The Dental Technician Magazine January 2019

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VERIFIABLE ECPD FOR THE WHOLE DENTAL TEAM

2018

LABORATORY

AWARDS

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INSIGHT A GROUP TO AN ASSOCIATION - LOOKING BACK WITH JOHN WINDIBANK FOA PAGE 22 - 23

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RECRUITMENT HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LEVEL OF JOB SATISFACTION

BY ANDY FOSTER PAGE 17

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COMPANY PROFILE DENTAL TECHNICIAN PAYS A VISIT TO BLUEPRINT DENTAL PAGE 14 - 15

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Inside this month

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Scan & mill: DENTAL LAB FREEDOM OF CHOICE. The revolutionary 5-axis scanner with robot arm, innovative model positioning and open interface impresses with unbeatable precision, exible handling, quick scanning times and an extremely broad application spectrum.

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Experience a new freedom in your lab processes breaking the chains of former dependencies with inLab and the new 5 axis milling and grinding unit inLab MC X5.

Open for all restoration data, combining the largest material range and the possibility to machine both wet and dry disks and blocks - for no limitations to your production.

info.uk@sirona.com

www.dentsplysirona.com

Building 3, The Heights, Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 0NY

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CONTENTS JANUARY 2019

Editor - Larry Browne FBIDST. FDTA, ITI Fellow, LCGI, RDT. E: editor@dentaltechnician.org.uk T: 01372 897461 Designer - Sharon (Bazzie) Larder E: inthedoghousedesign@gmail.com Advertising Manager - Chris Trowbridge E: sales@dentaltechnician.org.uk T: 07399 403602 Editorial advisory board K. Young, RDT (Chairman) L. Barnett, RDT P. Broughton, LBIDST, RDT L. Grice-Roberts, MBE V. S. J. Jones, LCGI, LOTA, MIMPT P. Wilks, RDT, LCGI, LBIDST Sally Wood, LBIDST Published by The Dental Technician Limited, PO Box 430, Leatherhead , KT22 2HT. T: 01372 897463 The Dental Technician Magazine is an independent publication and is not associated with any professional body or commercial establishment other than the publishers. Views expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or the editorial advisory board. Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs are welcome, though no liability can be accepted for any loss or damage, howsoever caused.

Welcome 4

Thoughts from the Editor

Digital Technology The 3 benefits of an effective digital workflow - Zirkonzhan State-of-the-art milling service from GC Lisa Johnson hosts GC Gradia Plus Course - GC UK Limited

Digital Dentistry Digital has future-proofed our laboratory - Henry Schein

Dental opinion from Sir Paul Beresford, BDS. MP Dental Technicians: Dangerous role of WW2: Part Eight by Tony Landon Looking back with John Windibank FOA

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Company profile Dental technician pays a visit to Blueprint Dental

14 - 15

Recruitment How to improve your level of job satisfaction by Andy Foster

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Company News 24

Zirkonzahn

Dental News

Subscriptions The Dental Technician, Select Publisher Services Ltd, PO Box 6337, Bournemouth BH1 9EH

Laboratory Awards 2018 ITI Study Club LonDEC BADN president receives Special Recognition Award 401 Challenge Marathon man congratulates Barnet and Southgate students General Dental Council changes approach to setting fees

There is a major change in CPD coming soon. The Dental Technician Magazine is a must read. Tell your colleagues to subscribe and if they do so we will extend your subscription for 3 months.

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Insight

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the editor or the publisher.

Extend your subscription by recommending a colleague

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ECPD Free Verifiable ECPD & ECPD questions

Classifieds

28 - 29 31

The only condition is that they have not subscribed to the magazine for more than 12 months. Just ask them to call the Subscriptions Hotline. With four colleagues registered that means your subscription would be extended for a year free of charge.

At only ÂŁ39.95 per year, for UK residents, this must be the cheapest way of keeping up to date. Help your colleagues to keep up to date as well. Ask them to call the subscriptions Hotline on 01202 586 848 now.

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THOUGHTS FROM THE EDITOR

WELCOME to your magazine GREETINGS FOR THE NEW YEAR OF 2019

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hat will this New Year hold for us all? The last year confirmed the move towards modern techniques and methods with many more speakers and authors sharing their experience. It is now clear that the standards of quality, which took some time to come, are now possible and with several systems.

But it is is also very clear the operator drives the quality. The more you know about technical dentistry, whether analogue or digital, the better the restoration. We are far from the feared redundancies which so many of you feared and claimed. More sensibly your skills and knowledge are in increasing demand and need. Many more technicians across the world are becoming the, “in clinic”, technical advisor (consultant). It really is time to wake up and realise your skills which are built from year on year experience, are in demand and you can certainly be advised to learn as much as you can about the various options for manufacture and become a real “expert”.

The Brexit conundrum still continues. It has to be finalised before the March dead line but they don't seem to agree within parliament and the time pressure must be becoming almost intolerable. We all need to keep our fingers crossed that the outcome will not have too much affect on the pound exchange rate in the long term. The recent fall in the value of the pound has hit us all because of the number of the number of materials etc. we import, particularly from Europe. Even home based manufacturers have to import many of their raw materials, so although it would be useful to look at British made as an advantage it ay not be able to offer great savings.

I do hope you have been taking advantage of the tips and advice of out marketing expert. It helps to have people who know their field pass on some of that knowledge.

I certainly have thought that Jan Clarke’s column has been very helpful and her Dentist background makes it relevant. She very much represents the people to whom you need to communicate. Both she and I would like to

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hear from any of you with comments, good or bad, and with any questions to which you need answers. I am thinking about restarting the letters page which was for many years a very popular forum. Sometimes it is of course nice to be told things are going well but it is always a concern that we stay relevant. The market place, and the day-to-day technical interactions are in fact that market place, needs to be heard. Yes It would also make my job easier but it is important that we interact in a positive way to continue to improve and learn from each other.

The on-line Dental Technician is now available and hopefully will begin the conversations between us all. Sometimes we work away in our own little bubble and forget there is a working interactive daily marketplace with others who could do with some exchanges around technique, dental politics and perhaps materials. The Dental Technician began life as a communication between interested technicians based originally in London, but so grew to be of interest across GB. Now of course there are other journals and web sites but the DT’s history shows it has always been directed primarily at technicians and their interests.

Join in and add your opinions on new technique changes or novel materials which add advantages. A lot will be changing in the future so why not be at the forefront of how it

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is affecting the working technician, whether in the Hospital and University area or in the high street and commercial laboratory world.

Registration has now probably been accepted by most of our working colleagues.

The recent ECPD changes have caused some concern because in our busy working lives there is a real shortage of free time. I hve spoken with quite a number of you and undoubtedly you have found it as confusing as I have. Please let me know if you need more clarity on your record keeping and attaining the relevant number of ECPD points. The good news is that the registration has brought together many of those who are responsible for the looking after the interest of their fellow technicians. There are still one or two representative organisations who have not joined in but perhaps are interested. Please contact me if you have concerns about the ongoing validity of our registration. Its costing us in terms of money and time and we should feel our interests are properly represented.

The group are already seeking clarification around the Statement of Manufacture, the MHRA and GDC. I will of course publish any relevant information. If you as an organisation have some inside contact and knowledge, which might be to Technicians advantage, please share it with me.

Have a great New Year, Larry Browne, Editor

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DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

THE 3 BENEFITS

OF AN EFFECTIVE DIGITAL WORKFLOW

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lthough the digital workflow is nothing new in dentistry anymore, many dental laboratory owners are still about to take the first steps into the digital world, with all the questions and uncertainties that such a choice can involve.

“I think there are three main benefits of an effective digital workflow”, says DT Sean Wilkinson, CAD/CAM expert and worldwide instructor at Zirkonzahn (South Tyrol, Italy). “First, there is the speed afforded by digital technologies. I can remember staying in the laboratory until 11, 12 o’clock at night just to get a case finished – this does not happen now that I can create products much quicker and in a more predictable way. It is easier to fabricate high quality products on time, which means we have more satisfied dentists!

The second benefit is the reliability of the digital workflow. We all have off days where we are slightly less productive or cannot quite achieve perfection for no particular reason – we are only human! Utilisation of digital technologies eliminates these fluctuations so that you can consistently produce quality products.

Finally, the digital workflow facilitates communication with patients, as it enables the dental team to show them exactly what treatment they could achieve. This makes it simpler to manage patient expectations and to deliver on promises, as everyone understands what can and cannot be done from the beginning.”

Going digital easily is possible: the secret is to select all the necessary systems from the same source, so that they integrate perfectly to each

Zirkonzahn’s digital workflow allows to work on a 3D digital patient. All data acquired during patient analysis can be transferred 1:1 into the virtual world.

