March 2020 saw the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with this, we all inherited a new way of life. This new life had a profound effect on the dental field.
In this blog post, I want to share my personal experiences of the technological changes I have witnessed as a final year dental student at King’s College London as a result.
Initially, when we went into a nationwide lockdown, the dental curriculum adapted and moved online within a week to Microsoft Teams where clinical sessions turned into case-based discussions centred around diagnoses, literature discussion and treatment planning.
This platform provided a group visual learning environment, with features such as sharing screens, webcam and online whiteboards making it relatively interactive.
As the lockdown eased, students could return to campus for phantom head simulation clinics to keep up our manual dexterity skills.
The clinics I met when I returned were not limited to practicing on plastic teeth but newly purchased enhanced 3D printed carious teeth.
The induction of this technology made caries removal on the simulation clinic incredibly more realistic.
Phantom Head Simulation – performer Kiri Paul
You may also have heard about King’s brand-new haptic suite, a robotic project focusing on students learning practical procedures in virtual reality.
I can confirm the tactile feedback is very realistic, and I think this will be a great introduction to clinics for fresh dental students eager to perfect their manual dexterity, especially in this day and age where due to social distancing and guidelines, clinical time can sometimes be reduced across the board.
I have also seen the recent installation of micromotors that we are operating below 60,000 rpm onto our clinical floors to allow King’s dental students to carry out SGP procedures on open clinics.
This technology operating below 60,000 rpm increases droplet size and eliminates aerosol. I look forward to using this new handpiece whilst continuing to advance my clinical knowledge base this year.
Alongside all these technological changes in clinics, it has become evident how important it is to have online computer systems like Salud that allows you to adapt to the changing environment.
For example, being able to go paperless in a short amount of time or efficiently adding additional information regarding the type of procedure performed like AGP or SGP.
Technology has been fast-changing this year at King’s to keep up with the rapidly changing environment we have all been thrown into.
These advances, in my opinion, have complimented my learning perfectly during this time, and I am looking forward to seeing what will come next.
The impact of coronavirus on Dental Practitioners: how to protect yourself and your patients?
The new strain of coronavirus which originated in China last December continues to cause chaos worldwide. As dental practitioners, it is important that your organisation remains vigilant to protect patients and dental practitioners.
What measures can dental practitioners take to prevent cross infection?
How does the coronavirus spread?
Investigations are ongoing as to how 2019-nCoV spreads. However, it is presently thought to be passed on when an infected person coughs or sneezes via respiratory droplets, which end up in the lungs of people in the vicinity, like how the flu spreads. Investigations into whether infection can occur from contact with an object, such as touching something that is infected and then touching your mouth or nose, are continuing.
What can dental practitioners do to prevent cross infection?
First, revise risk assessment procedures with the entire practice team. The first step to limiting infection in the practice is to try to prevent it from entering in the first place. In the case that a patient presents with symptoms, on arrival the patient should be requested to reschedule their appointment.
As practitioners, there are measures that you can take and can advise your patients to follow to protect against the coronavirus, as well as flu. Here are some points to remember:
Wash your hands: Wash hands for at least 20 seconds, or use an alcohol-based rub, especially before eating or after coughing or sneezing.
Keep your distance: As stated, viruses spread via respiratory droplets, so maintain a distance of at least 3 feet from people who have a cough or fever.
Avoid contact with eyes, nose, and mouth: Your hands touch many objects, and you could end up transferring the virus to yourself.
Seek medical care: Get help early if you are symptomatic and tell your medical practitioner if you have been in contact with anyone who has traveled to China.
Stay home: If you experience symptoms, stay home and rest until you are fully recovered. Do not come to work and infect your colleagues.
Disinfect surfaces: Clean objects and surfaces thoroughly that are frequently touched by people in the workplace. First, the surface must be cleaned, and then a second wipe is used to disinfect.
Do not be afraid to question patients before they enter the practice. It is, after all, a public health issue.
Vigilance, not panic, is the key to keeping viruses at bay.
Now more than ever we see the need for reliable systems to adapt to unforeseen events.
With every country experiencing very different stages of the pandemic, the return to normal is further for some than others. And then, what does normal now look like within a dental care setting?
Now more than ever we see the need for reliable systems to adapt to unforeseen events. Salud’s flexibility allows your organisation to quickly adapt to the changing landscape and provides the data required to manage operations into the future.
Here are just some of the areas where Salud is helping dental care providers worldwide to adapt.
Covid-19 Diagnosis Codes
As many of our customers are acting as testing sites, Salud is helping to capture emergency use diagnosis codes for Covid-19, and therefore the ability to easily track and report. Salud provides customers with the autonomy to easily alter their configuration as data capture requirements, processes and procedures evolve over time.
Rescheduling Appointments
In the early days of this pandemic, we assisted many customers to cancel appointments in bulk. Now we’re working with them to get back up and running by rescheduling appointments.
Informing Patients
Automatic SMS or email reminders can be customised to send safety instructions to patients in advance of attending appointments.
Screening Questionnaires
Many customers have created screening questionnaires in Salud to help assess potential Covid-19 symptoms in patients with booked appointments. Customers are able to edit and create questionnaires and make changes to configuration themselves – for free.
