Versha Miyanger reports back from the Dawood and Tanner Study Day, which took place recently in London.
The Dawood and Tanner ninth study day took place on Friday 1 February for the third time at the Wellcome Collection.
The day focused on core values, these were some of the day to day issues that are familiar to most dental practitioners, some of which are challenging, such as dealing with complaints. The Dawood and Tanner team invited specialist speakers who offered insights and solutions to these topics that can help you make your practice more effective and successful.
The aim of the study day is to be pertinent and immediately applicable to the whole dental team, patients and your practice. All topics are key to anyone in dental practice today, and the CPD criteria links to all four development outcomes.
With a move towards healthier diets and better dental care, we are seeing patients keeping their teeth longer. As a result, we will all see more patients with tooth wear; Dr Saoirse O’Toole and Dr Matthew Garrett together addressed this subject looking at the aetiology and management. Drs Andrew Dawood and Susan Tanner showed how implant treatments can be made more accessible and acceptable to patients, using acute 3D awareness and the latest digital and CAD techniques to simplify treatment.
Handling complaints is unfortunately a serious matter, and in our increasingly litigious society, requires a great deal of experience and diplomacy. Dawood and Tanner were pleased to welcome Dr Raj Rattan to share his insights into this important subject. With the rise of antibiotic resistant organisms, confusion over guidelines, and the advent of new antibiotics, Dr Caroline Pankhurst, a longstanding collaborator and infection control guru, shared the latest approaches to antibiotic prescribing. In the course of the last year, two cases of oral cancer were identified in patients of Dawood and Tanner’s practice, and several patients referred with recurrent ulcerative lesions. Dr Pepe Shirlaw provided an update on the differential diagnosis and management of oral ulcers.
The morning kicked off with specialist periodontist and dental implant surgeon, Dr Fiona MacKillop. Fiona, along with Dr Susan Tanner, is a founder of the British Woman’s Society of Implant Dentistry, which promotes women in the field of implant dentistry.
Her engaging presentation on soft tissues and improving health and longevity for patients was met with great interest by delegates. She explained how soft tissue around implants affects the aesthetic appearance and the longevity of dental implants.
Next, speaker Dr Shanon Patel gave a pragmatic approach to managing dental trauma and the challenges that are faced. He provided practical advice on the early management for the patient who presents with acute or recent dental trauma in general practice. He then outlined the methods of definitive restoration of traumatised teeth.
Dr Almas Husain’s presentation showed some avoidable diagnostic mishaps that have presented repeatedly in her practice, and made suggestions for improved management. She highlighted some treated cases with an integrated orthodontic and restorative approach.
Following the morning session, the delegates flowed into the main room where sponsors were eagerly waiting to demonstrate new products and introduce services. It was a relaxed and informal atmosphere of dentists sharing opinions and insights while enjoying delicious refreshments and pastries.
The charismatic Dr Raj Rattan closed the morning session with a talk. He brilliantly outlined why patients complain and how, if complaints are not effectively managed, they can damage your practice more swiftly and insidiously than one would think. Dr Rattan demonstrated the psychological aspects of complaining and reviewed the theoretical and practical aspects of complaints management. His entertaining yet serious lecture covered risk management and offered guidance on how to avoid escalation.
After a short break, delegates were then treated to Dr Caroline Pankhurst’s lecture on the problems associated with the over-use of antibiotic and the increase in antimicrobial resistance. She outlined methods for dental practitioners to optimise patient treatment outcomes by appropriate use of antibiotics when necessary.
The closing lecture of the day was given by consultant in oral medicine Dr Pepe Shirlaw who covered different oral ulcers ranging from the simple traumatic to aphthous ulcers and oral manifestations of systemic disease. She gave examples of ulcers that a general dental practitioner or specialist might encounter in practice.
Many of the delegates were enthused, and said it was the best dental conference they had attended, and they gained new tips and ideas to reflect on, with the added bonus of CPD hours.
The next Dawood and Tanner Study day will be held on 7 February 2020. In the meantime, there are plenty more courses available through the Dawood and Tanner Academy. See www.dawoodandtanneracademy.co.uk, call 020 7935 0080 or email [email protected].