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other in a smooth workflow. If you would like to move to digital but you do not know how to, Zirkonzahn will come to the UK with free lectures to help you evaluate the advantages of a digital approach by exploring the digital workflow with practical insights. The lectures, held by DT Sean Wilkinson, will cover the most emerging topics in dental technology, such as the advantages of digital patient analysis, digital axiograph utilisation and facial scans as diagnostic tools. A comparison between immediate loading protocols and conventional implant placement techniques will also be provided.

For more information and to register in the free conferences in Leeds, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh from February 19th to the 21st contact: carmen.ausserhofer@zirkonzahn.com Tel: +39 0474 066 662 Website: www.zirkonzahn.com

Scan to see the complete case gallery!

A���e�e ����e�s Digitally-designed Prettau® Bridge made of Prettau® 2 zirconia

DIGITAL: IMMEDIATE LOADING IS HERE – FREE CONFERENCE IN LEEDS, ABERDEEN AND EDINBURGH FROM FEBRUARY 19 TH – 21ST !

CARMEN.AUSSERHOFER@ZIRKONZAHN.COM | +39 0474 066 662

www.dentaltechnician.org.uk Zirkonzahn Worldwide – South Tyrol (Italy) – T +39 0474 066 680 – info@zirkonzahn.com – www.zirkonzahn.com

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DENTAL NEWS

LABORATORY AWARDS

2018

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DENTAL NEWS

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DIGITAL HAS FUTURE-PROOFED OUR LABORATORY AWARE THAT DELAYING ANY LONGER RISKED BEING LEFT BEHIND, LAB OWNERS DEBBIE BOGLE AND SARAH MONAGHAN OVERCAME THEIR APPREHENSION OF INTRODUCING DIGITAL INTO THEIR LAB AND FOUND IT MUCH EASIER THAN THEY THOUGHT – THANKS TO SOME EXPERT GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT

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ur decision to introduce full digital capability into the lab was not taken lightly. It is fair to say that neither of us is a natural with computers and to be perfectly honest – the whole idea of digital dentistry was quite bewildering. Up until last year, we only dabbled in digital, using a scanner inhouse and sending frameworks out to be milled.

DIGITAL DENTISTRY

We knew that we needed to get over our fear, especially as it became quite clear that digital dentistry is the future and any lab that ignored this fact was eventually going to be left behind.

We are a full-service lab based in Darwen, Lancashire, called Design & Smile Ltd., which has customers across the UK. In order to stay competitive and be in a position to offer the best service to our customers, we needed to introduce digital capabilities into our workflow.

THE FIRST STEPS We are extremely fortunate to work with a fantastic team of technicians who were open and ready to come on this journey with us. The other catalyst for taking the plunge was our local Henry Schein Dental representative, who impressed us with his open and honest attitude so much so that we decided to enlist his help in putting together the right package for us.

dental lab scanners, three FormLab 3D printers and a Roland milling machine. To be honest, the results have been incredible. The precision that a digital milling unit can mill to is almost impossible for the human eye to achieve, and when you compare a model printed on one of our 3D machines to a cast model, they are like chalk and cheese. The printed models are light, very precise and suffer no expansion or contraction.

Before making any decisions, we wanted to see a digital lab at work as we felt this was the only way to be able to visualise how it would work for us at Design & Smile. Our Henry Schein rep took us to visit Stephen Green Dental Studio in Nottingham and we had the chance to pick Stephen’s brains and see all the equipment running in a working environment.

It is still early days and our strategy has been to build up our digital workflows gradually. Around 30% of our business is digital now and much of this is crown and bridge. The results are so precise and the fits are fantastic whether it is a single unit or a six-unit bridge. After this success, we are trialling other digital processes with prosthetics and orthodontic work. As we are a full-service lab it will take a while to roll out digital across all departments but we are well on our way.

Shortly after, we spent a day at 3Shape’s headquarters in Reading where we were shown all the latest CAD/CAM software and had it demonstrated to us. Armed with this knowledge, we were then able to tell Henry Schein what we wanted for our lab and asked them to work out the best package for us. The range of equipment available is so wide, it would have been impossible for us to choose the right solution on our own so we were happy to consider their recommendations. What was truly refreshing was that Henry Schein was clearly thinking about what was best for us as “digital novices” and not just recommending the most expensive options.

A WINNING COMBINATION Since December 2017, our lab now has two completely renovated rooms equipped with our new digital equipment. We have two 3Shape E3

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CONSTANT SUPPORT Of course, there have been teething problems and some days, it felt like we were taking one step forward and two steps back, but support is always available at the end of the phone. We can book a support call with Henry Schein Dental’s technical support team at any time and they will call us back and talk us through what we’re doing. They can log in remotely if necessary and show us how to solve a problem.

We also felt fully supported on installation day. Our Henry Schein rep was there to make sure everything ran smoothly and the engineers from Henry Schein Dental installed everything for us, connecting up all the equipment from the different manufacturers

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without a hitch. Henry Schein Dental are also helping us with our marketing. Now that we are confident in our abilities in our crown and bridge work, we are about to launch our new website and start promoting our digital capabilities to our customers.

A NEW LEASE OF LIFE Having consistent support and advice has been invaluable and has certainly made the experience a positive one for all the team, despite our initial apprehension. We are now in a fantastic position for whatever the future holds. There is no doubt that the future of dentistry is digital and this is a very exciting prospect; we are very happy we have taken the plunge and are looking forward to building on our digital capabilities.

It is exciting to be on this new journey and it has brought with it great enthusiasm from all our team. If anyone is thinking about taking the plunge - do it! You will not be disappointed.

Henry Schein offers a wide choice of dental laboratory technology solutions, with all the knowledge, service and support needed to help technicians navigate the rapidly changing world of digital dentistry. For more information, visit www.hsdconnectdental.co.uk Henry Schein Dental runs a variety of regional training courses, hands-on discovery days and post-purchase training courses. For further information, visit www.hsdeducation.co.uk or speak to your Sales Consultant to find out more about courses in your area.

DENTAL OPINION FROM SIR PAUL BERESFORD, BDS. MP Dual UK/NZ nationality. New Zealand born, bred and educated, with post graduate education in UK. Worked as an NHS and private dentist in East and South West London.

Private dentist in the West End of London then and currently in a very part time capacity in South West London. l Councillor including Leader of Wandsworth Council moving to the House of Commons. l A Minister in the John Major Government, MP for the then Croydon Central, then elected as MP for Mole Valley as a result of the boundary changes for the 1997 election. l

INSIGHT

LOOKING FORWARD

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t is Christmas. We all think of the cold, even snow. Add in the turkey, Christmas pudding and loads of wine.

While some of us are going skiing, most stay at home, perhaps with a fire, in spite of the environmentalists.

Travel is either awful because of too many people travelling, or on Christmas Day and Boxing Day because we have no trains plus the inevitable strikes. Why be a dentist when you can open and shut doors on an automatic tube train for a short week and £100,000 annual salary?

of us had to drench 7000 ewes that had lung worm. Every ewe had to be caught of the run way from the yard, lifted up by the front and a dose of anti-lung worm medicine shot down their throat from a pack on our back.

As a dentist most of us work mainly or partly as an NHS practitioners. I left the NHS years ago but still remember the grind, the struggle to keep up standards against the drive to meet demand. As Chairman of the Dentistry APPG I am very aware from the BDA, the Sara Hurley (Chief Dental Officer), the BDIA and numerous dentists who drop in to tell me “it as it is!” I am also aware that to some of the people at the top of the Department of Health dentistry is a Cinderella service. The Secretary of State forgot us in his launch of Prevention in the NHS. I have to be fair, he has ask me, plus a couple of dental colleagues, to talk about dental prevention straight after Christmas.

There is some hope.

There are many similarities. The country is much the same size - 104 square miles bigger and slightly closer to the equator than the UK. They have a much smaller population at 66.6 million in the UK vs 4.6 million in New Zealand. Since I mentioned sheep earlier, New Zealand has 39 million sheep, 10 million cattle and 1 million farmed deer. There are 3 religions, namely rugby, horse racing and wine.

A percentage of us have escaped to private dentistry without all the regulations and the pressure. Not quite true. The pressures are different including pressures to live up to the constant drive for better quality dentistry driven by patient demands, better techniques and better materials. We have come back from our CPD days at Stars of Dentistry and the

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We took Christmas Day off, down by the warm river pool in blazing hot weather with cool wine. All my New Zealand Christmases were in similar weather, often at the beach.

The only snow was on the Christmas cards or the very high mountain peaks.

British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry with visions of those beautiful veneers on ideal patients with deep pockets.

Then you add in the political scene. Brexit need I say more. As we head in to the mayhem of January leading to the March deadline just be sorry for those of us in Westminster. Many of you will have seen “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. It is worse. The patients have taken over the asylum.

