Probe 2020 Issue 02

PROBE

University Dental Students' Society Magazine July 2020 | Issue 02

INTRODUCINGÂ THE NEW DEAN, PROF. HIEN NGO A GUIDE FOR DMD1S IN PREPARING FOR DMD2 LGBTQI+ PATIENTS & YOU A LETTER TO OUR DMD3/4'S + MORE

DMD2 Students participating in the Clinics to Community Oral Health Promotion Program

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Ay, Corona

IN THIS ISSUE 0 4

Not how we planned the year would go...

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Well done for making it through one of the

most

difficult

semesters

that

anyone could go through (even though

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some of us didn't even get a break)!

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President's Update

What's on at UDSS

Welcoming Prof. Hien Ngo, the incoming Head of School Celebrating the wins of our cohort!

Although lots about COVID-19 has kept us apart (literally), there were just as many things that unified us and helped propel us

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DMD2: A guide on how to prepare

into the second half of the year in a positive way: we now have access to online lectures and we have come to value every second of

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Clinics to Communities & Outreach Opportunities!

in-person interactions with tutors!

Wherever you are, take a minute to sit back

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Just keep swimming: a letter to our DMD3's and 4's

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LGBTIQ+ patients and me: What do I need to know as a dental student?

with a warm cup of tea and wintery soul food and enjoy!

Don't forget to catch us on Instagram (@udssuwa) to keep up to date with everything going on at UDSS!

Rebecca Vo & Scott Santarossa UDSS 2020 MEDIA REPS

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Sports report & Save the dates!

ISSUE 02

Thank you to our sponsors:

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PR R EE S S II D D EE N N TT '' S S P UP PD DA A TT EE U Welcome everyone to the second issue of Probe and halfway through what seems like the longest year on Earth! It has undoubtedly been a rough start to 2020, with more stress and uncertainty than we all bargained for. While it wasn’t exactly a ‘break’ for everyone, I hope the time at home had a positive impact in some way, whether it be picking up a new hobby you wouldn’t normally have time for, being able to read more, or getting to spend more time with your families.

As DMD2-4 students return to clinic, hopefully we can return to some sense of normalcy and start stressing over the little things again like “how will I ever fill my amalgam requirements?” I’m very much aware that there are still some teething issues with the return to OHCWA so if there are any concerns please get in contact with myself or another UDSS rep.

As we come off the back of exam season, I want to say a HUGE well done to everyone who made it through their exams, especially those pesky ones where you got watched for 2 hours straight through your webcam. For DMD1 – don’t worry there’s only one semester left of Gen Med, you got this! To continue on that positive note, with the switch of everything online we saw the rise of Virtual Journal Club, with some incredible speakers giving their insightful presentations via Zoom.

We welcomed great numbers at these events and hope everyone had a blast learning a little more about Paediatric Dentistry and Antibiotic Prophylaxis, great work Bede & Pauline our Ed Reps!

Luckily, with the relaxing of restrictions our sports event from Semester One has the green light for later in the year, so everyone be prepared to get the blood pumping at Bounce! You may also be wondering, has COVID managed to snatch GV Black 2020? Don’t fear!

Our lovely Junior Social Reps Ebony & Lili are working hard to make this a possibility so we can all unwind and forget about the past few months. Watch this space for more details!

The last word from me is to welcome our new Dean and Head of School Prof. Hien Ngo! He will be taking the reins from A/Prof Anthonappa, so if you see him around give him a warm welcome. I also have to say a big thank you to A/Prof Anthonappa, for manning the wheel for the past year and a half. It has not been an easy job taking on the role and navigating the school through the COVID months, so we thank you for everything you have done.

Until you hear from me again, good luck with the semester, you’ll all smash it!

Chelsea Tye UDSS President

ISSUE 02

Fundraisers Dental Dinner 21 Nov Save the date!

GV Black

Soup for the Soul 31 July Relay for Life 10 Oct

22 Aug Save the date!

Sport & Wellbeing

n @ o s ' t a h W ADSA Thanks for joining in on the online convention!

