The Press has recently been awash with concerns over data privacy in social media with the Cambridge Analytica scandal and many people have vowed to cancel their accounts. Like many, I utilise Social Media to connect with and communicate with colleagues, groups and friends and will continue (albeit carefully) to do so. There are certainly some excellent Facebook groups with dentists connecting socially, sharing cases, techniques and information and it would be a shame to lose these.
The Dentaltown forum & message boards actually ticks all of the above boxes with the added advantages that it is free from data privacy concerns (you can even keep your profile anonymous if you prefer), and is out of the public eye (access restricted to dental professionals means more freedom to discuss about cases and professional concerns.)
The boards also benefit from having moderators to ensure that the content is appropriate. You may have already noticed that each month in the DentaltownUK e-magazine we publish examples of clinical discussions that are active on the forum. There are multiple categories of boards to post in and with over 5 million posts, the Dentaltown message boards are well established and full of active dentist members.
It is free to register- so please do sign up and join in the Townie community. I wonder which of the following boards you will post in first...
Some message board categories
Anesthesiology
A forum for anesthesiology discussions
Associations and Organizations
A forum for discussions of the various associations and organizations in dentistry. Including Large Group Dentistry and DSOs.
CAD-CAM and Digital Impression Technologies / Computers & Software
Forums on general CAD-CAM topics, Cerec, E4D, and digital impressions with Lava COS 3M ESPE, Itero, Cerec Connect and 3D Printing
Cosmetic Dentistry Forums in cosmetic dentistry, bleaching/whitening, and Botox and dermal fillers
Dental “Pearls” A forum to post those simple ideas that dentists have thought of to solve everyday problems in their practices
Dental Students and Residents
Forums for dental student discussions, dental resident discussions, dental student and resident cases, NBDE Exams and Licensure Exams, career opportunities and pre-dental school
Dentaltown Magazine
The digital editions of Dentaltown Magazine and discussions about the articles
Dentistry In The News
Forums in Dentistry In the News and This Day in Dental History
Endodontics
A forum for Endodontics discussions
Equipment & Supplies
Forums in equipment, dental supplies, handpieces, personal evaluations and recommendations, new products and more
Finance
Forums in equipment, acquisition and practice expansion financing, patient finance plans, personal finance and taxes
Radiology (Imaging) and Photography
Forums in intra-oral cameras, transmission of images to payors and providors, cone beam CT scanning, digital radiography, photographic radiography and photography
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Periodontics
A forum to discuss periodontology