Just sometimes, as an ethnic minority dentist, my mind wanders back to my last Christmas on the high country central Otago farm, about 2-3 hours’ drive from the Dunedin dental school from which I had just graduated. The nearest I got to teeth immediately after graduation was when 2

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Dentistry for adults is virtually private only, but free for children through a school dental nurse system. Over 70% of the public water supplies are fluoridated and the use of toothbrushes by children is nearly universal.

Entry to practice dentistry for a UK graduated is much easier than the reverse.

The hurdles our GDC now place against New Zealand, Australian and Canadian graduates are massive in comparison.

Balance the pros and cons. This is still a great country with real opportunities. Sure I miss the hot Christmas with cool wine by the river pool but sometimes a Christmas with snow to match the cards gets the vote.

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DENTAL NEWS THE BDIA MEETING HELD AT EXCEL CONFERENCE CENTER IN LONDON PAGE 19

INSIGHT DENTAL TECHNICIANS DANGEROUS ROLE IN WW2 PART SIX BY TONY LANDON PAGE 26 - 27

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THE DENTAL TECHNICIAN MAGAZINE The Dental Technician sets out to be the cornerstone of news, comment and educational content for dental technology today. We are gradually growing our spread of interesting articles from some of the best technicians and teachers in Britain and Ireland.

Digital subscriptions are available across all devices and include the latest issue and all regular issues released during your subscription. Your chosen terms will automatically renew unless auto-renew is cancelled in your subscription area 24 hours before the end of the current subscription.

COMPANY PROFILES COMPANY PROFILES

MY VISIT TO

BLUEPRINT DENTAL

A MEETING WITH SHARAZ MIR, OWNER AND FOUNDER

BY LARRY BROWNE, EDITOR Clinical Equipment and furniture

M

eeting with Sharaz Mir, the owner and founder of BLUEPRINT DENTAL, proved a very interesting visit.

I was really impressed with his grasp on the modern dental market and his understanding of both the clinical and laboratory situation with regard to the digital influences, which are growing daily. Sharaz’s background is as an early advocate of the Computer Aided Learning at Sheffield University and later at Sident where he worked. This early introduction to the digital techniques and equipment has prepared him well for the growing future market and it’s needs.

Admin centre

His attitude is very realistic about the market place. The awareness of the digital is of course fairly wide spread but there is still some understandable reluctance for people to commit to the necessary work changes and financial commitment.

Sharaz, I discovered is a very well qualified dental technician with a Masters Degree, which he gained via Sheffield University where he also gained his BMedSci in Dental Technology. He clearly is an enthusiast about his involvement and contact with dentistry.

He left the laboratory world and joined his first dental supply company, which involved selling equipment solutions to clinicians. The company was one of the largest distributors

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Zeiss Extar 300 Microscope

of Dentsply Sirona in the UK at the time and of course the digital entre via Cerec and Dentsply Sirona was very much the beginning of digital processes and manufacture.

When Sharaz decided to start his own business concentrated on designing his own cabinetry and complete surgery spaces, and so the name BLUEPRINT DENTAL came about.

The move towards a broader range of services, still included cabinetry and clinical designs and so it remains an essential part of the company image. With his fellow directors Sean Bowler (who has since retired from the company) and have managed to build a very successful dental supply service company which has grown over the 14 years of its existence to enlarge it clinical cabinetry and equipment and sundries and incorporate a topica and relevant Laboratory supply service. Still supplying cabinetry and equipment to both markets. He is negotiating to buy the building he now occupies in Chessington, Surrey with a confirmed plan to refit and expand his warehousing and equipment repair center.

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The company has from very early days offered this repair and service to their customers and it has grown to become one of its more popular appeals.

Hand pieces, furnaces, digital and all dental equipment, can be handled by the experienced, trained and knowledgeable engineers.

Handpiece and Equipment repair Centre

Of course the company cannot rely on Sharaz alone and in fact has brought together an experienced Laboratory team under the direction of Co. Director David Brown. The team includes Alan Wright who many of you will know for his involvement in the creation and on-going appeal of the Dental Technicians Great Britain Facebook page. With a hugely growing membership it is fast becoming the online reference for all things dental technology.

Allan Wright

Allan who spent some years within the services worked as a Max-Fac technician and was also further qualified as a services Medic. When his service commitment came to an end he moved into dental sales with Chaperlain and Jacobs, Skillbond and was brought to Blueprint by Sharaz. Alan is well know and liked by his Technician clients and highly respected because of his work on the Dental Technician Facebook Page.

Blueprint Dental have a real appetite to sort out the technical and clinical problems presented to them. Their motto is “Better Products, Better Service, Better Dentistry’’ and they are truly equipped and interested in doing just that. My conversations assured me that they would be trying to supply their customers with what they really needed. Fully aware that many people are selling complete systems often to people who may really only need a scanner. Sharaz sensibly appreciates that those who end up with seriously expensive but useless digital hardware will not necessarily think well of the source. There is an obvious realism shared by all those I met and a real intent to solve their clients’ problems not to add to them. With their extensive experience they have begun to offer their own choice of digital equipment and are very sure of its quality and appeal. The intra- Oral Scanner is a small neat design with

a phenomenal optical range. The company has grown very steadily over its first 14 years and is equipped to extend their appeal with some interesting materials to compliment their equipment. With their technical know-how and their keenness to do it better I cannot see them falling short. Thank you Sharaz et. al. for a very interesting visit.

Rossicaws Condor Lab Benching

Medit Intra-Oral Scanner

TO ADVERTISE IN THE DENTAL TECHNICIAN

T: 01372 897462 E: sales@dentaltechnician.org.uk

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COMPANY PROFILES

Sharaz really appreciates the advantage of having an in-house engineering facility which improves his customer service and support.

He only uses original manufacturers parts and refuses to be tempted to avail himself of the potentially cheaper Far Eastern options. The new layout should be very impressive.

DENTAL NEWS

ITI STUDY CLUB LONDEC TUESDAY 20TH NOVEMBER 2018 G

reat to see the ITI study clubs growing and appealing to a new and interested generation. The meeting was at the great location based near waterloo station and housed in the Kings College London building at Stamford Street. The organisers are Bill Sharpling and Charlotte Stilwell. Content has always been of the very top quality and this night was no exception.

DR CHARLOTTE STILWELL Charlotte is a referral specialist in prosthodontics with a leading interest in partial and complete dentures, encompassing solutions to complex prosthodontic problems and meticulous management of occlusion.

Charlotte has combined general dental practice experience with post-graduate hospital based training. She lectures nationally and internationally and she is a prosthodontic lecturer at University of Geneva, Switzerland.

She is also a Fellow of the International Team of Implantology (ITI) and Past Editor-inChief of the ITI Online Academy, and an examiner for the diploma in implant dentistry at the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh.

The talk entitled “Implant treatment considerations in our older patients” took a good look at the complex subject of aging and the accompanying disease and medications which have become more and more “normal” in our complex society. The clear growth in the surviving elderly population and the attached medicine requirements will often add to the complications of providing fixed, removable, or indeed fixed removable, as for instance bar retained over dentures. Having worked at the sharp end of a demanding referral practice for many years Charlotte has acquired a very careful and reflective judgement on the suitability of a given design. As technicians we often see designs that we think would be better done as fixed or indeed removable but when you add in the patients understanding or manual dexterity considerations things can often dramatically just not be suitable.

The patient’s understanding of the hygiene requirements and the frequency will greatly impact on the survival of the abutment teeth or implants. The gum sites around teeth or implants, are often thought to be easily accessed but as we age and perhaps infrequently visit for oral hygiene examinations the long tooth syndrome may well kick in. With the long tooth often comes a long periodontal pocket and that can of course make the “Simple” job of keeping the restoration and its surrounds clean, far from simple.

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First comes the training and awareness of the need to clean and how often? What to clean with? Will the patient need interdental brushes, floss, tape or an electric tooth cleaning aid? Then comes the regular check ups which will reveal the patient’s competence and understanding. Should the practitioner find the patient is unwilling to clean as regularly or as effectively as required a new assessment of the suitability of the fixed, fixed removable or removable design has to be made.

With the growth of the aging population and the increase in their personal incomes this is a real area of concern for the future.

The speciality of dental implants is something, which Charlotte has spent some time working within. Combine that with an equally long time, in considering her own and others successful integration, of the changing circumstances of the aging patient. Her clear message is the patient must dictate the design by virtue of their ability to cope, understand and maintain the on-going commitment to the task. The restoration design should be suited to the patient with this in mind.

For someone who has had to wear dentures for a very long time, the idea of fixed teeth sounds wonderful! If it is truly possible we would all agree but for patients who cannot maintain the level of care over their own mouths it could be an expensive folly.

We are all living longer and the trend is forecast to continue. But as you age the list of medications required to either maintain your health or to prevent blood pressure changes or other on-going weaknesses that may come with the advancing years is likely to grow. Most adults will be taking a regular daily group of drugs and will be aware of some of the other things to avoid. The potential of interaction needs to be understood and managed and when you are dealing with an older group of patients you will need to be aware of the changing circumstances, which may complicate any invasive treatment such as dental implants. Some side effects of

many of these treatments will directly affect the design and management of the patient and the restorations. From dry mouth syndrome through to soft tissue hypersensitivity are known areas for consideration. Arthritic conditions often need effective and powerful medication many of which are known for the side effects.