Follow @ausdsa for updates!

UDSS Quiz Night TBC

RU-OK Day 10 Sept BOUNCE 27 Sept Table Tennis Tournament coming soon

Education

The Attention to Examination for Prevention with Dr Phoon Nguyen 30 July

Virtual Zoom

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WELCOMING

PROF. HIEN NGO INCOMING HEAD OF SCHOOL & DEAN OF UWA DENTAL SCHOOL; DIRECTOR OF OHCWA

Looking as if he were about to dive into the most hilarious story, Prof. Hien Ngo held open the door to his office for our meeting. I asked if he was in a rush to move on to the next appointment (after all, he is a very busy man at the moment after just starting), to which he simply replied "I always make time for my students. This is your time and talking to you is my focus."

Bringing with him extensive experience, including as a general dentist, prosthodontist, researcher, teacher and Head of School, Prof. Ngo's vision for the UWA Dental School is exciting and refreshing. He graduated from his general dentistry and prosthodontics degrees, as well as his PhD, from the University of Adelaide, and worked for a number of years in private practice. He later became involved in education and worked in Singapore, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Queensland, before self-isolating for two weeks and starting at UWA. Prof. Ngo's open door policy (by appointment through Jane) is something that he reinforced a number of times throughout the interview. In Prof. Ngo's mind, it is the student and the patient's experiences that comes first, and he is always happy to be spoken with directly to collaborate and work through things, together.

ISSUE 02

celebrating the wins of our cohort CHELSEA TYE DENTAL BOARD OF WA SCHOLARSHIP Our Captain has been very busy lately and this scholarship is well deserved! Some sage advice from Chelsea is that "in dentistry you have to be prepared, but even more so, be adaptable. No matter how much you plan, something will always change on the day and you have to be ready for it. You may go into an appointment ready to do an exam, and come out doing an emergency endo." Congratulations!

EBONY GRIGO RECIPIENT OF THE COUNTRY WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF WA RURAL DENTAL SCHOLARSHIP Ebony Grigo is a DMD2 and the recipient of the Country Women’s Association of WA Rural Dental Scholarship. Ebony recommends working rurally because "not only do you get to enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle, but also the further you go out, the more you will see the results of your work in the community because your patients will be involved in your life in other ways." Well done Ebony!

Congratulations to the 2019 Faculty Award Winners: Alistair Devlin ANZSPD WA Branch Prize in Paediatric Dentistry: Emma Turner Australian Dental Assocation (WA) Prize Sally Tan Australian Dental Association (WA) Award for Leadership Excellence in Dentistry Jasmine Li Australian Dental Association (WA) Prize for Academic Excellence in Dentistry Emily Grant Australian Society of Endodontology (WA Branch) Prize in Endodontics- Y2 Richard Tien Australian Society of Endodontology (WA) Prize in Endodontics / Trauma - Y3 Patricia Soegiantho BDSc Class of 1979 Prize in Operative Dentistry Richard Tien

Australian Society of Orthodontists (WA Branch) Prize in Orthodontics Patricia Soegiantho Clive Rogers Prize in Special Needs Dentistry Ylan Pham D.J. Cock Prize in Periodontics Richard Tien Dr F. Simpson Prize in Dentistry Frances Allix Dr Zac Chami Memorial Prize Jenna Muller Eric Williams Prize in Prosthodontics Ganathipan Shanmugakumar Harold Baggett Memorial Prize in Histology Bede van Schaijik Ian O Thorburn Prize Sally Tan John McGeachie Prize Masooma Hashimi

John Prichard Memorial Prize Johnson Ye Kenneth J G Sutherland Prize Emily Grant Leonard Nathan Prize in Oral Pathology Zoe Thorning Ramesh Balasubramaniam Prize in Oral Medicine Zoe Thorning Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons Academic Prize Michelle Tien Sally Joyston-Bechal Study Group Prize Rani Flynn Western Australian College of Dental Science Prize in Restorative Dentistry Amy Lu & Patricia Soegiantho Wynn Needham Memorial Prize Lyndon Abbott

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dmd2.

