The Wikipedia collaboration of dental schools

Over a year ago, the Wikipedia Editing Project was launched by Dundee Dental School, situated in Scotland, United Kingdom (UK). This student-led project is aimed at improving dental content on Wikipedia. Students were first made aware of the deficiency and inaccuracy of dental articles on the website by the Cochrane Collaboration. This did not come as a surprise to most students. They knew Wikipedia was not the most helpful when looking up course material.

Dentistry and performance: creating characters from a smile

Smiling woman with movie clapper [Curtain rises.]
[Spotlight, stage center]
[Loupes flicker on and illuminate an ensemble of teeth]

This is Broadway, and these aren’t just any teeth. What if all the actors playing the revolutionaries in Les Misérables had bleached, orthodontically straightened teeth? Would you believe Dracula to be a successful vampire if he were a severe bruxer? An actor’s presentation on stage conveys their character’s story to the audience. Similarly, the appearance of the teeth can speak volumes about its owner’s experiences.

[Enter stage right: theatrical dentistry]

Learning (reputation management) from Lochte

ryan_lochteEven amidst a posse of talented teenagers on the elite U.S. team of athletes, 32 year-old Ryan Lochte managed to garner himself a gold medal in the “Irresponsible All-Around” category of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Lochte captured summer headlines surrounding the second week of the XXXI Olympiad with his law-enforcement run-in, allegedly vandalizing a public building and falsely claiming victimhood of robbery at gunpoint while in Brazil, according to August reports from USA Today, CNN and The Rolling Stone. His name was splashed across the news and social media. These same sources reported critiques of his character, his maturity and his negativity that was heaped upon the Olympics’ image. Frustrations ensued when he managed to briefly detract from the spectacle that Rio de Janeiro worked to create against a world’s apprehension around their host role. His actions and personality were under scrutiny. The media sensed blood in the water, and Ryan Lochte was no longer the predator in this pool.

How synesthesia helps me see the world differently

screen-shot-2016-09-20-at-4-44-53-pmOn my first day of Organic Chemistry, our professor handed each of us a packet containing the major functional groups and their corresponding pKa values. We were told to memorize them. Many students frantically made flashcards, and quizzed each other out loud. Meanwhile, I studied by watching football.

When I looked at the functional groups, I not only saw ketones, esters and carboxylic acids, but to me, each structure resembled an NFL team and my favorite fantasy football players. I make these associations subconsciously. It’s been second nature to me my entire life.

The psychology of gratitude

thank you messageThe daily life of a dental student is often about as jam packed as a crowded subway. Trying to juggle our academic, clinical and personal obligations is no easy task and at times, it can be overwhelming. However, to provide our patients with the best possible care, we must care for ourselves first. Believe it or not, one of the best ways to achieve this is by consciously practicing gratitude.

Keep reading to find out how…

Dental office smells can be tied to memories

Something StinksWe have all heard it before: scents are tied to memories. According to Psychology Today, this is likely due to the fact that the olfactory bulb is located near other areas of the brain that are strongly associated with memory and emotion. So how does the smell of a dental office have an impact on our patients?

The smell of your office could be a trigger for patients with dental anxiety. The first few seconds of walking into a dental office and checking in at the front desk could be an instant mood changer for some patients. Just the smell of a dental office might trigger a memory and the emotions of pain and anxiety linked to it.