The onset of dementia, which is becoming more evident, is a serious consideration particularly if the required daily cleaning regime is demanding.

Table 1 below is a clear example of a rational consideration for recording the condition of patients within the elderly (over 65) group.

Clearly the aging patient requires a greater awareness of the potential changes of their ageing effects.

The treatment of the elderly dental patient is a complex and challenging topic which points to the changing circumstances that come with advancing years and the potential on-going disease or frailty or comprehension. Thankfully the dental restorative sciences have provided many answers to help overcome the negative effects. Dr Stilwell was keen to stress the need to apply real consideration of the patient’s condition and any age related weaknesses and any potential for future deterioration.

Sometimes just maintaining the status quo with on-going supervision Is the best answer.

Sometimes it is making a judgement of the patient’s oral condition and a prognosis of the potential future breakdown. She gave some examples where the maintenance of a strategic abutment would be enough to stabilise the continuing function of the restoration and interestingly spoke about use of the shortened dental arch form to provide a functioning yet manageable restoration without complex attachments. A very interesting and thought provoking presentation, from a very able and interesting expert. Thank you Dr Stilwell for a very good study evening. And thank you Bill Sharpling for providing the wonderful venue and refreshments.

TABLE 1. OSCAR – A GERIATRIC DENTAL ASSESSMENT O = ORAL, which evaluates the teeth, the prostheses, the periodontium, the status of the pulp, the oral mucosa, the occlusion, and saliva.

S = SYSTEMIC, which evaluates normative age changes, medical diagnosis, pharmacological agents, and interdisciplinary communications.

C = CAPABILITY, which evaluates functional ability such as self care, oral hygiene, caregivers, and the need for transportation and mobility.

A = AUTONOMY, which evaluates the ability to give informed consent or dependence on others.

R = REALITY, which evaluates prioritization of oral health care, financial limitations, and anticipated life span.

(Source: Modified from Shay K. Identifying the needs of the elderly dental patient. The geriatric dental assessment. Dent Clin North Am 1994;38:499-523.20)

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RECRUITMENT

RECRUITMENT ANDY FOSTER, RECRUITMENT SPECIALIST Andy Foster is a recruitment specialist for dental technicians.

Andy manages www.DentalTechnicianJobs.net the online job-board for dental technicians. Andy spent 20+ years running his crown & bridge lab, before moving into dental recruitment and online networking. When he’s not working, Andy is a dedicated father, with an unhealthy weakness for coffee! You can contact Andy at andy@marshallhunt.co.uk

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HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LEVEL OF JOB SATISFACTION

F

rom our recent UK technicians survey, over half of you said you were satisfied with your current job. Which is great news! As recently published surveys tell us that on average only 45% of workers are.

What is really interesting to see is that over 30% of you feel excited about going to work each day. Again much higher than the average.

Another interesting result to note is that over half of both Men and Women are satisfied with their current jobs. This again is higher than average than in other industries.

What contributes to these higher rates of job satisfaction? It could be the mix of workplace flexibility offered, salary, or the opportunity to apply your talents and expertise, all of which resulted in a positive result within our survey.

On the flip-side, even though over 30% of UK technicians said that they were excited about going to work, each and every day, nearly 40% of you said you neither agreed or disagreed with this. It also showed that there are a lot of you who are neither satisfied or dissatisfied with your current job. It got us thinking about ways we can improve your job satisfaction.

There has been lots of research done on this subject, discussing ways to create more satisfaction in your job, day to day, and as we feel that everyone should have a good level of job satisfaction, we've put together all of the best advice, that you can put in to practice right away.

Set Yourself Small Achievable Goals One of the best ways to get more job satisfaction is to set yourself achievable goals each day. These goals don’t have to be big.

They can be small ones, that lead up to bigger achievements. The most important thing is to recognise, each completed goal, as an achievement in itself. Our survey showed us that over 50% you said you felt inspired to reach your work goals. Which could be another reason why we have seen a higher than average level of job satisfaction from our survey.

Focus On The Future It’s been proven that those who actively take steps to improve their career prospects have higher levels of job satisfaction than those who don’t. Find out what you need to do, to get to the next step in your career. This could be learning a new skill or gaining an additional industry professional qualification.

Ask For Feedback When working, you know you are doing an OK job if you don’t get any feedback from your employers ... which is great. But, you can’t really tell where you are at. This can lead to a lack of job satisfaction. However, getting positive feedback can make a world of difference, in how satisfied you feel in your job. Ask your boss, for 5 minutes of their time, just to get a quick appraisal. Don’t wait until your yearly review.

Take Your Breaks This one may seem like an obvious suggestion, as well as an unachievable prospect when you are rushed off your feet. But, it’s important to take your breaks. Did you know that over half of workers don’t actually take them? This can lead to higher stress levels, and higher stress levels in the workplace is connected to lower job satisfaction.

ENGAGE WITH YOUR CO-WORKERS They say that it isn’t the job, it’s who you work with. It has been proven that those who have a better relationship with their co-workers have a higher level of job satisfaction than those who don’t. By engaging

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with your co-workers and creating a positive working environment not only builds up your job satisfaction, it will help to build up your coworkers job satisfaction too.

Take Ownership Of Your Role Those who feel like they don’t have any ownership of their role feel less satisfied in their job. By taking charge of your role, and helping to improve processes that are lacking, will create a sense of achievement. As well as showing your employers that you are truly committed and willing to go the extra mile. This, in turn, could lead to better career progression in the company. That will ultimately result in a higher level of job satisfaction.

There are many more factors that you can include to create more satisfaction in your job. A lot of them won’t see instant results and are more dependent on your employer.

But, by putting the ones we have mentioned in practice, right away, can lead to an instant improvement in your level of job satisfaction.

As mentioned, our survey really gave us an excellent insight into how you feel about your current role, how long people stay in their current roles, and an excellent insight to the average salary in the industry.

If you’d like to read the full survey results you can download the survey at www.DentalTechnicianJobs.net

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BELOW: KNOWN AS THE GOLD AND CLASP LAB ROOM, CENTRAL DENTAL LABORATORY NO.1. LONDON, 1943.

INSIGHT

DENTAL TECHNICIANS

DANGEROUS ROLE IN WW2

PART 8

BY TONY LANDON

COLDITZ CASTLE (PHOTO CREDIT: Z THOMAS)

CENTRALLY PLACED DENTAL LABORATORIES

The planners hadn’t taken into consideration that throughout the United States the bulk of routine dental laboratory service for their military base camps was provided by large central dental laboratories organised to function on a production line basis. These laboratories attained maximum efficiency as they had a great number of skilled technicians repeating over and over the limited operations in which each individual was most proficient in.

It was belatedly accepted that U.S. troops that were to serve throughout North West Africa and Europe needed the support of well-staffed centrally placed dental laboratories. However considerable deferrals of planning and approval with their U.S. War Department, then the wait for many months whilst personnel and equipment were assembled and shipped, did seriously hamper the range of prosthetic services and delayed the treatment of servicemen being trained and prepared for their landing assaults on North West African, Italian and French coastlines.

The U. S. Army did eventually provide an adequate a centralised dental laboratory system, with nearly 150 technicians, in England. This facility was originally to cater for their vast troop build-up training camps across Britain prior to D Day. As the European battle front moved into Germany, personnel from the smaller U.S. Army dental detachments were rejigged to provide for the increasing denture replacement requirement. Six prosthetic detachments were brought together to establish an efficient thirty six man laboratory in Frankfurt.

It was recognised that each central dental laboratory must have rapid, dependable communications to and from all areas of the identified zone it served. Where existing transportation facilities were meagre they

It was not recorded how many of the 865,000 U.S. Army prosthetic cases completed overseas, including their Pacific theatre of war, were constructed via the dental laboratory portable sets or improvised dental laboratory trucks. The U.S. First Infantry Division, alone, completed 1,945 appliances in one year. During 1944 a total of 15,288 dental cases were completed by units of the U.S. Fifth Army. 3,503 new dentures and 2,081 repairs were completed within combat divisions of that Army in the same period.

However, the unsatisfactory results of removing the divisional prosthetic laboratory services, and the amount of work which was accomplished after some facilities had been restored, left no doubt that dental laboratories were essential in the forward offensive areas.

U.S. NAVY DENTAL TECHNICIANS INCLUDED WOMEN

The U. S. Navy during WW2 had on active duty its highest levels, ever, of 7,000 dental officers and 11,000 dental technicians. They were applying their professional expertise around the world in nearly every WW2 theatre of enemy engagement. U.S. Navy dental personnel assigned to operational units across the vast South Pacific conflict areas often assisted with emergency facial trauma wounds ashore in specialist hospitals.

