REPORT TO SENATE FROM THE FACULTY OF DENTISTRY – November 2022 to February 2023
Undergraduate & Postgraduate applications
The popularity of our undergraduate programs in Dentistry continues to grow exponentially. We have had 12500 applications for the BDS and BOH intakes for 2023. The registration numbers are as follows:-
Registration
BOH
Total - 82
Registered - 79
BDS
Total - 391
Registered - 391
Our Postgraduate numbers are also looking good and we must acknowledge the first time recruitment bursaries aimed at the Masters and PG programs for our improved numbers.
PGDip I
Total - 101
Registered - 80
PGDip II
Total - 106
Registered - 72
MChD
Total - 25
Registered - 19
MSc
Total - 87
Registered - 35
PhD
Total - 47
Registered - 15
Intake for 2023
BOH Accepted 29 students
14 matrics
15 post matrics
BDS
Accepted 78 students
70 matrics
8 post matrics
PGDip - 101
Masters - 27
PhD - 4
Covid-19 and infection control protocols at Dentistry
Dentistry remains an extremely high risk area of health care because of the routine exposure to aerosols. Although the policy regarding mandatory vaccinations has been changed, we have, as a health facility in the Western Cape Province, decided to align our protocols with that of the province. In lieu of this…we have maintained the following infection control practices at the faculty:-
• All standard cross-infection procedures as recommended by CDC (center for disease control) will be strictly implemented
• Water line decontamination
• Pre treatment oral rinse
• Rubber dam use where possible
• Air purifier use in clinical areas
• High volume suction
• Controlled access to AGP prevalent areas
• Mask wearing
Further to the above, the Faculty has adopted a mask policy as follows:-
All staff and students to wear a surgical mask within the Academic Oral Health Centre (includes all sites)
All patients will receive a surgical mask when entering the Academic Oral Health Centre (includes all sites)
All staff and students in the clinical areas must wear KN95 or FFP2 masks
Teaching and Learning
(DD Academic, Student Affairs incl T+L)
Faculty had a Curriculum Workshop on 18 January attended by staff and students. Dr Isabel Tarling presented an interactive workshop on the Appropriate Technology for Blended Learning.
BDS I and BOH I selections have been completed. These students were welcomed at the faculty and spent 3 days at the TBOHC during the week of Orientation.
Almost 1005 of undergraduate students have registered for the 2023 academic year.
The Dental Students’ Faculty Council (DSFC) elections have been facilitated by the Office for Student Governance and the SRC. The elections of the 15 member DSFC have been completed.
The faculty Assembly (for undergraduate students and staff) will happen on Monday 20 February at the DISA Hall on the Tygerberg Hospital complex. The purpose of the assembly is (1) to welcome students back to the faculty, especially the first year students,(2) to introduce departmental staff to students and (3) to introduce the year coordinators to their respective classes and (4) to introduce the newly elected DSFC to students and staff.
Merit awards will also be handed to the 2022 top performing students, across all academic years.
Two BDS IV students will be leaving for OSLO at the end of February on a 3-month exchange programme to the UiO.
Five BDS IV students will leave for Japan in the beginning of March on a 2-week visit to the Asahi University and Meikai University.
The faculty will host 4 students from the UiO for a period of 3 months (March to May)
Department activities and highlights Oral Hygiene
Community engagement
The Department of Oral Hygiene was invited to participate in the wellness day offered to employees of the iThemba Laboratory in Faure. It was expected that 250 employees would attend ranging from general assistants to administrators and scientists. Employees were offered oral health information and a dental screening. Staff from the Department of Oral hygiene as well as the Department of Max Fac. Surgery participated in this event. An oral health exhibition was set up where participants could discuss oral health problems and concerns. A station was also set up where screening, advise and referral was offered. Participants visited the exhibition area and education, and demonstrations was done, and staff responded to questions and concerns.
Teaching and Learning activities.
Curriculum review conducted with all staff and modules were aligned and plans for changes in some modules for 2024 were highlighted. Staff attended HPCSA Standard Setting, Benchmarking And Calibration In Higher Education
This was hosted by The Professional Board for Dental Assisting, Dental Therapy And Oral Hygiene at Emperors Palace On 20 January 2023.The purpose of developing minimum standards is to promote consistency in teaching the technical procedures and assessment (examination) processes across Higher Education Institution (HEIs) and in alignment with Professional Board requirements. The workshop was attended by all the Higher Education Oral Health Professions (Dental Therapists, Oral Hygienists and Dental Assistants) involved in education and training of the three professions.
In January all staff attended Learning and teaching workshop at the Cape Verde hotel. Dr Isabel Tarling (Managing Director-Limina Education Services) informed us of new educational technology for blended learning. This has proved to be very useful and the staff has started engaging by making use of the new technologies that was introduced.
