Learning Dental Implant Surgery on Live patient
Learning Dental Implant Surgery on Live patient
This blog is about new course which uses cutting edge technology as well as conventional dental implant surgery training to teach restorative doctors how to preform implant surgery in their offices.
Omid Termechi

Modernizing DDS Programs

12/25/2017 9:22:31 AM   |   Comments: 0   |   Views: 84
Modernizing DDS Programs 

When standards of dental care evolve in response to new technologies and demographic trends, administrators of DDS programs should see an opportunity to carve out a competitive advantage. In many ways, they have responded admirably to emerging realities, but they have generally fallen short of their potential in at least two ways.

First, the typical DDS curriculum still marginalizes implantology, even as dental implants increasingly deliver superior clinical outcomes and become more affordable. Further, as I wrote in my last post here, demand for implants continues to increase as the growth of older/edentulous demographics outpaces the growth of younger population segments. Practicing dentists recognize the trend, which is why implantology seminars (like DISS) enjoy strong demand, but most DDS graduates are still entering the business without having placed a single implant. Dental school deans should rethink the design of their curriculum to address this missed opportunity.

Second, the 2017 Dental School Technology Audit strongly suggests that DDS programs lag the industry in the adoption of emerging technologies. The survey found, for example, that 43% of dental schools do not teach digital technology in their practice management courses, and 42% do not provide digital technology training for faculty.

Because of these deficiencies, DDS graduates who want to expand their practice into implantology turn to continuing education courses. I suggest that they evaluate their options based on the following criteria:
        
  • Hands-on Experience - How many supervised implants will participants place in live patients?
  •     
  • Caliber of Faculty - How many implants have the instructors placed and supervised?
  •     
  • Quality of Follow-up Care - Does the program make adequate provisions for follow-up consultations and restorations?
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  • University Affiliation - Privately organized seminars may be appropriate for some practitioners, but, generally speaking, university settings with established dental clinics offer significant advantages in patient recruitment, follow-up care, technology and continuing-education credentialing by third-party organizations (e.g. ICOI, AAID).
  •     
  • Technology - Does the program incorporate the latest technology, including digital tools and 3D-printed surgical guides?
  •     
  • Cost - A well-rounded implantology seminar, combining thorough didactics and clinical immersion, can produce a solid return on investment, but that's not a reason to overpay. 
  •     
  • Special Circumstances - Can the program accommodate participants with special needs, including dietary restrictions, religious observances, disabilities, etc.?
I invite you to learn more about how DISS scores high on all these criteria.
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