Student Section with Kishan Sheth

Dear fellow colleagues, friends, ladies and gentlemen, it was fantastic to witness a very positive response to our first two editions of DentaltownUK, which featured some incredible content from many of the top figures in UK dentistry.

It also showcased the great work done by Zain Hameed and Awais Ali, fourth year dental students at King’s College London.

DentaltownUK includes a student section because we truly believe that it is important for the future generation of the profession to share ideas and opinions with their more experienced colleagues.

It also provides an excellent opportunity to understand the importance of a work/life balance whilst embarking on a dental educational programme, and discuss food, hobbies, style, travel and student experiences that can happen outside the clinical and learning environment.

This month, the student section features the incredible work of Lawrence Sharkey, a dental student who shares my passion for the performing arts, and who has developed himself in musical theatre in particular.

It also showcases the ‘elective down under’ that Ajay Mehta has been on and how he discovered the concept of Myobrace, an alternative orthodontic treatment modality that aims to use myofunctional orthodontic techniques to correct malocclusions.

In addition, Sahil Sharma, a student who is involved heavily in dance, shares his article on how we can reduce our levels of stress. In addition, Aditi Goel, also shares her understanding of the concept of stress, and makes her personal recommendations for how dental students can reduce the level of stress they experience.

Stress management is a component of dentistry that we can’t master from our books or our lectures. We’ll have to learn and adapt with time and experience, but this article points out important aspects to keep in mind.

Modern dentistry demands that high levels of quality work be done in a short amount of time. Your patients, colleagues and clinical treatment must also be managed effectively.

All of these factors can add to your stress load. Many dentists and students that I speak to report: feeling inadequate for the task, boredom, a need to develop extreme attention to detail and the continuous striving for absolutely perfect restorations, and challenges regarding treating patients who are anxious.

Challenges regarding developing professional relationships between team members and fighting off eyestrain, back and neck problems also create important considerations for dental students.

However, stress is not always a bad thing. Small amounts of stress are great efficiency boosters, which increase performance. However, surplus amounts can have dangerous effects on health.

I am sure that you will enjoy this edition of DentaltownUK; it’s packed with some great content from very special individuals in the profession. Please do engage with our message boards and let us know about your thoughts.

We'd love to hear from you!