Service learning
Phelophepa train. BOH3 students have been placed on the train where clinical services and preventative treatment were offered.
Bottelary farm school outreach our students have been rotated with the Com Dent department to the farm school where preventive and clinical services are provided for the school children. This will be an ongoing initiative.
Upskill training programme.
Expanded function course 2 was offered by the department to upskill qualified dental hygienist 18 November -25 November. We have run this programme numerous times from the department. For this training programme there were 15 students who had registered and passed.
International collaboration
Currently Prof. Brijlal is hosted at Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Science through funding she received from a leadership program. Prof Brijlal will provide a report of her phenomenal experience at this institute which can provide the university another platform for engagement research, learning and teaching of best practice.
Pediatric Dentistry
Two staff members (Dr Peck and Prof Mohammed) graduated with a Diploma in Interprofessional Education in Health at UWC
Maxillofacial & Oral Surgery
Prof J Morkel has been appointed as the convenor for the Primaries, Intermediate and Final examination for the FCMFOS-CMSA, First and second semesters 2023.
Prof Morkel, Drs Douglas-Jones, Titinchi, van Niekerk, Makka, Alturki, Pedro-Beech attended the national Maxillofacial congress, SASMFOS national congress, in Cape Town in September 2022 and all the staff members presented papers.
UWC senior registrar and master’s student, Dr F Titinchi, won the national registrars’ research competition for best master’s research project at the national SASMFOS congress in September 2022.
Dr M du Raan has been elected to represent the Western Province Women over 30 hockey team in 2023.
Conservative Dentistry
Teaching and Learning
All students completed final assessments.
The Conservative Dentistry department participated in a Strategic planning session facilitated by Mr Anwar Van Der Schyff.
Dr Farzana Karjiker graduated from the CHEC Higher education Leadership Development programme: ‘Leading the Edge’ in December 2022.
An Orientation programme was presented to all clinical teachers in the department as the first step in calibrating clinical teachers.
The department also attended a meeting with the Wrights Millners dental company representatives to discuss the partnership in supporting teaching,training and research at UWC Dentistry.
Research and Innovation
An Introduction to Postgraduate supervision workshop was hosted by the Conservative Dentistry department and the Postgraduate Division. Feedback from the workshop was very positive and the department will present a series of research skills workshops to capacitate staff in the department.
Department of Prosthodontics
Prof S Khan
Appointed UKZN: External Examiner to Dental therapy students in Durban 15 Nov 2022
Published in SADJ: Davids A; Khan SB, Rawoot A, et al. Social Media and Dentistry. SADJ, 2022; 77 (10); 535539.
IADR AMER meeting attendance (8-10 Dec 2022) in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. Delivered Keynote Address: at IADR AMER meeting on 8 Dec 2022 Title: Global Trends in Oral Health Research: Are these appropriate and relevant for ALL context?
Invited by Radio 786 (Community Radio station) to provide expert opinion on Future of Oral Healthcare as a guest on a program called Al Mustaqbal: The Future, hosted by Mohamed Mukaddam
Postgraduate Students Research Presented: IADR AMER on 9 December 2022
Dr S Idriss (PhD): effectiveness of irrigation methods and techniques on the elimination of smear layer: A Scoping Review. (Online)
Dr M Abdalla (MSc): Diagnostic Methods to Accurately Detect Early Interproximal Caries: A Scoping Review (Was face to face)
Dr C Palayandi (MSc): Comparison between immediate and conventional dental loading for fixed and removable prosthesis: A scoping review (Online)
Dr N Hamad Al Neil (MSc): Does the use of Lasers as an adjunct to Conventional EndodonticTreatment yield better results than Conventional Treatment alone? A Scoping Review. (Online)
Dr L El Amin (MSc): Prioritization of Aesthetic versus Functionality in Treatment Plan When using Anterior Fixed Restorative Veneers: A scoping review (Online)
Initiated MOU between Al Quds University and UWC and met with colleague in December 2022 to discuss research and student to study (discussion In progress)
Workshop / courses/ programme attendance/other:
Prof Riaan Mulder: P4APL attendance 2022
Prof Saadika Khan:
o RPL programme attendance
o Attended and chaired IADR conference and AGM September 2022
o
Dr Ronel Maart
o PEEP programme attendance
o External reviewer for SMU Post graduate diploma & MSc programme
o Attended ADEE (virtual) Conference: Association for Dental Education in Europe: Title of presentation: Development of a framework to implement AfreMEDS core competency framework
Department of Community Dentistry
The state-of-the-art mobile dental truck was launched in November 2022.