A GUIDE ON HOW TO PREPARE So you are currently studying 56,127 online lectures (+/- 1238) and it turns out that barely any of them are dentistry-related! How are you supposed to be prepared for DMD2?! Here is a handy guide on how to get ahead for next year!

It all starts in dmd1...

Many of your lectures can go straight into one ear, stay there until the exam, and then straight out the other (I'm looking at you, muscles of the foot!).

But there are some really important topics that you need to keep your notes in tip top condition for; especially microbio and body systems.

Know your drugs Know your MAO inhibitors from your ACE inhibitors, your Augmentin from your Tazocin, and your lignocaine from metoprolol! You will need to be on top of your patient's medications from day one, so become comfortable remembering pharmacokinetics and DDIs. You will be able to look them up but having them fresh in your brain saves a lot of time.

Yay, finally teeth!

Learning the difference between each tooth is super important. Remember their names (including the FDI number - see the next page), ways to tell them apart and the age at which they erupt (i.e. become visible in the mouth). You will learn all of this in lectures, but there becomes so much to learn all at once that you will thank me for telling you to get some of the easier things out of the way early.

Read, read, read!

You will be expected to keep up to date with the literature. By reading some of these early, you will definitely impress your teachers! (Extra points if you remember names and dates!): 1. Featherstone JD. Dental caries: a dynamic disease process. Australian dental journal. 2008 Sep;53(3):286-91.

2. Selwitz RH, Ismail AI, Pitts NB. Dental caries. The Lancet. 2007 Jan 6;369(9555):51-9.

3. Sidhu SK, Nicholson JW. A review of glassionomer cements for clinical dentistry. Journal of functional biomaterials. 2016 Sep;7(3):16.

Get up close and personal with head and neck anatomy You will hit the ground running and you will pretty much be expected to have a detailed knowledge of head and neck anatomy before DMD2 (yes, we know you only had 1 week in DMD1 but they still expect you to know it). Mentally prepare yourself to be injecting local anaesthetic into your friend's mouth in the first few weeks (trust me, it is fine - they will help you!) but you need to know your anatomical landmarks!

Costs?

Hearing about the price of studying dentistry at other schools, you may be wondering if you will need to spend a lot of money in DMD2 on equipment. The good news is that all of your tools and teeth will be covered by the school and you will essentially borrow them for the year! Aside from clinic coats and Hogies (basic glasses), the one purchase you will need to make are loupes (glasses with magnifying glasses attached). These do cost a couple of grand depending on which company you buy from, but they are super important to ensure that you maintain good posture and ergonomics.

They can be purchased at any time during the year, so don't stress about getting them early on. Talk to students in the years above you about the choices they made - every company is different!

ISSUE 02

Workin' 9 to 5 DMD2 starts out with a bang! You will spend a lot of time in Optech (Operative Techniques Room) learning preclinical skills (the phantom heads), as well as in Simodont (with the simulator machines) at the start of the year. The timetable might be a bit scary at first, but you will grow used to it and learn to manage your time really well. An example timetable is shown here - the great thing about second year is that you get a lot of variety in the topics you cover!

But it does get overwhelming at times, so make sure you prioritise good food, exercise, sleep and social time - otherwise you will dream about teeth!

With that said...

TRY to have a relaxing break before starting. When you start at OHCWA, you will quickly realise that breaks don't come around all too often! Don't let this article stress you out - you will find that the only way to get through dental school is to chip away at things a bit at a time and to not put too much pressure on yourself, and that teamwork is a must!

Enjoy the ride!

By Scott Santarossa

Example timetable from a week in semester 2

Dental Loupes (get them with a light!)

Remember the tooth numbers!

Teeth on the outside are 'permanent teeth' (11 to 48) and teeth on the inside are 'primary teeth' (baby teeth) which go from 51 to 85.

We say "one-five", not "fifteen"

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clinic to communities program

Volunteer!

