Foreign Dentist : Foreign Dentistry?

Choosing

to

get

dental

work

done

away

from

home

can

be

quite

a

tricky

affair.

While

choosing

a

dentist

in

New

Delhi,

India,

the

following

might

serve

as

a

guideline

to

verify

if

you

are

in

safe

hands :

THE GET ACQUAINTED APPOINTMENT

1)

Have

your

first

appointment

as

a

getting

acquainted

visit.

Have

a

chat,

discuss

your

problems

and

observe

the

dentist,

the

clinic

and

the

staff

to

see

whether

your

expectations,

personalities

and

health

care

philosophies

match.

Once

a

level

of

confidence

and

trust is achieved, proceed further.

QUALIFICATION MATTERS

2)

Dentistry

is

a

licensed

profession.

Please

verify

that

your

dentist

holds

license

in

the

form

of

a

registration

number

from

the

Delhi

Dental Council or any other Indian State Dental Council.

3)

Verify

that

your

dentist

holds

as

a

minimum,

a

Bachelor

of

Dental

Surgery

(BDS)

Degree

from

an

Indian

University/Dental

College

accredited

by

the

Dental

Council

of

India

after

4+1

years

of training.

4)

Verify

that

your

dentist

has

a

license/registration

certificate

which

has

been

renewed

for

the

current

year.

The

Delhi

Dental

Council,

renews

the

registration

certificate

every

year,

with

a

validity

period

of

one

year,

from

January

to

December

of

each

year.

5)

Be

wary

of

the

number

of

"fake"

dentists

(or

quacks)

practicing

in

India

-

both

in

metropolitan

cities,

townships

and

rural

areas.

They

do

not

have

any

qualifications

or

registration.

Be

cautious

of

Quacks.

CONTINUING EDUCATION IN DENTISTRY (CDE)

6)

Dentistry

is

an

every

changing

profession,

with

newer

techniques

and

materials

being

developed

every

day.

The

more

updated

your

dentist

is,

the

most

modern,

evidence-based,

treatment

he

can

deliver.

Verify

if

your

dentist

has

engaged

in

continuing

education

in

dentistry

on

a

regular

level,

since

graduation.

7)

Continuing

Dental

Education

(DCE)

is

a

life

long

process

and

involves

all

or

some

of

the

following

on

a

regular

basis,

every

year

since graduation:

•

Participation in Dental Conferences/Seminars

•

Participation

in

CE

courses

in

Dentistry

(online

internet

based OR in person)

•

Participation in Dental Lectures

•

Subscription of publications related to Dentistry

•

Authoring or Co-authoring of published literature in Dentistry

•

Memberships

in

Dental

CE

groups/

societies/discussion

forums/e-mail servers

•

Participation in Hands-on-Courses in Dentistry

•

Recent

Post-Graduate

Degrees/Diplomas/Certificate

in

Dentistry from accredited Indian or Overseas Dental Schools.

CLEANLINESS / STERILIZATION PROTOCOL

8)

Check

if

your

dentist

is

fully

aware

of

modern

sterilization

methods

to

prevent

cross-infection,

including

the

use

of

Autoclaves

and

disposables.

Boiling

water

sterilization

is

not

a

very

effective

method

of

sterilization

and

you

can

enquire

on

the

methods used by your dentist.

9)

Keep

an

eye

on

the

over-all

cleanliness

of

the

office

and

surgery.

PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

10)

Observe

if

you

have

privacy

for

your

treatment,

case

discussion and health status disclosures.

11)

Confirm

if

confidentiality

will

be

maintained

in

terms

of

your

treatment records and health status disclosures.

12)

Confirm

if

your

approval

is

being

sought

or

your

concerns

addressed,

prior

to

taking

your

pictures

for

purposes

other

than

case records, for example - for publications, etc.

13)

Observe

the

overall

conduct

of

the

dentist

and

the

staff

in

their

interaction

with

you

and

their

other

patients

-

are

they

courteous,

friendly and respectful.

