CONVERSATION: DENTIST and TECHNOLOGIST

Dentist: Good morning Mr John

Technologist: Very well. I hope you had a restful night?

Dentist: Yes. Thank you.
Hope our patient will smile home today?

Technologist: You cannot imagine it, the Plaster we used in processing the job disappointed us-it was slow setting.

Dentist: So what?

Technologist: The processing took a little longer. I am afraid a new appointment has to be arranged.

Dentist: That is very disappointing.

Technologist: The problem was not anticipated. A new supply failed us.

Dentist: What is the new date are you suggesting?

Technologist: Another week.

Dentist: It is sad.

Technologist: I think we need to re- appraise the whole situation.

Dentist: What do you mean?

Technologist: The management has to be advised on the latest technologies in fabrication of dental prostheses.

Dentist: How do you mean?

Technologist: We cannot afford to continue  to stay at the mercy of failed appointments because we do not employ the latest time saving technologies and techniques.

Dentist: You want to be recommended for training?

Technologist: No, but the management should be aware there are better ways of working to satisfy our patients.

Dentist: Please explain further.

Technologist: The world of dentistry is already shifting from Plaster room to digital spaces.

Dentist: Are you suggesting the use of computer to do laboratory fabrication? By the way how many of you in the lab can use a computer that way?

Technologist: Computer and the skills required to operate one is a commonplace these days.

Dentist: Anyway, our system is not supportive of what you are trying to suggest with this no electricity, no water, no material problems we daily encounter.

Technologist: Yes but we have to start somewhere; suggest and recommend the best way to the management and we have done our part.

Dentist: I agree but management too will give excuses on shortage of funds.

Technologist: What then is the way forward? We shall then continue to disappoint our patients-that is not good for dentistry as a whole.

Dentist: We must find a way out of this in the overall interest of the dental profession and the patient we serve.

Technologist: The whole thing look like a quagmire but it is surmountable.

Dentist: Yes. Let's think of some other alternatives while we pressurise the management over our idea.

Technologist: Alternatives?

Dentist: Yes, alternatives.

Technologist:  I suggest we create a forum of dental professionals leaving no one behind that will discuss the future of dentistry in Nigeria. This all-inclusive forum can commence a new direction for the future of dentistry.

Dentist: How, under what modalities?

Technologist: Both of us can start talking to those that may share this dream then we take it from there.

Dentist: Good idea. Let's get this off the ground during break time.

Technologist: I look forward to it.

THE MERGER OF DENTAL LABORATORY AND CLINIC

Many would wonder how could dental lab and clinic merge? What does it mean by this merger? A time will come that you don't need to train separately as a dental technologist and a dentist but a single curriculum will exist that will train a dental doctor that will either specialise in rendering laboratory services or clinical services. An individual will have to make that choice. At this time dental services will be fully digitised and laboratory fabrication processes will move from plaster room to digital spaces. A careful  look at trends in training and skill acquisitions in developed world by dental companies is blurring the distinction between lab and clinical skills. Even digital dentistry will clearly suggest merger and the involvement of dental professionals and none dental professionals in fabrication of dental prostheses will become a serious concern. The fast changing needs and awareness on the options of treatment by dental patients will be very strong such that patronage will move from the present conventional dental clinic/lab set up to CAD/ CAM theatre where dental clinic and dental lab will share common spaces. In Nigeria we are practicing dentistry as bequeathed to us by the British and as it stands today (in the UK) all cadres of dental professionals can acquire skills related to his specialism ( sometimes a little deviation is observed) by registered education provider after basic training under the present curriculum.  In Britain dentists could acquire one time exclusive lab skills through these education providers if he shows interest while clinical dental technologist are taking clinical training and skills-merger is imminent and will definitely become the norm in the coming decades.  In Britain GDC document on scope of practice for all dental professionals allows other professional to carryout some clinical procedures under the watch of a dentist-for me that is the beginning of the merger. Laws and regulations will allow flexibility in dental treatment and enforcement of law will get rather flexible. Unfortunately, how is Africa responding to this imminent paradigm shift?

DIGITAL DENTISTRY

The buzz in dentistry is digital this digital that. Dental professionals in Nigeria seem to be sleeping except for few talk about it no one seem to be doing something concrete about it. Regulatory agencies are asleep and associations are just showing little or no concern. Software engineers are dictating the way we should practice our profession and when the advanced worlds is done they will dump it on us. TOKUNBO  CAD/CAM will soon arrive and dental professionals will start falling on each other to begin from the obsolete version of the technology. Should we not emulate China who sponsor their citizens to countries where these developments are happening in order to import the latest to their country. Politicians are not looking at that now but how to share the national cake. Believe it on not virtual impression and models are real and milling machines are getting cheaper. None dental professionals who can use those software will soon make the first dental prostheses. May be then we will wake up to the reality that will soon tell both the clinic and the lab that there is need for concerted fight for the survival of our profession.
Should we wait until this start happening before we start doing something? This is a wake up call to anyone in dentistry whether dentist or technologist.