ISSN : 0376-4672
The purpose of this study is to investigate the opinion of dental specialists on the reasons for the decrease in the role of dentistry in general hospitals and to propose improvement plans of the dental care delivery system. A survey was conducted using Google Survey, and 113 respondents out of 713 dental trained capable specialists were the final objects of this study. The variables were age, position, major, and opinion on the role and measures for the improvement of dentistry in general hospitals. As results, the role of dentistry in general hospitals included providing not only complex dental services, training and education, but R&D functions. For improving the role of dentistry, government and legal supports are required, which include amendments of training hospital standards and recruitment of dentists in medical emergency institutions. Finally, this study suggests mitigations of designation criteria for dental training centers in general hospitals with more than 300 beds. The current internship system need to be abolished, and legislation for emergency dental treatments through the Emergency Medical Act is required.
Purpose: This study was designed to identify dentists’ perceptions of dental ethics education and to provide guidance on the direction of education. Method: A focus interview was planned, but due to restrictions of COVID-19, the research was conducted by written interviews. Based on the methodology of the consensus development program, the expert panel was invited as co-researchers and the result was circulated in the panel group to reach an agreement. Result: Through the interview, the purpose of dental ethics was identified as the acquisition of professionalism and normative knowledge. Ethics education should go beyond content delivery and be reflected in student growth and evaluation across dental colleges. Afterward, future dental ethics should deal with issues of medical advertisements, artificial intelligence, and practice delegation. Conclusion: Based on the interview results, the paper presents a set of dentists’ virtue. Also, integrated dental ethics curriculum and dental ethics rounds were discussed as feasible alternatives to formal, didactic ethics lectures.
Proper communication before procedure is key for treating patients with dental phobia. As dentists may face difficulties treating dental phobic patients in a dental office, they may require other ways to alleviate anxiety and dental fear. Even if the treatment is a simple procedure in a dental office, thoughtful consideration must be given to these patients. Extremely anxious or dental phobic patients may require sedation or even general anesthesia. Such cases will require proper preparation following sufficient communication with the patient before the procedure. Following the procedure, the dentist must provide thorough oral health education and preventive care through regular dental appointments.
As the age of patients requiring implant treatments increases, the number of patients taking more than one type of medicine due to underlying diseases increases. In particular, bone modifying agents such as bisphosphonate bring rare but potentially fatal osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), so careful attention is needed before dental treatment. For patients receiving these medications, the outcome of implants and the incidence of implant related ONJ are still unclear, causing clinicians to hesitate to treat them. Therefore, in this article, we would like to discuss the dental implants as a risk factor for the occurrence of ONJ and discuss what clinicians should consider in implant treatment for patients taking bone modifying agents by reviewing previous literatures.
Uncontrolled odontogenic infections can lead to deep neck infection. Once it progresses to deep spaces of the neck, it can be life-threatening. Therefore, prompt recognition and effective management is mandatory. The aim of this study was to introduce the criteria for evaluating the severity of infection and deciding hospitalization which enables clinicians to effectively manage patients and furthermore to save lives.
