Global networking: Meeting the challenges, facilitating collaboration.

The constant change of information and technology advancement as well as the impact of social media has radically changed the world and education and, in particular, the needs of students, organisations and disadvantaged communities who share the aim of training and providing quality healthcare services. Dental organisations and education centres around the world have recognised the importance of networking in delivering effective education to students, healthcare professionals and communities. Networking is one way to meet the challenges of delivering healthcare education and services. This can be achieved by sharing of resources, expertise, knowledge and experience to benefit all the stakeholders in healthcare delivery. The joint ADEE/ADEA Meeting in London on 8-9 May 2017 has facilitated discussions amongst dental educators from all over the world during a workshop on "Global Networking: the how and why for dental educators." The aim of this workshop was to determine how can dental educators worldwide network to share ideas, experience, expertise and resources to improve both the curricula and the teaching and learning environment. A pre-conference survey was designed and implemented to identify the domains of interest and needs of participants. A structured questionnaire was administered, and this information was used to guide discussions on three main themes: curricula, faculty development and mobility of faculty and students. Four questions were then defined to help group leaders to frame discussions in the four working groups. The four groups engaged in parallel discussions, with the ideas recorded and collated by group leaders, which later served for the thematic analysis across the groups to draw the key points discussed. Overall, a great desire and potential to create a global networking to share and gain support and expertise at individual and organisational level was apparent and the working group has proposed an action plan, acknowledging that it requires great planning, effort and commitment.

Incorporating new materials and techniques into clinical practice.

This article outlines the subjects presented and discussed at the December 2012 IADR Dental Materials Innovation Workshop held at King's College London. Incorporating new materials and techniques into clinical practice was considered from 4 perspectives: (1) Accelerating the "research to regulatory approval" process was presented with current developments in the United States, with the National Institutes of Health/Food and Drug Administration process as a working example; (2) intellectual property and regulatory requirements were discussed across the well-established US and EU frameworks, as well as the more recently developed procedures across Brazil, Russia, India, and China; (3) the challenges and opportunities of incorporating innovations into dental education were considered with reference to the future needs of both students and faculty; and (4) the key but difficult and unpredictable step of translating such innovations into routine dental practice was then explored. Constructive and far-ranging discussion among the broadly based Workshop participants (from dental research, education, practice, and industry, as well as environmental organizations and the World Health Organization) mapped out key issues for the future. The focus was on facilitating the more timely adoption of improvements in both materials and techniques to improve patient health and health systems, while minimizing environmental impact.

Successful treatment of a two-canaled maxillary lateral incisor.

Conventional and surgical therapy was successfully performed on a traumatized two-rooted maxillary lateral incisor. The treatment and rational are discussed along with some probable causes leading to formation of secondary roots and canals in teeth that are normally single rooted with one canal.

Comparison of the obturation of lateral canals by six techniques.

The following obturation techniques were compared on their ability to obturate lateral canals in vitro, lateral condensation (LC), continuous wave of condensation (CW), warm vertical condensation (WV), carrier-based thermoplasticized gutta-percha (CB), warm lateral condensation (WL), and vertically condensed high-temperature gutta-percha (HT). A root canal system with lateral canals in the coronal, middle, and apical thirds was prepared in resin blocks. Each block was obturated using each technique (n = 30, 15 each, with and without sealer). The length of gutta-percha and sealer in each of the lateral canals was measured with a measuring microscope and statistically compared. All techniques obturated all three levels of lateral canals with sealer. WV, CB, and CW were able to fill the lateral canals with gutta-percha significantly better when root canal sealer was used. WV, CB, CW, and HT filled the coronal and middle lateral canals significantly better with gutta-percha than LC or WL condensation. CB and CW filled the apical lateral canal significantly better with gutta-percha than HT, WV, WL, or LC.

Effect of handpiece pressure and speed on intrapulpal temperature rise.

This study determined the effect of handpiece pressure and speed on the intrapulpal temperature rise produced during finishing. Finishing was performed on a class V amalgam restoration with a brown rubber point. The remaining dentin thickness was standardized under the restoration at 2.0 mm. Finishing was done continuously for 60 seconds with temperature rises recorded at the dentin/pulp interface every 15 seconds. All finishing was done dry. Handpiece speed (rpm's) varied from 7000-15,000 rpm's and applied pressure from 20-60 gr force. Increases in either speed or pressure can produce significant intrapulpal temperature increases over these ranges. Doubling either one produces a 50% temperature increase during finishing. Finishing at 15,000 rpm's with 60 gr force is capable of producing damaging temperature rises at the pulp after only 15 seconds finishing time.

Report of the ADEA president's task force on the Surgeon General's report on oral health. American Dental Education Association.

In response to the first-ever Surgeon General's report on oral health, released on May 25, 2000, ADEA President Rowland A. Hutchinson, D.D.S., M.S., appointed a task force to study the report from the perspective of dental education. The task force was charged with making recommendations to the ADEA Board of Directors as to the Association's message to members and the general public, the Association's role in addressing oral health disparities, the legislative and policy implications of the report, and areas of collaboration between ADEA and others in the dental and health professions. The task force reviewed the report and made five recommendations, including increasing public awareness of the report's messages, promoting collaborative activities with a goal of improving America's oral health, and providing leadership in the drive to promote the incorporation of new science in dental education. The task force also identified numerous ADEA initiatives that address issues related to the Surgeon General's report.

The global network on dental education: a new vision for IFDEA.

The advent of globalization has changed our perspectives radically. It presents increased understanding of world affairs, new challenges and exciting opportunities. The inequitable distribution and use of finite energy resources and global warming are just two examples of challenges that can only be addressed by concerted international collaboration. Globalization has become an increasingly important influence on dentistry and dental education. The International Federation for Dental Educators and Associations (IFDEA) welcomes the challenges it now faces as a player in a complex multifaceted global community. This report addresses the new circumstances in which IFDEA must operate, taking account of the recommendations made by other working groups. The report reviews the background and evolution of IFDEA and describes the extensive developments that have taken place in IFDEA over the past year with the introductions of a new Constitution and Bylaws overseen by a newly established Board of Directors. These were the consequence of a new mission, goals and objectives for IFDEA. An expanded organization is planned using http://www.IFDEA.org as the primary instrument to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, programmes and expertise between colleagues and federated associations throughout the world, thereby promoting higher standards in oral health through education in low-, middle- and high-income countries of the world. Such aspirations are modified by the reality and enormity of poverty-related global ill health.

Conservative treatment of periapical actinomycosis.

A patient with periapical actinomycosis of approximately 3 years' duration was treated conservatively with tissue management and antibiotic therapy. Twelve months after therapy, bone regeneration is almost complete and there is no sign of recurrence.