2006 Driving the Future through Partnerships Seminar
On Friday 2nd June 2006, ADASA in partnership with SA Dental Service presented a successful program to 110 attendees. The audience included dentists from private practice and the public sector, dental therapists, hygienists and administrative staff. In addition, educators, academics and managers of public health services attended and contributed to the program. The Adelaide Festival Centre proved to be an excellent venue for the seminar.
The morning session began with Dr Bruce Noble offering an insight into the issues confronting the profession and the ADA. Dr Martin Dooland compared and contrasted the topical issues for oral health from a public sector perspective. The issues for oral health were placed into a broader health perspective by Dr David Panter, the Chief Executive of the Central Northern Adelaide Health Service.
The common problem of dental workforce shortages in a climate of limited funding for education was then addressed from an academic perspective. Professor Justin Beilby, Executive Dean Faculty of Health Sciences, and Ms Jenny Miller, Deputy Head of Undergraduates outlined strategies for the University of Adelaide to improve the dental education system and create an appropriate dental team for the future.
This set the background for the big panel discussion: ‘Does the future of oral health in SA look rosy of grim?’ A hypothetical scenario was created where dentistry had become deregulated so much that quality of care had become of secondary importance. Whilst enthusiastic and creative panel members, it is important that the serious issues are not overlooked. Perhaps this expert panel should re-convene sometime to explore some of their ideas and work towards some solutions.
After a heavy morning and satisfying lunch, the afternoon program aimed to stimulate and entertain. Mr Philip McMillan from Business SA outlined some recent state and federal legislation which will affect Australian workplaces, including dental practices.
Dr Chris Pazios, Professor John Spencer and Ms Anne Pak-Poy then outlined a recent commonwealth project which used general medical practitioners to support oral health; this was an excellent example of a partnership creating a practical outcome and benefit.
Dr Peter Winwood, retired dentist and now psychologist, presented a thought-provoking insight into stress in dentistry. Stress appears to be inevitable, but resources and mechanisms for dealing with the stress will determine if we manage it or spiral into a decline. Hopefully Dr Winwood will continue to provide assistance to the profession in this very important but somewhat closeted problem.
The Finale of the day came in the form of a ‘clown doctor’, who visits hospitals to offer laughter as a form of medicine. The work of the Human Foundation is to be commended for their contribution to healing, especially to sick children. The ‘clown doctor’ certainly raised our spirits in preparation for Happy Hour!
On behalf of the organising Committee (Anne Pak-Poy, Anne Fricker, Peter Alldritt, Rob Shea, Rob Wyatt and Amanda Huber), I wish to congratulate all the participants who gained so much from the day. The ADA’s own Amanda Huber is to be commended on her outstanding organization of this event.
Dr Peter Alldritt
Media Watch - Wellbeing Day, May 19th 2006
The ADA SA regularly receives requests from various community groups seeking the services of the dental profession in presenting information in matters relating to oral health. One such even took place recently on Friday, May 19th 2006 when Salisbury North West School held a “Wellbeing Day” for their students. This was an all day event with two sessions dedicated to dental health for nearly 300 students ranging in age between 5 and 12 years old.
I had organised for my practice hygienist, Natalie Papas, to provide a presentation to the students on oral health. Natalie educated the students on good oral hygiene practices and the importance of a good diet and lifestyle influences on dental health. Natalie was very well received by the school and successfully engaged the attention of all the students in a seminar which provided answers to all the questions raised in an interactive format. Surprisingly, the students had a good basis of awareness and understanding of dental health.
As part of the presentation and day’s activities, each student received a toothbrush and toothpaste, kindly provided and subsidised by both Colgate and the ADA SA.
My sincere appreciation and congratulations to Natalie for a job well done! It is projects such as these that help to maintain the ADA SA in a good community standing and as the authority in oral health matters with the general public.
