunities for growth. Says John: “Beyond its great product offerings, what truly stands out to me is the emphasis Sin- clair places on building and nurtur- ing relationships. The company ac- tively encourages connections and communication practi- tioners, professionals, and experts in the field. This collaborative approach creates a supportive and empower- ing ecosystem that benefits every- one involved, enhancing the overall quality of care and services offered within the industry.” among Lauren also underlines the quality and efficacy of Sinclair’s “excep- tional” product portfolio, which in- cludes pioneering brands including Maili, Lanluma, Silhouette Soft, El- lansé and a new portfolio of ener- gy-based devices, which are new to the market. This is couple with a “Dedication to providing profes- sional support and for healthcare professionals”, including resources such as the Sinclair College learning portal. training Planning for growth Together John and Lauren have co- hesive plans to build on the success of the business so far. John highlights his vision of creating a “Happy and empowered team.” He adds "My commitment to nurturing a positive and motivating work environment revolves around fostering empower- ment and knowledge among team members. I strongly believe that a An early highlight were two exclusive MaiLi My Power brunches designed specifically for industry stakeholders as well as professional and consumer press, which revealed findings of a global conducted with women as part of the powerful MaiLi My Power campaign. She adds: “I am now committed to sustaining and amplifying the momentum we have gathered so far.” survey Forging new collabora- tions She has also announced Sinclair’s collaboration with the UK's foremost postgraduate training provider in aesthetic medicine, Harley Acad- emy, and the globally renowned Prof. Sebastian Cotofona, an emi- nent anatomist for facial enhance- ment procedures and Professor in the Department of Clinical Anatomy at the prestigious Mayo Clinic of Medicine and Science in Rochester, Minnesota. “This collaboration will make Sinclair the exclusive collaborator for Prof. Cotofona's inaugural event in the UK, coinciding with his new role as Harley Academy's Academic Di- rector. This strategic alignment not only underscores our core objec- tives but also paves the way for fu- ture growth, impact, and success,” Lauren concludes. Finally, John underline’s his ambition for Sinclair under his stewardship. tomers, collaboration, digital trans- formation, employee growth, brand positioning, industry leadership, and networking. “Together, these strate- gies form a roadmap for success, guiding Sinclair UKI to new heights in the aesthetics industry, in alignment with both our business goals and customers' needs,” she stresses, adding: “I believe a customer-fo- cused approach, combined with fos- tering collaboration and partner- ships, is paramount. By putting cus- tomer satisfaction at the core, and working closely with key players within the aesthetics sector, includ- hensive calendar of opportunities is a priority, allowing them to connect and engage with industry peers and experts, fostering relationships, and enhancing their overall experience with Sinclair UKI and our brands.” In fact, she has already begun to im- plement this strategy, launching seven Maili networking events across the UK and Ireland in July, which successfully brought together more than 100 medical profession- als and partners. “Sinclair has an impressive legacy within the industry. I genuinely be- lieve that it will be a market leader in the UK. To achieve this, we must focus on continuing to: offer great products, develop an exceptional team and create the finest customer experience tailored to the demands of the digital age.” For more information about Sinclair, please visit: www.sinclair.com/. To arrange meetings with John or Lau- ren at CCR, please email enquirie- suk@sinclair.com.
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12 UK NEWS Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 03/2023 Effects of m enopau se on wom en's oral health By Anna Middleton, UK Menopause is a natural biological process that marks the end of a woman's reproductive years. It typi- cally occurs in women between the ages of 45 and 55, and during this time, hormonal changes can have a variety of effects on the body. One area that is often overlooked but can be significantly impacted is dental and oral health. During menopause, a woman's body experiences a decrease in the pro- duction of oestrogen and progester- one, two essential hormones that play a role in maintaining bone den- sity and oral health. This hormonal imbalance can lead to several oral health issues, including: 1. Bone loss: Oestrogen helps pro- tect bone density, and the decrease in oestrogen levels during meno- pause can contribute to bone loss. This can weaken the foundation that supports teeth and increase the risk of tooth loss especially in the pres- ence of periodontal disease. 2. Dry mouth: Many women experi- ence dry mouth during menopause, which is a result of decreased saliva production. Saliva is crucial for main- taining oral health as it helps cleanse away food particles, neutralise acids, and prevent the growth of bacteria. Dry mouth can lead to a higher risk of tooth decay, periodontal disease, and oral infections, such as oral thrush. 3. Gum problems: Hormonal changes can make the gums more sensitive and prone to inflammation in the presence of biofilm. This can lead to increased gum tenderness, bleeding, and a higher risk of peri- odontal disease, such as gingivitis and periodontitis. 4. Burning mouth syndrome: Some women may experience a burning or tingling sensation in the mouth, known as burning mouth syndrome, during menopause. This condition can cause discomfort, alter taste perception, and impact oral health. 5. Osteoporosis: Menopause is often associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis, a condition character- ised by decreased bone density. Os- teoporosis can affect the jawbone, leading to tooth loss and other den- tal problems. with fluoride toothpaste and inter- dental cleaning daily are essential habits to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. I recommend a Philips Sonicare toothbrush and the new PowerFlosser as an adjunct. Regular dental exams and professional cleanings should also be scheduled to monitor and address any emerg- ing issues. 2. Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of water can help combat dry mouth and promote saliva production. Lim- iting caffeine and alcohol intake can also help reduce dryness. 