The Women's Reserve of the United States Naval Reserve, WAVES, was created during WW2 in July 1942. This unique creation was designed to appoint and enlist enough women as necessary as a wartime emergency measure. The enlisted WAVES were to replace men who could then be released from their shore establishment positions for active sea duty in the deployed operational forces and seagoing fleets.

In October 1944, the U. S. Navy announced their plan to commission black women whom possessed super-qualified credentials. Harriet Pickens and Frances Wills became the U. S. Navy's first AfricanAmerican WAVES officers in December 1944. Seventy-Two black women enlisted and started their training at U. S. Navy’s Hunter College. Their ability proved, set the precedent for successful integration of black men into the U. S. Navy.

During 1945, enlisted WAVES could be found on almost every U.S. Navy shore establishment. The WAVES were on active duties fulfilling the necessary military work of every kind including U.S. Navy dental prosthetic technicians.

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DENTAL TECHNICIAN IMPERSONATOR IN COLDITZ CAPTIVITY

The fairy-tale appearance of 11th century Colditz Castle, sited on a rocky hilltop overlooking the River Mulde between Leipzig and Dresden Germany, belays its past use as a notorious high security Nazi prisoner of war (POW) camp in WW2. This prison incarcerated military officer personnel from all Allied countries including Jewish service personnel whom had been captured fighting in various Allied forces.

Rifleman Solomon Dennis Halfin born in West Ham, London, of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, 9th Battalion, The Rangers, was imprisoned in Colditz by his own unfortunate accord! His battalion had been drafted to the Greek Islands where he had been captured on the island of Crete by the Germans in May 1941. Dennis managed to escape and remained in hiding with local Partisans for three months. During a prearranged exit off the island that was to take place by submarine, Dennis was re-captured with some other hiding Commonwealth troops.

He eventually ended up at Lamsdorf POW camp in Germany, where he met a French Canadian Sergeant Roger Cordeau, a dental technician. Dennis successfully escaped from Lamsdorf POW camp, but eventually was recaptured which resulted in arrangements being made for him to be sent to another POW camp. Dennis immediately put in plan another rouse. He did not want to be separated from his British POW mates at this Lamsdorf camp so he arranged with Sergeant Cordeau to exchange identities.

Dennis’s swap with Sergeant Roger Cordeau worked for the time being, the Lamsdorf POW guards hadn’t spotted the switch. However his plan to remain at Lamsdorf camp backfired when the Germans wanted a dental technician at their Colditz camp to assist with the POW officer’s dental care in June 1943. As now Sergeant Roger Cordeau, a Canadian dental technician, Dennis was transferred to the notorious high security castle.

By September of that year the Colditz camp dental officers fully realised their Canadian dental technician couldn’t perform any meaningful role as a dental technician. Dennis was also spotted by the Colditz guards frequently talking with fellow incarcerated KRRC officers from his battalion. His true British identity was found out. Dennis was returned to the Lamsdorf POW camp.

Tony Landon wonders what happened to Sergeant Roger Cordeau, the Canadian Dental Technician. Do any of this journal’s readers know if our fellow technician survived?

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INSIGHT

It had been envisaged in the forward planning of the offensives across North West Africa and Europe that the prosthetic needs of army divisions and their frontline combat units could be met by small number of mobile dental laboratories functioning in the immediate vicinity of the troops they served and centrally placed hospitals that had dental facilities.

The command planners proved so wrong on all these provisions. Authorised small dental laboratories in military hospitals proved totally inadequate to meet the repetitive demands for replacement dentures or repairs to existing dentures. For example the largest U.S. Army general hospital was allotted in the forward theoretical planning only two dental technicians. Initial results quickly exposed that these hospital dental laboratories were unable to meet the enormous demands for prosthetic services from their actual theatres of offensive operations.

had to be brought up to a standard for rapid transportation of injured servicemen to initially clearing and then field hospitals, eventually on to specialist central facilities. Central dental laboratories eventually proved practical and necessary to service most major offensive battle zone restorative appliance requirements.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

STATE-OF-THE-ART MILLING SERVICE FROM GC

LLOYD POPE REPORTS ON HIS RECENT VISIT TO THE STATE-OFTHE-ART GC CAD-CAM PRODUCTION CENTRE IN LEUVEN, BELGIUM Scanning and Design

A

s one of the world’s most innovative dental companies, GC have established an Advanced CAD-CAM Production Centre in Leuven, Belgium, which delivers premium quality restorations that Laboratories can be proud of. They have recently invested in an extended range of new machines and operators in order to be able to better serve their growing number of clients throughout Europe.

will be used in combination with the various milled products from the Milling Centre.

Their target is to help the small to medium sized Laboratories that currently cannot afford to invest in their own in-house milling equipment, especially for the more complex cases in metal which simply cannot be manufactured in-house on smaller machines.

Also, they can provide a 3D printing service to their clientele too and have just invested in a new 3D printer from New Zealand.

Much larger than their previous 3D printer they anticipate that demand, as evidenced by the large number of Laboratories that have registered already to attend an upcoming Open Day to see it, will mean that they will soon be investing in even more of these machines within the next months!

Milling Zirconium

On a recent visit to GC’s European Headquarters I was given a guided tour of these impressive facilities by Kevin Miltau, Production Manager, and Ward Gerets, Sales Manager Europe. Together they represent over 30 years of experience working for GC Europe, they are spearheading the development of the GC CAD-CAM Production Centre in Leuven and are passionate about their ability to provide an unrivalled service to their Laboratory clientele, however big or small they may be and wherever they are based.

Ward informed me that, whilst most of their current clientele are Laboratories based in Belgium and France, there are a rapidly growing number from throughout Europe including the UK. Kevin said that the GC CAD-CAM Production Centre’s role is not to be a competitor to Laboratories, but simply to provide them with a top quality milling service that will enable them to maximise the benefits of the other GC products, for example the Initial ceramic range, which

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advantages is that there is only 30% waste, compared with up to 70% waste for milling processes. The speed of printing can be altered depending upon the level of precision required for the individual items being printed.

Whilst there is a cost involved in 3D printing there are also many benefits primarily because it saves the Laboratory a lot of time they can out-source the time delay, it is much cleaner and healthier, the finished products look better and are more precise.

ASIGA 3D Printer

New 3D Printing Service – saves time and delivers premium quality results The new 3D printer, which had been installed literally the day before my visit, will be used to produce models, resin components for residue-free casting and temporaries from light-cured liquid composite. One of its big

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GC Milling Service – incredible precision and attention to detail Accepting either STL files or physical gypsum models, the GC CAD-CAM Production Centre is an open system which means they can accept every type of work, even the most sophisticated cases, and deliver exactly what the Technician needs in return. Each piece of work going through seven equally important stages: Initial inspection upon receipt, Aadva LabScan scanning to an accuracy of <6 microns if required, Modellation (CAD), Milling (CAM), Manual finishing, Outgoing quality check, Secure delivery.

At the design stage GC can propose a design, which can be validated over a secure network by the customer before it is forwarded to production. This design can be available within a day depending upon the complexity of the case and the speed with which the customer validates it. Even the most complex cases can be completed within 7 to 14 days.

As most of the work they receive currently is for implant-supported superstructures they can accept either wax patterns or digital designs.

During the CAD stage the designers can take data from a variety of sources, supplied

3D PDF Design

To enable GC to mill the large metal superstructures, which require incredible precision and the elimination of all micro-movements, they have invested in two gigantic machines that are so stable they can produce the smallest implant related components to a tolerance of under 10 microns. Fully automated, the milling time for these components depends upon the

material being milled and the design, and can be anything from between one to five or even six hours.

They also have a machine for milling zirconium, it operates dry, and another machine, which operates wet, for milling Initial LRF (mid-strength ceramic) and Cerasmart blocks.

The latter materials require a wet milling process in order to keep them cool, so that neither the material nor drill become burnt.

GC do not do any staining etc for the products they mill because their role is simply to be a subcontractor for those processes the Laboratory is not equipped to perform for themselves.

Once milled, finished and inspected the products are ready for packaging and despatch.

The finished products are packaged in ultrasecure packaging that protects them on their journey back to the Laboratory. The high end packaging contains all the relevant models, finished work and credit card style patient information. It can be sent to the end-user clinician prior to the try-in stage etc and helps reinforce the quality of work on offer from the Laboratory to their clinical clientele.

The GC CAD-CAM Production Centre can deliver high quality tailor-made implant supported constructions for most commonly used implant brands including titanium implant bars; titanium, chrome-cobalt, zirconium and PMMA implant bridges; and tailor-made abutments in zirconium, titanium and chromecobalt. They can also fabricate precision fitting zirconium, titanium, chrome-cobalt, hybridceramic and PMMA crowns and bridges.