A DMD2 STUDENT'S PERSPECTIVE

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In first semester, the DMD2 cohort was involved in the Clinics to Communities program. This is a public health initiative started by Dr Patel which was embedded into one of our units for the semester, the aim of which was to go out into different parts of the community and not only educate people on the importance of oral health and how to improve oral health, but to witness the attitudes and beliefs towards oral health of members of our society.

The scope of this initiative was very broad. Many of the groups had a focus on children, visiting primary schools to give presentations on oral health and dietary habits, engaging with early learning centres to talk to parents about what they should expect with their child’s dental development, and spending time at the School Dental Service to learn how Dentists and Oral Health Therapists work together to treat children and improve their oral health.

Other groups visited parts of the community to begin to understand the challenges faced by marginalised members in our society in terms of accessing appropriate and culturally secure dental care. This included visiting Derbarl Yerrigan, part of the Indigenous Medical Health Service; care homes for the elderly; and St Patrick’s Community Support Centre for the homeless and people at risk of being homeless. In addition to this, some groups visited Fiona Stanley Hospital to gain experience with treatment of medically-complex patients and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

This experience opened our eyes and was one of the first times that our cohort had interacted with the public as training health professionals. It showed us first-hand that not everyone has the same level of access to care and oral health literacy in the community and really reinforced the fact that it is our responsibility to assist in improving the oral health of Australians through providing education and accessible care.

Unfortunately our placements were cut short due to COVID-19, but we really encourage the current DMD1s to make the most out of their experiences next year and to ask as many questions as possible!

Lili Omari, DMD2 XJ and I would like to extend our thanks to everyone who’s participated in our outreach sessions this year. While we’ve taken a little break due to COVID-19, we’re back in action and gathering volunteers for semester two! With our regular schools excited for the return of our volunteers, we have sessions lined up to visit them, as well as some new schools on the horizon.

We’re expanding to the southwest, with visits to Djidi Djidi Aboriginal School lined up and others to come while our DMD4 team rotates to Bunbury.

Emma Turner, DMD4

the healthy mouths, brighter smiles program

ISSUE 02 Having graduated in 2018, I am grateful to the UWA Dental School for instilling in me the strong foundations needed for the practice of dentistry. To those students who are in their final year, it may seem that there is so much more to know to be able to come out as a competent dentist. It is rational to feel overwhelmed at any given point in time. Perhaps this could be attributed to the clinical sessions, meeting requirements, assessments, case presentations and the pressures of ‘job-hunting’. Rest assured these feelings are normal and even having graduated I felt that there was always more to learn. The reality is that this will never change as we are always learning whether it be on the job or latest developments in the field.

My biggest piece of advice to final years is to focus on fine-tuning your clinical skills.

Ask questions if you don’t know the answer. You’ve got access to the best possible combination of staff at your fingertips. Also, when you’re looking for a job – make sure that you’re finding the right job for you. Your first job is vital as it will determine how you grow as a dentist. Find a job where you will further your clinical acumen and have access to quality mentorship at hand. There is nothing worse than starting at a job where you are working alone and don’t have anyone to guide you. Don’t accept any and every job as that might not be suitable to a new graduate. Also, don’t feel pressured by your peers who find jobs before you and get into panic mode which makes you settle. It is extremely rare that you hear of an unemployed dentist – so take that in your stride and look for the right job.

I moved back to Melbourne after graduating and landed my first job in March the following year, where I still currently work. My practice has been incredibly supportive of my learning and I feel like I’ve grown exponentially having graduated. Currently, I am undertaking a Graduate Diploma in Orthodontics to expand my treatment portfolio.

Apart from the gift of knowledge and a newly acquired skill set, what you will take from dental school are the friends you make throughout the course. I still am close with many of my classmates. There is no greater consolation than when you can laugh or vent about a difficult day over the phone or in person with someone who understands you.

Cherish your friendships. Don’t stress too much about the dentistry. You will get better at it as time goes on. I certainly did!