3. Use saliva substitutes: Over-the- counter saliva substitutes, such as ar- tificial saliva, can provide temporary relief for dry mouth symptoms along with sugar-free mints/gum. 4. Practice a balanced diet: Consum- ing a nutritious diet rich in calcium, vitamin D, and other essential nutri- ents can support bone health. In- clude dairy products, leafy greens, and fortified foods in your diet. To mitigate the effects of meno- pause on oral health, dental profes- sionals should consider advising the following measures for patients ex- periencing menopause: 5. Quit smoking: Menopause is a good time to quit smoking if you ha- ven't already. Smoking increases the risk of gum disease, oral cancers, and other oral health problems. 1. Maintain good oral hygiene: Brushing teeth at least twice a day 6. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT): In some cases, hormone re- placement therapy may be recom- mended to alleviate menopause symptoms, including those impact- ing oral health. Consult with a healthcare professional to deter- mine if HRT is a suitable option for you. brings In conclusion, meno- pause about hor- m o n a l c h a n g e s that can affect a woman's d e n t a l and oral h e a l t h . Maintaining good oral hy- giene practices, stay- ing hydrated, eating a balanced diet, and seeking professional dental care can help minimise the impact of menopause on oral health and pro- mote overall well-being during this transitional phase of life. Anna Middleton Anna Middleton is an award-win- ning dental hygienist and therapist. She started London Hygienist website with the mission to change the way oral health care is delivered to patients and improve access to dental services. In 2020, Anna returned to university to extend her scope of practice by completing her dental therapist training at the University of Essex, obtaining a BSc Hons in Oral Health Science in 2021. Anna is a KOL for Philips, and an official provider and Swiss Dental Academy trainer of EMS Guided Biofilm Therapy. Anna regularly appears in the Dentistry Top Most Influential Dental Professionals in the UK Anna recently introduced Thrive, a course to help dental professionals to achieve professional and personal success. This is about to be launched online. Toothpaste contain in g synthetic tooth m inerals can prevent cavities as effectively as fluor ide Can we improve on the toothpaste we use to maintain clean teeth, pre- venting medical issues that spiral from poor dental health? Most toothpastes use fluoride, a powerful tool for oral hygiene. However, fluo- ride can pose health problems in some cases, especially for children who consume too much fluoride by swallowing most of their toothpaste: children normally use only a tiny dose of toothpaste to avoid these problems, but that reduces tooth- brushing efficacy. In the search for alternatives, a team of international scientists and Polish clinicians have identified a hydroxyapatite tooth- paste that works just as well as fluo- ride toothpaste to protect against cavities. “Hydroxyapatite is a safe and effec- tive alternative to fluoride in caries prevention for daily use,” said Prof. Elżbieta Paszyńska of the Poznań University of Medical Sciences, co-principal investigator and corre- sponding author of the study. Minimally invasive den- tistry Hydroxyapatite is a calcium phos- phate mineral found in the skeleton. It’s known to be very safe for human p p o fl a g e m / k c o t s r e t t u h S © consumption and has previously been shown to help with oral condi- tions like periodontitis. It can both in- hibit the demineralisation of teeth, a key step towards a cavity, and con- tribute to remineralisation, which re- inforces damaged tooth surfaces. “Currently, in dental care, the aim is to use minimally invasive dentistry as often as possible,” explained Prof. Paszyńska. “This means trying to preserve as much tooth tissue as possible, including those altered by initial caries that still show the ability to remineralize. The use of reminer- alisation compounds is a boon, as it may limit the need for invasive treat- ment of carious lesions with a drill.” To see if it would help patients with- out specific dental conditions, the clinicians recruited 189 adults aged 18-45 to take part in an 18-month- long double blind randomised clini- cal trial. They aimed to see all pa- tients through to the end of the study without an increase in cavities. A total of 171 patients completed the trial, evenly split between the hy- droxyapatite toothpaste group and the control group with fluoridated toothpaste. All patients had at least ten teeth without cavities, were will- ing to use an electric toothbrush, and had no pre-existing tooth prob- lems in need of treatment. Patients toothpaste were provided with electric tooth- brushes and replacement heads for these brushes, as well as neutrally packaged that could have contained either the hydroxy- apatite toothpaste or a fluoride toothpaste. Neither patients nor ex- aminers knew which toothpaste a given patient was using, and patients used no other oral care products. They were also asked to brush their teeth at the same time every day— twice a day, after meals, for three minutes each time—but they were not asked to change their diets. “We did not monitor the diet of each subject as the aim was to test two different toothpastes, not the influ- ence of the diet on the caries prog- ress,” said Prof. Paszyńska. Hydroxyapatite equally ef- fective Throughout the trial, patients visited the clinicians every six months for an examination and to receive a fresh supply of toothpaste. Their teeth were visually examined and checked for any shadows that might reveal an early-stage cavity using a DIAGNO- cam (KaVo) device. A plaque disclos- ing solution was also used to see how clean their teeth were. Each stage of the trial was monitored for consistency between patients, and patient safety was monitored at every appointment to make sure there weren’t any unanticipated side effects. At the end of the trial, the scientists found that nearly 90% of patients in both groups had no new cavities. There was no statistical difference in efficacy between the patients using a hydroxyapatite toothpaste and the control group using a fluoride tooth- paste: both worked equally well. “Previously published clinical trials also show the caries-preventing ef- fect of hydroxyapatite in risk groups such as children and patients under- going orthodontic therapy,” said Prof. Paszyńska. “With our new clini- cal trial, it has been shown that hy- droxyapatite prevents dental caries in adults. This is important from a public health perspective.” The study, titled “Caries-preventing effect of a hydroxyapatite-tooth- paste in adults: a 18-month dou- ble-blinded clinical trial”, was published on 18 July in Frontiers in Public Health. randomized