Any work submitted to the GC CAD-CAM Production Centre can be turned around normally within 2 to 5 days, depending upon the complexity of the case, and is VAT exempt.

There is also a free collection and delivery service.

Furthermore, to make things easier for UK Laboratories there is now a UK Price List with all invoices in Pounds Sterling and paid into a UK Bank Account. There are also regular special offers including 50% off the first case sent to the GC Milling Centre.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the GC Milling Centre in Leuven and would like to thank the entire team of the CAD-CAM Production Centre for their hospitality and a very interesting and informative visit.

For more information please contact GC UK Ltd on 01908 218999, email info@gcukltd. co.uk or visit www.gceurope.com

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DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

by email from the client or by scanning models in-house using an Aadva scanner, and produce the relevant design using ExoCad software.

They can then produce 3D PDF designs which are sent back to the client for validation. These 3D PDF designs are supplied with different layers which can be expanded for inspection by the Laboratory. Once the design is validated the data is translated into an appropriate format for the relevant milling machine to use via specialist translation software.

LOOKING BACK JOHN WINDIBANK FOA INSIGHT

MEMORIES OF AN OLD CODGER 20 A GROUP TO AN ASSOCIATION

T

his article has turned out to be full of acronyms and just to put you off, in this memory I have used 19 different ones.

There are so many different groups representing Dentistry and the health service that when I was a secretary of Central Council for Health Authority Dental Technology(CC), I had a glossary of 50 of them to keep track of. This memory however is about the origins of the Dental Technicians Association and its efforts to get some sort of agreement from the myriad of groups it was dealing with.

The Dental Technicians Association started life in 1984 as the Dental Technicians Education and Training Advisory Group which later in 1986 following extensive work and reports, reconstituted as Dental Technicians Education and Training Advisory Board (DTETAB).

The board was proposed by the British Dental Association (BDA) at the National Joint Council (NJC) and they offered to provide the chairman, secretary and support for 3 years while the board was becoming established. An advisory group working party was proposed to look at the possibilities and a meeting was organised with 6 appointees, (Mr Eastwood, NJC - Mr Farrell, General Dental Council - Mr Garnett, British Dental Association - Chairman, Mrs O’Shea National Health Service Training Association - Mr Ralph, Association of Dental Hospitals - Mr Roadley, Dental Laboratories Association).

Recommendations from the group saw the creation of DTETAB with Mrs Margaret Seaward of the NHSTA (Later Dame Margaret Seaward) as Chairman.

I first heard about the group when Len Yates the secretary of Central Council (CC) at the time, reported that he had attended their first meeting uninvited and had been asked to leave and he was not allowed to attend as an observer. This occurrence coloured CC reaction to DTETAB for many years and the prevailing suspicions were of a BDA led group advising on our education, reminding us of the BDA blocking the proposed statutory registration of Dental Technicians in the 1950’s. The BDA had long opposed the registration of Dental Technicians and this opposition was still being advocated

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by some in the late nineteen nineties. The Whitley Council PTB/B committee were unenthusiastic at the formation of the Board, as they considered themselves the body to decide the suitability of education requirements for Health Authority and Hospital Dental Technicians.

Jim Hughes was a likable quietly spoken man who was a local councillor, chief technician, secretary of the dental branch of Association of Scientific and Managerial Staff (ASTMS/TASS), and their representative on the National Joint Council, I also envied him his Hasselblad medium format camera.

I wasn’t wonderfully pleased with Jim at that time and asked him why he had not reported the facts about DTETAG to the union? Jim’s reply was that it was only a proposal, but 3 years later I really blew a gasket when I heard on the grapevine that the Dental Technicians Voluntary Register had been handed over to DTETAB with all its assets to assist its funding. There may have been good logic for the NJC’s decision, but implementing this without consulting registered Dental Technicians, was in my eye’s totally unacceptable. I resigned my registration along with other hospital technicians at the time and it was a good few years before the thaw set in and for some it never did.

The National Joint Council for Dental Technicians was established in 1943 to agree minimum standards on pay and qualifications for Dental Technicians (Mechanics) with employers and union representatives. There was I was told, constant problems between the BDA and the Dental Laboratories Association (DLA), representing the employers side of the council, about their representation. The DLA claiming that they employed more technicians than did the BDA members and their representation on the council should be increased. Eventually the DLA split from the council, which continued without them.

Dental Technology as a separate profession started with the changes in the law in 1921 and at that time everyone knew what a dental technician was. A dental technician was a person who had completed an indentured apprenticeship usually for five years, City and Guilds and Armed Forces Qualifications were also acceptable. The growth of employees without an accepted qualification in

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laboratories, changes in technician education, the growth of denturists, and with the prospect of medical professionals becoming state registered, ensured that a new approach was needed to look at qualifications. The new approach had to include the DLA who employed most of the people producing oral appliances, hence the need for a new independent board.

The first moves to formalise DTETAB’s position was implemented when the secretary of PTB/B accepted a new proposal to join the embryo board and representatives met with CC to put their case with mixed success. 1989 saw DTETAB become an independent body with Collin Lee a technician as chairman and it was becoming clear to me that this was the way forward for Dental technology and I registered again at about his time. By 1994 DTETAB invited CC to send representatives to their AGM and meetings and Harvey Anderson CC chairman (Principle Chief Technician at Eastman’s Hospital) Rod Jackson, Vice Chairman (Principle Technician Reading) Ian Macleod (Principle Chief Manchester) formally attended their meetings.

It was 1994 that Ian reported to CC that DTETAB were having problems with a definition of a Dental Technician that they could agree on, so we all went away and drafted our own proposals. For me it seemed pretty straight forward, we made oral and facial devices, and needed the skill and knowledge to complete the task. This would be confirmed by an examination that covered the knowledge requirements of the work, and this is what I came up with.

“A Dental Technician is a person who is qualified to construct oral prostheses and related appliances and has successfully completed a recognised form of education and training, approved by ( ). Has a qualification equivalent to a BTEC National Diploma in Science (Dental Technology) and is registered with the appropriate body”.

This proposal was endorsed by CC and I faxed a copy of the resolution to DTETAB for consideration at their next meeting. Ian and I went along to the meeting and as this was the only proposal on the table it was given a thorough examination. The BDA representatives went into a huddle to consider

In 1996 Ian Macleod was the Hon Treasurer of CC and he was elected to DTETAB. Ian became chairman of the board in 1996, president in 2004 and chairman of Central Council in 1998 and was later awarded a CBE for all his efforts for us. An incredibly dynamic man who could always present a good well thought out argument, took on new challenges with relish and it was Ian who nominated me for the A E Denison award which I received in 2003. Ian never complained about his health when I knew him and it was a shock to read about his death, a few years later.

My final involvement with DTETAB came about in 2000, by this time my union had been absorbed into the Manufacturing Science & Finance Union and then Amicus (Latin for friend) and then the Unite Union. Jim Hughes was the Unions representative on the board through the NJC. Jim’s health had not been

good for many years and was medically retired and as the unions nominated deputy, I then attended the board meetings for a little while.

At my first meeting at the board I was introduced by the Sue Adams (these Days called Chief Executive) and there were grumblings about the boards policy to drop union representation. The chairman Tony Griffin (Now Treasurer and CBE) was very gracious and said that we (the board) needed all the experienced help it could get which smoothed my introduction. I was very impressed with the ambition and efficiency of the board and before very long I had my first job. The board had introduced a College selfassessment rating system, which needed to be monitored and one by one the other members of the board turned down the responsibility and the chairman asked me if I could do the job. Well I was not a fan of self-assessment but I agreed to look at the assessments and report back to the Board.

I read through the college submissions and asked for more clarity on some of the points they were having problems with. The colleges all replied promptly and I was very impressed with how they were tackling their problems and the results they were getting. Work

experience for the students was a problem for some colleges, because in some laboratories, there were no qualified staff employed. Other colleges were keen to appoint a personal mentor for their students while on work experience and all took great care.

So now I am a fan of the very good work the colleges do for us and this is the final paragraph of the report I presented to the council.

“The board have agreed not to publish any grade but some colleges have indicated a grade that they consider applies to them.

It’s my assessment that all the applicants should be registered, thanked for their cooperation and congratulated on the standards they have been able to achieve.”

I did this job for the board for two years until I retired and at that time it had been agreed that the board would become the Dental Technicians Association (DTA). OTA have always worked closely with the DTA and currently James Green is president and Sue Adams is a committee member.

