In recent years, the orthodontic sector has been growing rapidly due to success in B2C marketing and companies like Invisalign reaching the consumer, but there has also been a lack of knowledge sharing among general dental practitioners and specialists.
General dentists require mentorship and guidance from orthodontists to feel confident in providing orthodontic treatment to their patients, ultimately improving the quality of care in the community.
Dr Geoffrey Hall’s passion for orthodontics has led him to become an international lecturer and form the OrthoED Institute to educate others. Dr. Geoffrey Hall emphasises the importance of continuous learning in the field of orthodontics, highlighting his own journey of pursuing orthodontic training at the University of Pennsylvania and ongoing commitment to staying updated in the field.
Dr Halls says, “Specialists should mentor their colleagues in Orthodontics, including general dentists, to help them gain confidence and provide better orthodontic care to their patients, especially in areas where specialists are not readily available.”
Dr Hall sees general dentists being able to perform up to 70% of orthodontic treatments, highlighting the need for them to have the knowledge and skills to meet patient demand. This is a significant opportunity when considering the majority of the consumer public trust their dental professional.
In this interview with Australian Health Journal, Dr Hall talks about his passion for teaching having started various study clubs to improve knowledge in orthodontics and general dentistry.
Dr Hall talks about imparting knowledge and educating peers. He sees the value of continuous learning and sharing information within the orthodontic community.
Based on this philosophy and having commenced 5 years ago, the OrthoED Institute offers both face-to-face and live-streamed orthodontic training programs, providing mentoring, support, and hands-on experience to participants regardless of their location or circumstances.
The OrthoED Institute aims to teach general dentists sound orthodontic principles to give them the knowledge and confidence to treat patients with conventional orthodontics, including fixed appliances, early treatment, and aligner therapy.
To illustrate the success in the sector, the OrthoED Institute received the Australian Dental Industry Award, or ADIA, for the best emerging manufacturer or service provider in the dental industry. The recognition continues to motivate Dr Hall to improve the Institute’s courses and services for dentists in Australia and New Zealand.
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Supporting the mental health of the Australian health care workforce
Tara Hurster, is the CEO of The TARA Clinic and a psychologist who started working within the area of addiction in 2010. The TARA clinic, short for Therapeutic Addiction Recovery Assistance, recently started offering online programs to overcome and recover from addiction.
Tara spoke with Australian Health Journal about the early warning signs of anxiety and stress in health staff and executives, including irritability, changes in sleep patterns and diet leading to more serious mental health decline. These behaviours and symptoms increase the risk of substance abuse that could take the form of excessive smoking, drinking alcohol and drug use, porn, sex and gambling.
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Making clinical trials participant friendly
Clinical trials are essential in developing new, improved, and more effective treatments and interventions. Without trials, researchers and professionals in the field cannot properly determine whether these new treatments and interventions are safe and effective.
The Clinials platform is geared towards patient centric trials and reducing site burden. The aim is to accelerate lifesaving medicines coming to market by connecting participants and researchers. The platform allows participants to come to researchers with their eligibility in hand among other capabilities.
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Pharmacy led men’s urological health
Men’s urological needs refer to the medical and surgical conditions that affect the male urinary tract system and reproductive organs.
A urologist can address these concerns, however a pharmacy-led model of care developed by Brad Butt, called Mens Health Downunder has offered an alternative to certain urological needs of the male adult population over the past 10 years.
Australian Health Journal met with Brad to hear about his journey, Mens Health Downunder and the impact the pharmacy-led model of care has had on patient’s urological as well as mental health.