Track and Report
Salud’s reporting capability can provide real-time tracking of diagnosis and accurate monitoring of key data. With 150+ inbuilt reports, a custom report builder, and real-time Dashboards, any data captured can be monitored in the preferred format for viewing.
Sterilisation Tracking
Salud’s Sterilisation module is tracking the instruments used during each appointment. Simply scan the barcodes directly to the patient file.
Data Analysis
The data captured can be used to analyse trends, and conduct comparisons for epidemiological studies. The strength of Salud’s reporting and data drill-down capability means that all data captured can be easily extracted in the preferred format for viewing.
We continue to be here to support our customers – and we’re happy to share our knowledge and expertise wherever it may be useful. If your dental organisation needs any help or advice on adapting to the new normal, please get in touch.
Thank you to everyone providing essential services throughout this difficult time. In particular, Salud users on the front line. Your commitment and discipline is critical at this time to maintain essential services.
Now more than ever we see the need for reliable systems to adapt to unforeseen events.
With every country experiencing very different stages of the pandemic, the return to normal is further for some than others. And then, what does normal now look like within a dental care setting?
Now more than ever we see the need for reliable systems to adapt to unforeseen events. Salud’s flexibility allows your organisation to quickly adapt to the changing landscape and provides the data required to manage operations into the future.
Here are just some of the areas where Salud is helping dental care providers worldwide to adapt.
Covid-19 Diagnosis Codes
As many of our customers are acting as testing sites, Salud is helping to capture emergency use diagnosis codes for Covid-19, and therefore the ability to easily track and report. Salud provides customers with the autonomy to easily alter their configuration as data capture requirements, processes and procedures evolve over time.
Rescheduling Appointments
In the early days of this pandemic, we assisted many customers to cancel appointments in bulk. Now we’re working with them to get back up and running by rescheduling appointments.
Informing Patients
Automatic SMS or email reminders can be customised to send safety instructions to patients in advance of attending appointments.
Screening Questionnaires
Many customers have created screening questionnaires in Salud to help assess potential Covid-19 symptoms in patients with booked appointments. Customers are able to edit and create questionnaires and make changes to configuration themselves – for free.
Track and Report
Salud’s reporting capability can provide real-time tracking of diagnosis and accurate monitoring of key data. With 150+ inbuilt reports, a custom report builder, and real-time Dashboards, any data captured can be monitored in the preferred format for viewing.
Sterilisation Tracking
Salud’s Sterilisation module is tracking the instruments used during each appointment. Simply scan the barcodes directly to the patient file.
Data Analysis
The data captured can be used to analyse trends, and conduct comparisons for epidemiological studies. The strength of Salud’s reporting and data drill-down capability means that all data captured can be easily extracted in the preferred format for viewing.
We continue to be here to support our customers – and we’re happy to share our knowledge and expertise wherever it may be useful. If your dental organisation needs any help or advice on adapting to the new normal, please get in touch.
Thank you to everyone providing essential services throughout this difficult time. In particular, Salud users on the front line. Your commitment and discipline is critical at this time to maintain essential services.
The impact of coronavirus on Dental Practitioners: how to protect yourself and your patients?
The new strain of coronavirus which originated in China last December continues to cause chaos worldwide. As dental practitioners, it is important that your organisation remains vigilant to protect patients and dental practitioners.
What measures can dental practitioners take to prevent cross infection?
How does the coronavirus spread?
Investigations are ongoing as to how 2019-nCoV spreads. However, it is presently thought to be passed on when an infected person coughs or sneezes via respiratory droplets, which end up in the lungs of people in the vicinity, like how the flu spreads. Investigations into whether infection can occur from contact with an object, such as touching something that is infected and then touching your mouth or nose, are continuing.
What can dental practitioners do to prevent cross infection?
First, revise risk assessment procedures with the entire practice team. The first step to limiting infection in the practice is to try to prevent it from entering in the first place. In the case that a patient presents with symptoms, on arrival the patient should be requested to reschedule their appointment.
As practitioners, there are measures that you can take and can advise your patients to follow to protect against the coronavirus, as well as flu. Here are some points to remember:
Wash your hands: Wash hands for at least 20 seconds, or use an alcohol-based rub, especially before eating or after coughing or sneezing.
Keep your distance: As stated, viruses spread via respiratory droplets, so maintain a distance of at least 3 feet from people who have a cough or fever.
Avoid contact with eyes, nose, and mouth: Your hands touch many objects, and you could end up transferring the virus to yourself.
Seek medical care: Get help early if you are symptomatic and tell your medical practitioner if you have been in contact with anyone who has traveled to China.
Stay home: If you experience symptoms, stay home and rest until you are fully recovered. Do not come to work and infect your colleagues.
Disinfect surfaces: Clean objects and surfaces thoroughly that are frequently touched by people in the workplace. First, the surface must be cleaned, and then a second wipe is used to disinfect.
Do not be afraid to question patients before they enter the practice. It is, after all, a public health issue.
Vigilance, not panic, is the key to keeping viruses at bay.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
You must be logged in to post a comment.