GC puts MI philosophy into practice
Following the success of the Minimum Intervention Symposium at the 2007 FDI Congress in Dubai, GC’s most recent session took the concept to a new level in the general dental practice. Hosted in Stockholm, Sweden, at the FDI’s 2008 Congress, the symposium aimed to equip practitioners with a clear strategy for implementing the MI approach in daily routines.
Themed ‘it’s time to change’ the event was presented by leading voices in the domain of MI dentistry, which included practising dentists who have successfully incorporated the philosophy into their work. Lectures were based around a unique treatment plan, developed by GC’s MI Advisory Board, of which the principles are ‘identify, prevent and restore’.
Quoting the latest scientific evidence, the presenters discussed these concepts and how they work in practice using case studies. The MI Advisory Board is a pan-European group of top level academics, researchers and general practitioners. The board consists of the chairman, Frederic Roussel, Dr Elmar Reich (Scientific coordinator), Avijit Banerjee (King’s College London), Matteo Basso (University of Milan, Spain), Michel Blique (Luxembourg), Sophie Domejean-Orliaguet (University of Auvergne, France), Celine Gaucher (University of Paris V, France), Ivana Miletic (University of Zagreb, Croatia) and Jose Zalba (Spain), Laetitia Lavoix and Piyush Khandelwal from GC Europe.
Discussion topics
Presenters at the symposium included Drs Elmar Reich, Matteo Basso, Michel Blique, Ivana Miletic and Jose Zalba. Each outlined and described a specific part of the treatment plan, allowing participants to see practical examples of how the theory is put to practice. This was followed by a question and answer session where panellists continued their discussions on the topic.
Some key points that emerged were:
• There is a trend for dentists to move away from the ‘traditional’ role of a surgeon to a more holistic and preventive practitioner of oral medicine
• At the same time patients are becoming more interested in their oral health and how it links to general health. They do more research online and have higher demands of dentists.
• One of the biggest hurdles for dentists to overcome is widespread remuneration schemes that favour treatment and do not pay for preventive work.
• The MI treatment plan focuses on gathering extensive baseline information for all patients, which not only includes clinical aspects but social factors as well.
• Making use of patient education and motivational techniques such as the GC plaque indicator kit and saliva test have proven to be powerful communication tools
• Adopting the MI philosophy in a practice requires a mindset change, not only of the dentist but the entire dental team. The whole team needs to understand and practice the concept.
• In order to train more dentists to use the MI philosophy, curriculum changes need to take place at dental school level.
• More evidence and more clinical trials are needed to support the MI principles and help dentists to reduce patient risk.
For more information, GC Europe has created a website focused on MI and the treatment plan, with additional information and download material for general practitioners.
Visit http://mi.gceurope.com
Send your comments and questions to editorial@dental-learninghub.com
 |
USA: The methods used to assess the outcomes of remineralization of dentin were critically evaluated by Professor Grayson Marshall, President-elect of the American Association for Dental Research. Currently, the most used assessment methods fall either into quantitative analysis of the mineral content of the remineralized structures or dry measurements of their mechanical properties.
|
 |
Germany: Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials (IWM) in Freiburg have discovered a way to simulate the tension created by shrinkage after curing of filling material in dental restorations. Research assistant, Dr Christof Koplin explains: “Until now, it has not been possible to establish a theoretical model of the hardening process. The tension occurring in the material always depends on the shape of the cavity, and can vary widely by a factor of up to ten, particularly at the edges.”
|
 |
Following the success of the Minimum Intervention Symposium at the 2007 FDI Congress in Dubai, GC’s most recent session took the concept to a new level in the general dental practice. Hosted in Stockholm, Sweden, at the FDI’s 2008 Congress, the symposium aimed to equip practitioners with a clear strategy for implementing the MI approach in daily routines.
|
 |
Dr Elmar Reich serves on the FDI Education Committee, has a dental practice in Biberach, Germany, and is the scientific coordinator of the GC MI Advisory Board. He opened his dental practice in 2004 with a clear goal of practising according to the Minimum Intervention philosophy. We asked him a few questions about how he achieves this goal.
|
 |
CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) and CAD (computer-aided design)/CAM systems facilitate the use of zirconia substructure materials for all-ceramic fixed partial dentures. An in vitro study, led by Dr Florian Beuer from the Department of Prosthodontics at Ludwig-Maximillians University in Munich, Germany, compared the precision of fit of frameworks milled from semi-sintered zirconia blocks that were designed and machined with two CAD/CAM and one CAM system. Results showed that CAD/CAM systems were more precise than the CAM system. Dr Beuer told Dental Learning Hub more about the study.
|
 |
Trauma to anterior teeth in children could become a long-term problem to dental health. To a large extent, the management actions of the dentists involved determine the clinical outcome and these actions are related to their levels of knowledge. A recent study investigated dentists' management of traumatic injuries to maxillary permanent incisors in children in Victoria, Austalia. Overall, the respondents to the survey demonstrated only a moderate level of knowledge. Dr Thai Yeng explained the significance of the research and how the knowledge gap can be addressed.
|
 |
Research conducted at Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil analysed the images sites of fracture initiation and slow crack propagation in a fiber reinforced composite using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Drs Ana Braz and Anderson Gomes from the university’s Graduate Programme in Odontology, concluded that OCT images provide a superior insight into crack propagation, which cannot be seen by the naked eye. By using OCT the possibility of analyzing fracture propagation both thoroughly and quantitatively opens up possibilities for further quantitative studies. They told Dental Learning Hub about the study.
|