The opportunity for expanding our outreach footprint is now ernomous
Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology
Dr Amir Afrogheh has been appointed acting HOD of the department
The vacant post for HOD will be advertised in 2023
Visit to Universities of Oslo and Bergen to establish research collaborations (Prof Amir Afrogheh and Prof Haly Holmes).
Prof Amir Afrogheh appointed as external examiner, University of Nairobi, for the academic period 2023-2025.
Prof Amir Afrogheh appointed as an “HPCSA PANELLIST FOR THE EVALUATION OF WITWATERSRAND UNIVERSITY (WITS)’S BDS PROGRAMME”
Prof Amir Afrogheh invited by SASPIO as a “SPEAKER AT SADA 2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCE”
Prof Amir Afrogheh appointed to serve as a Member of the Discipline Advisory Committee for the PathReD Congress 2023
Dr Johan Opperman senior author: “Correlative imaging and histopathology of a complicated sinonasal teratocarcinosarcoma”. Tineke van Zyl 1 , Leon Janse van Rensburg 1 2 , Komeela Naidoo 3 , Marc Merven 4 , Johan F Opperman 5 6 SA J Radiol 2023 Jan 30;27(1):2548. doi: 10.4102/sajr.v27i1.2548. eCollection 2023.
Dr Amir Afrogheh co-author: “A unique presentation of IgG4 disease with ocular, neurologic and mastoid involvement. Narotam Jeena H, Afrogheh A, West J, van der Colff F, Brey N. BMJ Case Rep. 2022 Nov 14;15(11):e251736. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2022-251736.
Prof Amir Afrogheh presented at the NHLS PROJECT ECHO ZOOM, Session Title: HPV-positive Cancers of the Head and Neck. 17 Feb 2023.
Dr Johan Opperman invited to present at the NHLS PROJECT ECHO ZOOM, Session Title: Update on Molecular Pathology in Salivary Gland Neoplasms. 03 March 2023.
Dr Johan Opperman invited to present at SADA, Western Cape Conference on the 23 March 2023: “A potpourri of interesting pathological cases”
Dr Johan Opperman invited to speak at the PathReD Congress 2023. 31st August 2023. Title: “An overview of odontogenic cysts”
Prof Amir Afrogheh invited to speak at the PathReD Congress 2023. 31st August 2023. Title: “An overview of odontogenic tumours”
Dr Julandi Alwan invited to present at the PathReD Congress 2023, 31st August 2023. The young pathologist seminar.
Prof Amir Afrogheh invited to serve as director of Sub-Saharan Africa for World Tumour Registry, a collaboration with University of Pittsburgh, Prof Yuri Nikiforov.
Oral Medicine and Periodontology
Prof Haly Holmes has been appointed acting HOD in the absence of Dr Anthea Jeftha who is on sick leave.
Oral Biology
Outreach: Dental Genetics clinic initiative: All members of the Department participated
- Athlone School for the Blind (6 visits @ 6hrs/visit)
- Red Cross Children’s hospital (achondroplasia day)
Dental Genetics clinic: Prof M Chetty, Dr I Roomaney, Dr Salma Kabbashi, Dr R Ramkissoon
- Marked increase in patient referrals
- Enhanced multidisciplinary management of patients
5 publications in ISI accredited journals during the last quarter of 2022
- All members of the Department had the opportunity to contribute as authors.
Congress attendance and participation
- IADR Amer (Dec 2022) – 5 accepted abstracts
- Prof M Chetty, Dr M Aborass, Dr Salma Kabbashi, Dr I Roomaney
- African Society of Human Genetics (Dec 2022) – 1 accepted abstract
- Dr Salma Kabbashi, Prof Chetty
- International Congress of Human Genetics (Feb 2023) – 5 accepted abstracts
- Prof M Chetty, Dr M Aborass, Dr Salma Kabbashi, Dr I Roomaney
1 Postdoc project submitted for registration
INVITATION: Frontiers of Oral Health: Member of Editorial Board as a Topic
Editor. Topic: Translational Research for the Diagnosis and Management of Rare Craniofacial Diseases in LMICs (Prof Chetty)
Forensic Dentistry
- 15 students of PgDip Forensics Dentistry students successfully completed the program and are due to graduate in April 2023
- 22 students completed year 1 of PgDip Forensics,
- 1 MSc student completed
Prof M Chetty: Appointed to the Advisory Board of the College of Dentistry, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia
Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
Some important events that happened in our Department is that we celebrated 08 November 2022 World Radiology Day. This was the first year that the Faculty of Dentistry acknowledged and organised such an event for all Radiology staff and this will be implemented every year.
Recent events
Approval for the infrastructure upgrades at the MP reception, D Floor student common room, D Floor cafeteria and PPS PG room has been approved and is due to start in March 2023
Prof V Yengopal, Feb 2023