CATEGORY AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST 49 INNOVATIONS and prosthodontics with a good technical understanding of materials, CAD-CAM and digital workflows. A sound foundation in general dentistry is very valuable and many United States graduate programmes will not accept students less than five years qualified. Obviously, clinicians vary in their interests, patient profiles and treatment techniques. General practitioners need to be able to diagnose appropriately and advise patients of all suitable treatment options referring appropriately if the clinician is not experienced in providing a desired solution. In planning your education, you should apply the same level of thoroughness, detail and investigation that you apply to the diagnosis and treatment planning for your patients. Patients will be very disappointed if they are given the most cursory consideration without thought to success, longevity, risk, outcome and value. It used to be called forethought, judgement, skill and care. It is very valuable to have the opportunity and time to plan for the future, especially at very modest and often recoverable cost. Therefore, think wisely, where you want to be professionally and how do you want your clinical practice to have develop in one, three and five years. Figure 1 below is an example of a training and education strategy plan for a clinician interested in dental implantology Then look at the education available, on the internet, locally, nationally and internationally in the sphere of interest. Assess the courses yourself but be critical. It is your time, your money and your risk. Dental implantology is especially interesting; it is a very complex, multidisciplinary area of dentistry requiring a high level of knowledge and skill and carrying a high risk of treatment complication and failure. It would seem obvious that the selection of the appropriate education to match learning and skills required to carry out successful and long-term care for patients would be essential. And yet it often isn’t. Clinicians drawn by the excitement, interest and potential profitability of dental implantology may seek knowledge in the easiest and most accessible manner typically starting with a ‘Hotch Potch’ (a thick Scottish stew of indeterminate content) of YouTube, Instagram and one or two short courses. There is not strategy here, purely short-term tactics leading to treatment of the next patient. It is prudent to make a learning plan based on investigation, research and the desired level of interest. Checklists of courses can be helpful for comparative purposes and assessing applicability. Below is a series of checklists with potential pointers for consideration. Checklists for Dental Implantology CPD Programmes Overseas MSc/Diploma Programme u Understand the syllabus and what it offers u Does the program offer a good balance of clinical vs academic training and education u Are qualifications recognised in Australia/New Zealand? u Is the program eligible for tax relief in Australia? u What proportion of education is held overseas? How many visits? u Is the program sponsored by industry. Local accredited diploma programme u Who is the institution offering the program? u How long has it been running? u Are there testimonials u Does it match your CPD planning needs? u Who are the faculty? u What experience do they have in clinical teaching? u Is the Institute independently regulated for Quality Assurance? u How long does the program last? u Can the course be done in parts? u Does the program offer a good balance of clinical vs academic training and education? u Is the course carried out in real time or largely webinar and self learning based? Overseas Clinical Programme u Are you legally registered to treat patients in the host country? u Does your indemnity provider cover you in the host country? u If not what arrangements are made? u Do you have all the appropriate vaccines for the location and clinics where you will be working? u What are the terms and conditions for the patients to be treated? u How is the patient’s treatment completed and maintained? u Do you have any interaction in diagnosis and case planning of your patients? u Is the course sponsored by an implant system? u If you are new to this system have you been educated and trained in its use and specific features? u Are you happy that surgical instruments Post Qualification Period Education Programme Prosthodontic Surgery Education Scope Experience Level 0-3 yrs Restorative courses ✓ Single teeth, short bridges, overdentures 10 restorations/ yr Referral skill base 3-5 yrs Accredited, certificate, diploma. Live clinical training, diagnosis & planning ✓ ✓ Single teeth, short bridges, overdentures 10 implants/yr Introductory 5yrs+ Intermediate, specific courses grafting, guided, ✓ ✓ Complex grafting and restorative 50-100 implants/yr Intermediate 5yrs+ Dedicated technique focused courses with patients ✓ ✓ Full Arch, Advanced grafting, immediate loading 200+ implants/yr Advanced 5yrs+ OMF training, advanced surgical training and courses ✓ Zygomatic, pterygoid, orthognathic, trauma, neoplasia 200+ implants/yr Advanced special interest Figure 1
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