Projects
The PR Committee continues to plan for future projects for this year and next year at its six weekly meetings. We are currently in the planning and discussion stages of reinstating a Public Relations firm to assist us in our aims. I look forward to reporting more about this in the very near future when decisions and outcomes have been reached.
Dental Health Week 2006
Dental Health Week 2006 (DHW) has been confirmed for August this year and the Oral Health Committee has approved the theme “Oral Health for Teenagers”. The topics to adopt in this campaign will include:
- High Risk Activities for Teenagers’ Oral Health
- Dentists Recognise Serious Disorders
- Decay Rates on the Rise
- Piercing(s)
- Trauma (mouthguards)
The focus of these topics will cover erosion from soft drinks and sports drinks, alcohol and drug abuse, meth mouth, smoking, oral piercing(s), trauma from both sports injuries and other injuries, eating disorders and reflux issues, and sexually transmitted diseases.
ADA Inc. with the support of Porter Novelli will be creating various media releases covering all these topics and the federal body will conduct a long lead media relations campaign to push wide media coverage for DHW 2006. Information sheets will be made available for ADA members and the general public on the ADA website. ADA Inc. will also be creating a poster that will be issued to all ADA members in the July issue of the News Bulletin.
To promote DHW to the public, ADA Inc. will create and distribute a resource of materials “Fax Pack” to schools. This has proven to be a highly popular method of gaining interest from schools nation wide and monitoring information of interest that is requested and sent. ADA Inc. is also planning to produce a postcard aimed at teenagers to be distributed to various “teenage hangouts” around Australia promoting oral health messages for DHW.
Your ADA SA Branch is in the planning stages to conduct its local activities to promote DHW and make it yet another successful campaign.
Mentorship Evening May 5 2006
A most successful Australian Dental Association mentorship evening was held at South Australian Cricket Associations’ Gil Langley room. This is the twelfth year that a gathering has been held encouraging a relationship between our younger Dental Colleagues and the Profession. There was a change of format, 55 first year dental students and 28 of the Mentor Dentist volunteers attended a very successful meeting. President Dr Bruce Noble introduced the meeting followed by Dr Don Wilson who gave a brief account of the role of a mentor. Dr Alice Tsang a first year graduate who was from Melbourne but has chosen to stay in South Australia very aptly explained how having a Dental mentor had assisted her during her undergraduate years. This contact with the University is essential if the Scheme is to work and this year Dr Eleanor Parker is the first year coordinator at the University of Adelaide Dental School. Dr Parker took over from Dr Dimitri Lekkas and I would like to personally thank Dimitri for her efforts with the program over the past years her assistance has been immeasurable. The University of Adelaide Dental School is fortunate to have such dedicated young teachers. Dr Parker encouraged all those students present to take advantage of the mentorship program. Dr Parker made the point that it is up to the student to get in touch with their nominated mentor even if the Mentor was not able to attend the evening.
The students present were then divided into groups of three or four and chatted with one of the Dentists present, this discussion seemed to be quite fruitful and hopefully the students will now have some comfort in speaking to a future colleague.
We thank those Dentists who are members of the ADA for giving their time to be involved with mentoring, for without them the program would not work. We have a group of students from various parts of Australia and the rest of the world. While there is some dissension that there are not more local students in our course we as Mentors do have the opportunity to show our Dental students the advantages of Adelaide and South Australia as place to live, later find Dental Employment and enjoy our great lifestyle
To those dentists who have volunteered as mentors but were unable to attend the evening be prepared for the student to contact your surgery to meet with you.
To the staff at ADA house thank you for you efforts with this Scheme and the Mentorship Evening, Rob, Geoff and Amanda your input helps make it all work and the new format should be encouraged. To the students, you will recall filling out an application form for the ADA which enables you to receive the SA Branch Newsletter. Please let the ADA staff know if you change your address. If you need a contact number for your mentor dentist please contact Mr. Robert Wyatt for contact information or if you have any concerns about the program please call Mr. Wyatt and discuss these concerns with him.