SOURCE CC papers, DTETAB papers, PTB papers, OTA WEB site

GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS USED IN THIS ARTICLE AGM – Annual General Meeting AODH - Association of Dental Hospitals

DTETAB - Dental Technicians Education & Training Advisory Board

ASTMS - Association of Scientific and Managerial Staff / Technical and Scientific Staff

DTETAG - Dental Technicians Education & Training Advisory Group

AUEW/TASS - Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers/Technical and Scientific Staff

EDEXCEL - BTEC & London Examinations

BDA - British Dental Association

NJC - National Joint Council

BTEC - Business and Technical Education Council

NHS - National Health Service

CBE – Commander of the British Empire

NHSTA – National Health Service Training Authority

CC - Central Council

OTA - Orthodontic Technicians Association

DLA - Dental Laboratories Association

PTB/B – Professional and Technical Council/ Committee B

DTA – Dental Technicians Association

GDC - General Dental Council

JOHN WINDIBANK FOTA • •

Senior Chief Technician at West Hill Hospital, Dartford, Kent.

Represents OTA at CCHADT & Regional Delegate

PASSED POSTS:

• • •

Member of the first steering committee that founded the OTA. Founder Member of the CCHADT Member of the Whitley Council and Committees for 15 years.

• • • • • •

Dental Technology Representative on the National Health Service Training Advisory Board Member of the City and Guilds Dental Advisory Board Member BTEC Dental Technology Higher Awards Advisory Board Member DTETAB Representing MSF Teacher of Orthodontics at Maidstone & Medway Technical College.

Vice Chairman OTA

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• • • • •

Chairman CCHADT Education Officer Minutes Secretary First Treasurer Member of SLC Dental Advisory Committee

HONOURS:

• •

Fellow of the OTA AE Dennison Award for services to Dental Technology

23

INSIGHT

and said that they could accept the proposal with one amendment. The paraphrase “to a prescription” should be added after the word appliances, and this was agreed by the board, the definition has since been changed but it was important at the time to reach agreement and move the discussions forward

COMPANY NEWS

THE DENTAL TECHNICIAN MARKETPLACE NEW PRETTAU® 2 ZIRCONIA WITH EXCELLENT FLEXURAL STRENGTH AND PARTICULARLY HIGH TRANSLUCENCY w Zirconia materials differ in terms of translucency and strength. In addition to the aesthetic features, the level of flexural strength is key for the fabrication of a full arch from a functional point of view. Prettau® 2 zirconia combines extraordinary flexural strength with excellent translucency. In addition, the manual colouring technique with Colour Liquid Prettau® 2 Aquarell allows a colour scheme that is exactly matched to the patient’s needs and the excellent aesthetic properties of the material enables the monolithic design of the restorations, preventing ceramic chipping. With Prettau® 2 structures, from single crowns to full arch bridges, it is therefore possible to offer patients bio-compatible, highly individual and very stable dental restorations.

• No ceramic chipping (thanks to the fully anatomical design); no abrasion of the antagonist

Digitally-designed Prettau® Bridge made of Prettau® 2 zirconia

• Can be characterised individually for each patient with Colour Liquids Prettau® 2 Aquarell, ICE Zirkon Ceramics and ICE Zirkon 3D Stains by Enrico Steger

• No limitations! Especially suitable for full arch restorations (full anatomical or reduced for ceramic veneering), but also for single crowns, inlays, onlays, veneers, bars and multi-unit bridges

• Soon available in pre-coloured versions: monochromatic (Prettau® 2 Coloured) or polychromatic with natural colour transition (Prettau® 2 Dispersive®) For more information: Email: carmen.ausserhofer@zirkonzahn.com Tel: +39 0474 066 662 Website: www.zirkonzahn.com

PROPERTIES AT A GLANCE: • Particularly highly translucent zirconia with an excellent flexural strength

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ADN President Hazel Coey received a Special Recognition Award, presented by Chief Dental Officer Sara Hurley, at the NEBDN 75th Anniversary Reception, held in London on 22 November 2018.

Chief Dental Officer, England Sara Hurley presents Special Recognition Award to Hazel Coey

The Award, presented to individuals who have demonstrated dedication, outstanding service and commitment to the education and training of dental nurses through involvement and achievement at a national level, was presented to Hazel for her 25 years as a NEBDN examiner and dental nurse tutor.

Hazel has had a varied career, which began as a dental nurse in a small village practice. She then went on to work in the Perio research team at RAF Halton for the late Graham Smart. Her real passion was Oral Health Education and she was Senior Oral Health Promoter in Buckinghamshire for some years, working for Bucks Priority Dental Service. She also worked for Aylesbury College of Further Education, teaching dental nurses, and to date has taught several hundred dental nurses!

Following on from this she worked for the Oxford Deanery teaching the dental nurse apprenticeship programme. She became an NEBDN Examiner in 1994, and was on the NEBDN Committee for Oral Health Education for many years, as well as being a Presiding Examiner.

Her most recent post was as Dental Tutor at Milton Keynes University Hospital, working for Health Education England, where she arranged CPD courses for the whole dental team. Hazelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own CPD includes obtaining her Further Adult Education Teaching Certificate , Certificate of Education, Certificate in Oral Health Education and a BA (Hons) in Post Compulsory Education.

Details of the 2019 BADN Awards will be available on the BADN website www.badn.org.uk in Spring 2019

BADN Treasurer Joan Hatchard, former NEBDN Chief Exec Jennifer Lavery, BADN President Hazel Coey, BADN Chairman Jane Dalgarno, new NEBDN Chief Exec Kate Kerslake at the NEBDN 75th Anniversary Reception

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25

DENTAL NEWS

BADN PRESIDENT RECEIVES SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

GC UK LIMITED

LISA JOHNSON

HOSTS GC GRADIA PLUS COURSE IN NEWPORT PAGNELL delegates had completed their opaquing Lisa showed them the spruing technique, mixing and pouring of the clear silicone into the light cured flask, and then placement in the pressure pots to eliminate air bubbles from the silicone. The delegates then injected the One Body Dentine through the silicone on to the six unit Titanium framework, and then placed the flask into the Labolight Duo light curing device and light cured through the clear silicone. The delegates then removed the frameworks and customised the dentine with the Gradia Plus Paint Set. In the evening the Delegates went out for a group meal and the opportunity to share experiences over a beer.

Day two commenced with a practical session applying the enamel and stain and glazing techniques. Lisa also demonstrated different surface texture techniques and mechanical polishing of the Gradia Plus restoration. After the delegates had completed the teeth, the next step was to demonstrate the gingiva build-up technique, with this Lisa used both the heavy body and light body materials. Everybody came away from the course inspired by how easy and quick it is to build up implant frameworks with Gradia Plus composite, using Lisa’s build-up techniques. The next Gradia Plus course with Lisa is on the 10th-11th January at GC UK.

L

isa Johnson DTG, from Nexus Dental Laboratory in Harrogate, is one of the UK’s top aesthetic Technicians with over 20 years’ experience using composite systems and specialising in large implant frameworks. From early trials onwards, both Lisa and her colleagues at Nexus Dental Laboratory were involved in the development of GC’s new Gradia Plus composite resin crown and bridge system and have layered many frameworks using injectable techniques with the Gradia Plus One Body System.

Newport Pagnell Head Office on the 12th and 13th October. There were 10 Technicians on the course, mainly from the UK but with one delegate travelling from Mirko Picone Laboratory, Leige, Belgium, which just goes to show how far Lisa’s reputation has spread.

Lisa hosted GC’s most recent Gradia Plus Advanced Two-day Hands-on Course in their state-of-the-art training centre at their

Lisa then demonstrated the bonding and opaquing system of Gradia Plus and showed some opaque modifying techniques. After the

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On the first day Lisa began with a presentation of the Gradia Plus Concept and the One Body Flasking Technique, describing the various techniques which would be demonstrated throughout the course.

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This was Lisa’s third course for GC, but she will be running more following very positive comments from delegates with the next one scheduled for 10th & 11th January 2019. Please contact GC UK Ltd on 01908 218999, email info@gcukltd.co.uk or visit www.gceurope.com

MARATHON MAN

CONGRATULATES BARNET AND SOUTHGATE STUDENTS

B

arnet and Southgate College welcomed Ben Smith to its annual student achievement awards on 29th November at Allianz Park. The gala ceremony was attended by special guests including students, alumni, parents and staff. Ben gave an inspiring speech explaining how running turned his life around after years of depression, school bullying and suffering a stroke at the age of 29. He encouraged students to dream big and fight for what they believed.

Ben is the only man in the World to have run 401 marathons in 401 days across Britain, from Land's End to John O Groats, at the time raising more than £330,000 for two anti-bullying charities, Kidscape and Stonewall; increasing awareness of the issues regarding bullying with over 100 schools. Ben presented the College’s winners with their awards and a certificate alongside principal, David Byrne.

Student winners on the night included 24 year old Higher level Dental Apprentice Jordan Diggines-Wallis, who won the Apprentice of the Year Award. Jordan was delighted to win the award and is enjoying his Level 5 higher apprenticeship training at Barnet and Southgate College, he said: “I work for a dental lab in Bedford

L TO R: David Byrne (Princple), Jordans Diggins-Wallace, Ben Smith

and they arranged for me to start the apprenticeship at Barnet and Southgate College. My training is very integrated what I learn at College I take back to work and what I learn at work I bring back into College and apply here.

