ASDA continues to highlight special populations as part of its National Outreach Initiative. In the fall, we are highlighting the treatment of patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This is a personal account of how treating patients with special needs can make a difference.
With Thanksgiving approaching, I cannot help but chuckle at how my family decided to plan our holiday meal last year. Instead of the traditional homemade turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, we ordered eight individual meals from Blue Apron. Initially, the idea was strange to me, but everyone thought it would be convenient, allowing us to save hours in the kitchen.
The Student Professionalism & Ethics Association (SPEA) is a student organization that helps prepare dental students for the difficult choices they will face in practice. When you look at your patient’s medical history, the state of their teeth and gums, their finances and their commitment to hygiene, you are incorporating these variables into a decision for treatment. You try to make the decision that is best for the patient and for you. One challenge of providing oral health treatment is combining the many variables into the best treatment decision. Dentistry is not a binary profession with simple inputs and outputs. Comprehensive care requires comprehensive thought and foresight. The actions we take as professionals affect the patient, us and the profession. What ought to be done and what you will actually do may differ. SPEA is there to help guide those decisions.
I created this video with the intent to encourage other dental students with families that it is possible to balance school life with family life. It can be overwhelming juggling diapers with crown preps. I do not have it all figured out, but if there is any wisdom to be learned from my mistakes, I hope to pass that on to others like me!
This article originally appeared as a cover story in the March 2015 issue of ASDA News. At the time, Laura Albarracin was her chapter’s legislative liaison. To read more from ASDA’s print publication, Contour, click here.
Before the 1970s, dentistry was a male-dominated profession. Women were not admitted to dental school solely based on gender. However, this did not stop determined people from breaking stereotypes. That decade marked a time when the world was changing. Two catalytic moments were the women’s liberation and civil rights movements of the 1960s and early 1970s. This movement resulted in an increase in federal grants, which led way to an increase of female enrollments in professional health schools. According to an article written by Dr. Lynn D. Carlisle on Spiritofcaring.com, the women of the 1970s used this moment to forever change the landscape of the medical and dental fields.
In the midst of busy day where there’s no time to chat, sending a text message to communicate is a quick, convenient option we often use to keep our messages brief and to the point. But, how many people actually prefer texting over talking on the phone? According to a 2011 report by the Pew Research Center, approximately 83% of Americans own cell phones and of these, 73% use the text messaging function. Additionally, a 2016 survey conducted by OpenMarket found that 75% of millennials “chose texting over talking,” often citing the convenience of communicating on their own schedule. As students, we often text our family, friends and classmates to coordinate our daily lives, but many of us may also text our patients to confirm appointments and address questions. While texting might seem to be a convenient way to contact patients, it’s important to remember that this action raises many important implications for patient privacy.
General dentists often perform many procedures on a tight schedule. This can inadvertently shift their priorities towards alleviating what feels like a disorganized day. When you’re pressed for time, noting whether a tooth has active decay or simply a stained but arrested cavitation may seem simple enough. But, in the context of documentation, it’s easy to forget just how crucial this information this can be in a court of law. In our rush to get into clinic, obtain a start check and finish a procedure in the allotted appointment time, many of us become guilty of failing to fully explain the contents of consent forms to patients. As a result, patients often do not fully understand what they’re signing for. Unfortunately, developing this bad habit early on in your dental career can have terrible consequences in private practice, especially when treatment complications arise that were not adequately explained to the patient from the very beginning.