(Class of 2018)

Dr Gareth

It’s normal to find dental school challenging, so I can only imagine how overwhelmed you all have been with the added stress from COVID-19. Not long ago, I remember wondering whether I will ever make it through dental school. I can now say with certainty, it was just a passing phase in our career in which you should try to maximise your learning experience and there’s plenty of exciting things to look forward to after you graduate.

I was able to learn so much working rurally in the first few months after graduating. It was a good balance between working independently in a private practice but also having mentorship when required. Due to the pandemic, I recently returned and I am currently working with two amazing teams in Perth. Talking to my friends, we have all agreed that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Workplaces tend to be understanding – they know you’re a new grad and they don’t expect you to know everything. It’s more important to show a willingness to learn and continue to grow throughout your dental career. CPD events are a great way to learn about topics that interest you, reunite with all your classmates and network with others.

Try to take things day by day, one step at a time. You’ve come a long way and you will get through this!

Keep safe always,

Dr Yasmita

(Class of 2019)

J U S T

A

LETTER

TO

K E E P

swimming OUR

DMD3

+

4'S,

FROM

PEOPLE

WHO

GET

IT

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LGBTQI+ patients and you: WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW AS A DENTAL STUDENT?

Since June is known internationally as 'Pride Month', I thought it would be nice to share some information about the LGBTIQ+ (referred to in this article as LGBT) community in Australia and why it is relevant to you as a dental student. This article was written in a way to introduce you to the LGBT community, so no prior expectations or knowledge is required! Just sit back, open your mind and enjoy!

Approximately one in ten Australians identify with a diverse sexual orientation, gender identity or sex.

It is not unlikely for you to encounter someone in your practice who fits this description – they may even be a patient or colleague!

The facts While most LGBT individuals lead happy and fulfilled lives, data shows that they are still more likely to experience poorer mental health than the general population. In fact, LGBT people are 6 times more likely to experience depression than the general population. (1) Approximately 60% have experience verbal homophobic abuse, and 47% of transgender men and 37% of transgender women have experienced transphobic verbal abuse. (1) Young LGBT people are 5 times more likely to attempt suicide than their non-LGBT peers. (1)

34% of LGBT people hide their sexual or gender identity when accessing services (including the dentist) These figures consider the average across the population and do not take into consideration intersectionality with other crucial aspects such as Indigenous status, disability, homelessness, cultural and linguistic diversity, religion or rural status.

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History We do not need to extend that far back into our history to identify laws and social events that unfairly penalised or targeted the LGBT community. It was a crime to engage in male acts of homosexuality until 1990 in Western Australia.

In 2017, (2) Australians voted for same-sex marriage. While the outcome was positive, the process of the plebiscite was an uncomfortable time for many, as their love was being scrutinised and judged by everyday people around them.

Transgender and non-binary individuals are still facing many barriers, including within the medical setting. As mentioned, while most LGBT people do live happy lives, in acknowledging that many have lived through times where society was disapproving of them, it may become easier for you to understand why these individuals may not feel comfortable engaging in certain topics.

What can you do?

So, now you have seen that the LGBT community is a unique minority that has its own history and may be at risk of exacerbated mental health risks, how does this all relate to you and what should you do to make your patient comfortable?

1. Introduce yourself Many LGBT people feel wary of talking about health matters with people they do not know or feel comfortable with. By not creating a safe environment to start with, you may be missing out on crucial information that may influence a patient’s treatment plan and put their safety at risk. All it takes is a simple introduction:

ISSUE 02 "I am ___. I prefer if you call my by [he/him or she/her or they/them].

What is your preferred name?"

2. Ask gender-neutral questions Avoid asking "do you have a boyfriend/ girlfriend?" and opt to use more neutral phrases such as "do you have a partner or a spouse?"

3. Take a good medical history LGBT patients are more likely to take certain medications with consequences for their oral health.

