Health Integration in Dentistry

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I’m currently in Vancouver where there is a dental meeting , the details can be found here https://reg.pdconf.com/website/79077/home/

Unfortunately, I can’t attend as I no longer have a UK registration, never mind a Canadian registration. Also, due to the time difference Liverpool are playing in the Champions League lunchtime, so I’ll be in a bar. Last week there was a dental meeting in Portland, that I attended, and gave a short talk on Promoting Public Prevention in the UK.

The difference is that according to an organiser I met yesterday, they are anticipating 10,000 dentists over the next few days in Vancouver, as opposed to about 300 in Portland. It represents the difference in attitude of the profession as well as our governments. While we know Prevention has huge savings for the public, the vast majority of our income is based on surgery, generally removing dental disease and restoring the dentition with what remains.

We need to share our experiences in how to have a business model based around delivering preventive care and using the whole team to treat dental disease as outlined in Portland. Any ideas? Mine are on this website.

I called in the Apple shop yesterday, and was given a demo on using their AI to make a talking emoji. This is the better one to promote Teledentistry.

I’ll make a video on how we can help one deliver some of the positive dental outcomes from our experience during Covid.
If we want a healthier country the dental team can be the trusted health advocates our countries need. We can’t leave the decision to “here today, gone tomorrow” politicians.

We need to deliver the long term health our society needs, and in the UK help reduce the burden on our NHS, one tooth at a time.

I think the video will play, like the emoji, it was made on my old iPhone 11.

Marketing yourself and health

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**Happy New Year! 🎉**

As we embark on this new year, let’s reflect on what it might bring us. What resolutions do you have? Are you ready to improve our nation’s health, one tooth at a time? Rather than waiting for a government report on care in the next three years, let’s take action now!
I often find inspiration from a podcast that explores human behavior insights. If we want to enhance our well-being, we can learn to implement similar nudges that promote healthy habits.

Check out this podcast episode featuring Robert Cialdini, which resonates with my journey as a dentist: [Is the Godfather of Influence Still Relevant?](https://www.nudgepodcast.com/podcast/episode/2fa0fe0f/is-the-godfather-of-influence-still-relevant)

Let’s leverage social media to spread our message! You can find resources on creating your own reels, posts, or stories at denflix.co.uk (https://www.denflix.co.uk). Your feedback will help refine these tools and develop a more comprehensive library.

The dental team can be health advocates for our nation. We don’t need to be experts in everything; we need to share resources we trust, and combat misinformation. Explore you and your phone’s capabilities and see how you can contribute!

Let’s apply Cialdini’s seven principles of influence to our marketing strategies for health advocacy. As Stephen Covey would say, it’s a win-win!

This is a summary from chat GPT. It is really useful for some health references, like Wikipedia. Think how they could help you, our profession, and our NHS. Have fun sharing what we know, with the people we know and trust us.
Download videos here https://www.teeth4life.org.uk/denflix.html

​Robert Cialdini’s work on human influence outlines several key principles that drive compliance and persuasion. Here is a summary of the seven principles he promoted:
1. **Reciprocity**: People feel obliged to return favours or concessions. When someone does something for you, you’re more likely to reciprocate.
2. **Commitment and Consistency**: Once individuals commit to something, they are more likely to follow through to remain consistent with their commitments, even if the initial reasons for the commitment change.
3. **Social Proof**: People tend to look to others to determine appropriate behaviour. If they see others participating in an action, they’re more likely to follow suit.
4. **Authority**: Individuals are more likely to comply with requests from perceived authority figures, often without questioning the legitimacy of the request.
5. **Liking**: People are more easily persuaded by individuals they like. Factors that enhance liking include similarity, compliments, and cooperative efforts.
6. **Scarcity**: Opportunities seem more valuable when they are less available. Creating a sense of urgency can influence people’s decision-making.
7. **Unity**: A shared identity or sense of belonging can strengthen persuasion, as people are more inclined to support ideas or actions that reinforce group cohesion.

Regulation Barriers

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The Dentists Act, established in 1984, has seen only minor updates since, and has not kept pace with advances in technology. Many treatments are still required to be performed under a dentist’s supervision, known as “under prescription.”

This restricts access for the general public, despite the fact that trained dental nurses with modern skills could carry out several important preventive and assessment tasks, such as:

  1. Taking routine dental X-rays
  2. Applying dental varnishes
  3. Providing remote preventive dental advice through teledentistry
  4. Scanning the mouth for retainers and night guards
  5. Scanning dentures for replication before loss
  6. Conducting dental screenings in schools and care homes

Relevant instructional videos can be found on the Dental Health Service website. It shows how AI can help with dental assesments to help diagnosis, as well as how 3d-printing can help with multiple preventive dental procedures and medical devices.

Through the AI on chat GPT which looks at relevant publications, and seems relatively accurate regarding X-Rays:-

The radiation dose from a traditional dental X-ray in the 1980s was significantly higher than what we have today due to the use of older equipment and film-based technology.

In the 1980s, dental X-rays often used D-speed film (or slower), which required more radiation to produce a clear image. A single bitewing X-ray at that time could expose a patient to around 50 µSv to 100 µSv per image, roughly 5 to 10 times higher than the dose from modern digital X-ray systems, which use faster E-speed or F-speed films or, more commonly today, digital sensors.

Advances in technology, including the use of digital X-rays and high-speed film, have since greatly reduced the amount of radiation needed, improving patient safety while still providing high-quality diagnostic images.

Taking routine dental X-rays has the same exposure as a flight to Portugal and all we need is a passport, or in the case of dental X-rays, consent. We just need a GDC to keep its CPD up to date in these fields.

 

Bridging the Gap in Health Professions

Many health professions encounter similar challenges. While health regulatory bodies play a crucial role in protecting the public, it’s essential to strike a balance that avoids restricting access to the majority who could benefit from a more collaborative and conciliatory approach with the public and the profession.

For a deeper understanding of this issue, we recommend reading this insightful article, which provides a clear and concise explanation of the challenges at hand.

​https://www.gdpuk.com/blogs/stephen-henderson/entry/2487-scope-of-practice-guidance-–-chaos-at-the-gmc-and-gdc-what-on-earth-is-going-on

How can we improve our nations health?

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The recent conclusion of the Olympics brings to mind the impressive success of the cycling team in 2012, achieved through the concept of marginal gains. Just as they focused on small improvements, we can enhance our health individually, ultimately conserving valuable financial resources for the NHS. Here are some ideas to help improve our nation’s health, one tooth at a time. Visit my YouTube channel, Teeth4Life, and search for DHS. Please subscribe for resources that support both those who can and cannot access dental care.