Everyone on the course is really lovely and the tutor is really nice. I actually started this course at university, but then decided to start the apprenticeship.

As I started to accrue some debt from being at Uni, which was a massive contributing factor of coming to do an apprenticeship alongside the improved job prospects here, it’s great.”

David Byrne, Principal of Barnet and Southgate College said: “We take great satisfaction in supporting our students achieve their aspirations, whether this is to enter higher education, get their first job, develop vocational skills, complete an apprenticeship or help them improve their career. The annual awards ceremony is about recognising those students who have achieved more than they ever thought possible, and we’re really proud of all the nominees and winners. The hardest part is choosing just 20 winners from the 13,000 students we have across all campuses at Barnet and Southgate College.”.

For more information on dental courses please email info@barnetsouthgate.ac.uk or go to www.barnetsouthgate.ac.uk/dental

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27

DENTAL NEWS

401 CHALLENGE

FREE VERIFIABLE ECPD As before if you wish to submit your ECPD online it will be free of charge. Once our web designers give it the all clear there will be a small charge.

This will be less than the CPD submitted by post. This offer is open to our subscribers only.

To go directly to the ECPD page please go to https://dentaltechnician.org.uk/dental-technician-cpd.

You will normally have one month from the date you receive your magazine before being able to submit your ECPD either online or by post.

If you have any issues with the ECPD please email us cpd@dentaltechnician.org.uk

4 Hours Verifiable ECPD in this issue LEARNING AIM

The questions are designed to help dental professionals keep up to date with best practice by reading articles in the present journal covering Clinical, Technical, Business, Personal development and related topics, and checking that this information has been retained and understood.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES REVIEW: n Strength of Zirconia n Implant planning n Customised Special trays n Business of Management

LEARNING OUTCOME

By completing the Quiz successfully you will have confirmed your ability to understand, retain and reinforce your knowledge related in the chosen articles.

Correct answers from December DT Edition:

ECPD

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VERIFIABLE ECPD - JANUARY 2019 1. Your details First Name: .............................................. Last Name: ........................................................Title:................

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Or an annual fee of £99.00 if paid in advance.

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3. Evaluation: Tell us how we are doing with your ECPD Service. All comments welcome.

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Payment by cheque to: The Dental Technician Magazine Limited. Natwest Sort Code 516135 A/C No 79790852 You are required to answer at least 50% correctly for a pass. If you score below 50% you will need to re-submit your answers.

Answers will be published in the next issue of The Dental Technician. Certificates will be issued within 60 days of receipt of correct submission.

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VERIFIABLE ECPD AS YOU NEED IT VIA THE DENTAL TECHNICIAN THE FMC LABORATORY AWARDS Q1. Name the winner of the best Technician for 2018?

A. Trevor Brooker B. Stephen Green C. Wayne Flack D. Albert Hall

Q10. What point was Dr Stilwell making in her talk?

A. Be guided by the patients prevailing conditions

and their prognosis B. Be sure you are using the right medicine C. Be aware of the patient’s love of music D. Know the patients good and bad habits

Q2.

A. B. C. D.

Name the winner of the Best Implant Laboratory?

Hughes Dental Laboratory Advanced Dental Laboratory Swift Dental Group Stephen Green Dental Studio

Q3.

A. B. C. D.

Name the winner of the best Dental Laboratory?

Hall Dental Studio A J Taylor Ceramics Swift Dental Group Leca Dental Laboratory

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD FOR HAZEL COEY Q11. How many years has Hazel Coey been teaching

Dental Nursing?

A. 12 Years B. 25 Years C. 16 Years D. 19 Years

Q4. Name the winner of the bet Prosthetic Laboratory?

A. Hughes Dental Laboratory B. Trevor Brooker & partners Dental Laboratory C. Swift Dental Group D. Alex Johns Dental Laboratory Q5.

A. B. C. D.

Name the winner of the most Innovative Laboratory?

Wired Orthodontics Hughes Dental Laboratory Sparkle Dental Laboratory Stephen Green Dental Studio

A VISIT TO BLUEPRINT DENTAL COMPANY Q6. Why is it called Blueprint?

A. To make it sound different B. The business was about design cabinetry for clinics C. To establish its leading role D. To show it was the beginning Q7.

A. B. C. D.

How many years has th company been trading?

23 Years 18 Years 10 Years 14 Years

ITI STUDY CLUB AT LONDEC. Q8. Where does Dr Stilwell lecture in Switzerland?

A. Basle B. Berne C. Geneva D. Zurich

CHALLENGE MARATHON MAN Q12. How many marathons has Ben Smith run?

A. 401 B. 350 C. 365 D. 265 THE DENTAL TECHNICIANS DANGEROUS ROLE IN WW2 Q13. How many prosthesis were completed by the U.S Army

overseas during WW2?

A. 280,000 B. 650,000 C. 865,000 D. 760,000 Q14.

A. B. C. D.

How many denture repairs were recorded during 1944?

3,503 Cases 1,945 Cases 2,885 Cases 2,081 Cases

Q15. To when does Colditz Castle date?

A. 13th Century B. 12th Century C. 11th Century D. 10th Century BLUEPRINT DENTAL COMPANY VISIT Q16. What is Alan Wright’s Well known Pseudonym?

A. General Alan Wright B. Baron Alan Wright C. Lord-Alan Stephen Wright D. Al

Q9. What is the name given to the Table for Geriatric Assessment?

A. IRWIN B. OSCAR C. DAVID D. NACHO

You can submit your answers in the following ways: 1. Via email: cpd@dentaltechnician.org.uk 2. By post to: THE DENTAL TECHNICIAN LIMITED, PO BOX 430, LEATHERHEAD KT22 2HT You are required to answer at least 50% correctly for a pass. If you score below 50% you will need to re-submit your answers.

Answers will be published in the next issue of The Dental Technician. Certificates will be issued within 60 days of receipt of correct submission.

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DENTAL NEWS

GENERAL DENTAL COUNCIL CHANGES APPROACH TO SETTING FEES

I

n shifting the balance, the General Dental Council (GDC) said it wanted to develop a new approach to setting fees, which would better explain how and why funds were used, be clearer about how costs were allocated and provide more certainty about the level of fee dental professionals could expect to pay.

The policy, which sets out this new approach, saw a positive response in a public consultation earlier this year, and will be introduced in 2019. It is based on three main principles, and these are: 1. Fee levels should be primarily determined by the cost of regulating each professional group.

2. The method of calculating fee levels should be clear.

3. Decisions on the allocation of costs should not lead to undesirable outcomes (e.g. in the form of unacceptably high or variable costs for some groups of registrants).

There are several changes that will be introduced under these core principles.

Crucially, the GDC is moving to a three-year planning model, which will provide clearer information about the cost of proposed regulatory activity. The plan will inform a three-year costed corporate strategy which will be consulted on before it is approved. In practice, this means the GDC will set out plans on how it intends to achieve its objectives every three years.

Prior to the Strategy being approved, anyone with an interest will have the opportunity to express their views about its high-level aims, and the associated

expenditure, which will provide the basis for setting the Annual Retention Fee. The first of these consultations will take place in spring 2019.

Another big change will be the elimination of ‘cross subsidy’, except for instances where doing so will lead to inappropriate or disproportionate outcomes. Cross subsidy happens when the fees paid by one group of dental professionals effectively fund regulatory activity in relation to another. One example of this currently occurs at first registration, where existing registrants subsidise unsuccessful applications, as no processing fee is charged at present. The specific changes to achieve this will be introduced gradually as plans are developed.

Ian Brack, Chief Executive and Registrar at the GDC, said: “I’d like to thank those who responded to this consultation. We will be consulting on the three-year costed corporate strategy this spring – it will be an unrivalled opportunity to understand and critique the GDC’s strategic priorities, the associated costs, and the use to which cost-savings will be put. We really want to hear the views of the public, the professions and other stakeholders so I hope as many people as possible engage in the process.”

The GDC’s response to views submitted during the consultation and further details of the changes can be found in Clear and certain: A new framework for fee-setting – Consultation outcome report.

A number of views were also expressed in relation to the payment of fees by instalments, both in the consultation and through other channels. In the newlypublished Consultation outcome report, the GDC acknowledges these views and recognises the potential positive impact that paying by instalments could have for dental professionals. It also explains though, that there are some legal ambiguities in relation to this which leaves the position unclear.

The report goes on to say that it remains a complex issue and that more detailed exploration is needed, involving analysis of the legal, financial and operational constraints, assessment of the costs of introducing the facility, proposals for how those costs will be met, and the arrangements that would be needed should a payment be missed.

For further information contact Tom Chappell, Media Manager on tchappell@gdc-uk.org, 020 7167 6044 or 07738 182756 30

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