Hormone therapy may increase systolic blood pressure and triglycerides, leading to increased risk of myocardial infarction and type 2 diabetes in transgender males (FTM). (3) If questions relating to menstruation must be asked, they should be asked in a non-judgemental and supportive way. (3) With regards to transgender females (MTF), exogenous estrogen and antiandrogen therapy have associated risks of venous thrombosis, hyperkalaemia and liver toxicity. (3) Many LGBT individuals who live with HIV feel the associated stigma, so this matter should be handled delicately if your patient is HIV positive.

Medications for HIV can cause xerostomia, and if they are not maintaining a low viral load through medications, patients are generally immunocompromised and at greater risk of developing oral candidiasis and ulcers. (4) LGBT patients who experience mental health issues should be assessed for bruxism and medications should be known. (4)

4. Know your ABC's!

Ally: Someone who confronts heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, heterosexual and genderstraight privilege in themselves and others and has a concern for the wellbeing of LGBTI people.

Asexual: Person who is not sexually attracted to anyone or does not have a sexual orientation.

Bicurious: A curiosity about having sexual relations with a same gender/ sex person

Bisexual: A person emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to males/men and females/ women

Cisgender: describes someone who feels

comfortable with the gender identity and gender expression expectations assigned to them based on their physical sex

Gay: Term used in some cultural settings to represent males who are attracted to males in a romantic, sexual and/or emotional sense. Not all men who engage in “homosexual behavior” identify as gay, and as such this label should be used with caution.

Homosexual: A person primarily emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to members of the same sex

Intersex:

A person whose combination of

chromosomes, gonads, hormones, internal sex organs, and/or genitals differs from one of the two expected patterns.

Lesbian: Term used to describe female-identified people attracted romantically, sexually, and/or emotionally to other female-identified people.

MSM: men who have sex with men (may not necessarily identify as gay or bisexual)

Non-binary/ Genderqueer: identifying with a gender outside the gender binary of masculine and feminine.

Pansexual: A person who is sexually attracted to all or many gender expressions.

Straight: Another term for heterosexual.

Transgender: A person who lives as a member of a gender other than that expected based on anatomical sex. Sexual orientation varies and is not dependent on gender identity. MTF refers to individuals who transition from 'male to female', and FTM is vice versa.

Transition: refers to the process a gender variant person undergoes when changing their bodily appearance either to be more congruent with the gender/sex they feel themselves to be.

WSW: women who have sex with women (may not necessarily identify as lesbian or bisexual) (5)

By Scott Santarossa

1. https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/education/face-facts-lesbiangay-bisexual-trans-and-intersex-people 2. https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/pride/agenda/article/2016/08/12/def initive-timeline-lgbt-rights-australia 3. Heima, M., Heaton, L., Ng, H., & Roccoforte, E. (2017). Dental fear among transgender individuals ‐ a cross‐sectional survey. Special Care in Dentistry, 37(5), 212–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/scd.12245 4. https://livingpositivevictoria.org.au/wpcontent/uploads/2016/09/HIV-and-Oral-Health.pdf 5. https://www.amnestyusa.org/pdfs/AIUSA_Pride2015Glossary.pdf 13

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ISSUE 02

SPORT REPORT

Save the Date

2020 UDSS Sports reps Sarah P and Anooshree have been busy organising a lot of fun activities for this sem to help the DMDs get their mind off their hectic schedules. They kicked off the semester with a billiard bang: The UDSS Pool Tournament. 8 worthy participants battled head to head across 3 rounds in a conventional game of 8 ball pool. In the final round Jason (DMD4) claimed victory against worthy opponent Abdi (DMD3). Look out for upcoming events: Table Tennis Tournament and the inaugural Sports Day at Bounce Trampoline Park!

Know a future dental student?

UWA Virtual Open Day is right around the corner on Sunday 2nd of August!

Join in Q&A discussions, win prizes and find out more about the UWA Dental School To register, follow this link: https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/openday/

ISSUE 02

Follow us on Instagram! @udssuwa

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For feedback and suggestions, contact us at: udss.media.officer@gmail.com http://www.udss.net https://www.facebook.com/uwadss Find us at: University of Dental Students' Society 17 Monash Ave Nedlands, Western Australia All photo credits to their respective owners.