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Dentists get their teeth into the gold standard

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CLARE dentists have been getting their teeth into learning about advances in their profession after forming a local study group.
The group of 10 dentists meet regularly in the Old Ground Hotel, working together to identify the gold standard of dentistry.
The idea for the group came to Ennis dentist Niall McCarthy while he was studying for high-profile exams, which he passed first time.
In the last two months Niall has successfully completed exams to become a member of the elite Joint Dental Faculty at the Royal College of Surgeons in London and also passed another set of exams for membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, Scotland.
“It was a major achievement to get these honours from two of the most respected medical colleges in the world. I was only one of two dentists in Ireland to get both awards this year. And there is quite a significant failure rate in both exams. It was three years of exams, in everything you could be tested on. It’s quite nerve-wracking. You’re given live situations where you have to perform in front of a panel of professors. As part of one of the exams, you have actors coming in and you have to identify the problem and treat it on the spot, possibly for 35 people.
“Passing these exams requires a demonstration of excellence in all aspects of clinical treatment and patient care and sitting them is normally reserved for dentists specialising,” he said.
However, he insisted he has no plans to specialise. “I do want to make it clear that I will not be specialising and will continue to provide care for all my patients at the Ennis and Kilrush surgeries.”
While studying for the exams, Niall became involved in study groups in Dublin and London. “It involved a lot of travelling and a lot of weekends away studying with other dentists. These study groups consisted of dentists at the top of their profession, meeting to learn about the latest advancements in the profession. You would be given a topic and we would all research it and get as much information as we could. There would be a round table type of set-up and we would discuss the topic and go through all the major advances, what we should and shouldn’t do, what the regulations are. Basically, identifying the gold standard in every topic of dentistry.
“I thought at the time that the same idea might work for the dental community here in Clare. I saw that this was something  working very well abroad and it has been popular in major cities and this is something that could possibly work here,” he recalled.
He wrote to all dentists in private practice and the health boards about the idea and received a positive response. “It started off a bit awkwardly, there is a level of trust that needed to be built up before we shared information”.
“Traditionally, dentists tend to gain a certain bank of knowledge but for what ever reason, it doesn’t tend to be shared. Other than socially, there tends to be little liaison between us. But now with the study group, what started off as a group of 10 colleagues has now become a group of good friends and we’ve been going strong ever since.
“Because the speed of progress in dentistry is so rapid we all work together to provide the highest standards of care for all our patients, which is beneficial for both dentist and patient so everyone wins. All it needs is a spirit of co-operation and trust, which we definitely have here in Clare.”
“Our own group has even inspired others in different counties to do the same thing. And I would predict that as a way of learning, you will probably see this a lot more in other professions as the years go on,” he added.
Niall has also been reappointed to the national committee of the Irish Faculty of Primary Dental Care, which is responsible for the ongoing education of dentists. one of the duties of this position is lecturing to qualified dentists at the Dublin Dental Hospital.
“The field of dentistry is advancing as fast as the wider field of medicine and it has become more vital than ever to keep pace with change. If we, as dentists, can help each other to provide the care our patients deserve then change is always good and should never be seen as threatening or burdensome,” he concluded.

 

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