14)

Your

time

and

the

dentist's

time

is

important.

Note

if

the

dental

team encourages and adheres to given appointment schedules.

15)

Note

if

you

have

been

explained

about

your

problems

and

their

recommended

treatments

in

a

manner

you

can

comprehend

and give informed consent.

16)

Note

if

the

treatment

charges,

financial

obligations,

mode

of

payment

etc.,

explained

and

approved

with

from

you

before

the

treatment was started.

OVER-TREATMENT : A GLOBAL PHENOMENON

17)

Be

cautious

of

dentists

who

recommend

extensive

and

elaborate treatment plans.

18) Be cautious of dentists who sell medicines or supplements.

19)

Be

cautious

of

dentists

who

recommend

routine

replacement

of

amalgam

fillings

or

removal

or

teeth

instead

of

root

canal

treatment.

20)

Be

cautious

of

dentists

who

advertise

"specialized

skills"

in

single sitting wonder cosmetic treatments.

21)

When

the

charges

of

dental

treatment

are

too

low

compared

to

other

dentists

in

the

area,

there

may

be

tendency

to

overdo

the

number of services, unnecessarily.

22)

Good

dentists

are

prevention

oriented

and

lay

emphasis

on

fluoride

toothpastes,

dental

sealants,

oral

health

education,

complete oro-dental examination, and a regular recall.

QUALITY

V/S

QUANTITY

:

GOOD

THINGS

IN

LIFE

DO

NOT

HAPPEN IN AN INSTANT

23)

Cost

of

dental

treatment

is

not

the

best

judge

of

quality

of

care.

24)

Good

dentistry

is

an

art

and

a

science.

Pay

attention

to

the

time

your

dentist

takes

to

do

the

work.

High-quality

dentistry

cannot

be

done

in

a

factory

assembly-line;

it

takes

time

and

meticulous attention to detail.

25)

Quality

oriented

dentists,

genuinely

interested

in

the

health

of

their

patients,

emphasis

a

regular

recall

and

maintenance.

Patient

treatment

records

are

maintained

and

the

patients

are

put

on

a

recall programme after the treatment is completed.

SECOND OPINIONS

26)

If

you

are

in

doubt

over

the

over-all

treatment

plan

in

any

way,

choose

a

second

opinion.

If

your

dentist's

treatment

plan

is

sound,

it

should

hold

up

to

scrutiny

by

others

in

the

profession,

especially

those associated with a Dental School.

WORD OF MOUTH REFERRALS

27)

Word

of

mouth

referrals

are

important

guides

to

choosing

a

dentist.

Friends,

family,

acquaintances

and

other

health

professionals

can

recommend

good

dentists.

However,

word

of

mouth

referral

does

not

mean

blind

trust.

Scrutinize

even

the

referred dentist on your own scale.

SUGGESTED READING

Friedman

JW

and

others.

Complete

Guide

to

Dental

Health:

How

to

Avoid

Being

Overcharged

and

Overtreated.

New

York,

1991,

Consumer Reports Books.

Guideline

for

Monitoring

and

Management

of

Pediatric

Patients

During

and

After

Sedation

for

Diagnostic

and

Therapeutic

Procedures. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 2011

Guidelines

for

the

Use

of

Sedation

and

General

Anesthesia

by

Dentists. American Dental Association, 2007

How

to

choose

a

dentist.

Consumers

Research,

March

1997,

pp.

20­24.

Ecenbarger

W.

How

honest

are

dentists?

Reader's

Digest,

February 1997, pp 50-56.

Dodes

J.

Coverage

questioned

(letter

to

the

editor).

ADA

News,

Sept 15, 1997.

How

to

choose

a

dentist

by

Stephen

Barrett,

MD

and

Robert

S

Baratz MD, DDS, PhD

Quackwatch:

Your

Guide

to

Quackery,

Health

Fraud,

and

Intelligent Decisions