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Musings on continuing education in radiology
Vol. 81 No. 5
q
May 1996
I I Ii il EDITORIAL
Musings on continuing education in radiology Recently the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (AAOMR) resubmitted its application for recognition of oral and maxillofacial radiology (OMFR) as a specialty to the American Dental Association (ADA). The results of this application will not be known for several more months, but, regardless of outcome, the majority of dentists will continue to act as their own radiologists. There probably is not a single dental practice in the United States that does not have at least one x-ray machine. Sales of panoramic x-ray machines are booming, and a number of practitioners also have equipment capable of tomographic imaging. Thus, even if the ADA does grant specialty status to OMFR, the general dentist and other dental specialists will continue to order, produce, and interpret most of the radiographs of the oral cavity and surrounding structures. These dentists will be responsible for setting the policies regarding radiation use in their offices and for supervising the auxiliary personnel who will perform the actual radiographic examination. All of the readers of this Journal know that the new knowledge being generated in oral radiology is expanding at a rapid rate, Probably the " h o t t e s t " topic today is digital imaging, but we haven't reached the limit on some of the more prosaic subjects such as films and processing either. Our knowledge of disease entities is also growing as we apply advanced imaging techniques to old problems. Even the way we calculate and express radiation doses and risks has changed in the last few years. How do we as radiologists keep up with these changes? All members of A A O M R receive--and presumably read--this journal, where much of the new knowledge is published. Many of us are also members of other radiologic associations and read their journals and attend their meetings. Many of us have hospital appointments where we can join medical radiologists and others for study of interesting cases. What are the opportunities for our general dental colleagues to keep up to date on radiology issues? A few months ago there was a discussion on Oradlist, an e-mail group of over 100 oral radiologists, about the difficulty of getting dentists to attend continuing education courses in radiology. Courses for auxiliaries fill
to capacity but it is a rare dentist who signs up for a radiology course, even when it covers topics that might be valuable in practice, such as the latest information on radiographic risk estimates, digital imaging, or the interpretation of radiographs for pathology. One cynical suggestion from one of the Oradlist participants was to include the word "malpractice" in the title of the course in order to entice dentists to attend. Those dentists who go to the 1996 A D A meeting w o n ' t be able to learn much radiology either. A quick perusal of the program reveals that there are over 160 lectures to choose from at the meeting. There are 33 courses dealing with various aspects of practice management and 23 with subjects of personal interest, such as raising children and preserving the marriage relationship. There are quite a few on restorative, prosthodontic, and other dental procedures, even five on oral medicine and oral pathology. How many courses on radiology are available to choose from? One. That one course is being taught by a dental hygienist/dental assistant and is clearly aimed at auxiliary personnel, although it is open to dentists also. Other radiology courses were proposed to the A D A but not selected for inclusion in the program. Because we oral radiologists work hard to continuously advance our skills and knowledge in radiology, is there any way we can help the general dentists do the same? Even if O M F R becomes a recognized specialty in a few months, there still w o n ' t be enough of us to provide all the radiologic services required by the public. How can we convince our colleagues that things have changed since they graduated from dental school? That they need to be aware of advanced imaging modalities so they can refer patients appropriately? That they need to evaluate and upgrade as necessary the more routine radiologic services they provide, including the interpretation of pathologic processes that are uncommon enough to fade out of the m e m o r y bank after graduation? Suggestions, anyone?
Sharon L. Brooks, DDS, MS Editor, Section on Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology 505
q
May 1996
I I Ii il EDITORIAL
Musings on continuing education in radiology Recently the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (AAOMR) resubmitted its application for recognition of oral and maxillofacial radiology (OMFR) as a specialty to the American Dental Association (ADA). The results of this application will not be known for several more months, but, regardless of outcome, the majority of dentists will continue to act as their own radiologists. There probably is not a single dental practice in the United States that does not have at least one x-ray machine. Sales of panoramic x-ray machines are booming, and a number of practitioners also have equipment capable of tomographic imaging. Thus, even if the ADA does grant specialty status to OMFR, the general dentist and other dental specialists will continue to order, produce, and interpret most of the radiographs of the oral cavity and surrounding structures. These dentists will be responsible for setting the policies regarding radiation use in their offices and for supervising the auxiliary personnel who will perform the actual radiographic examination. All of the readers of this Journal know that the new knowledge being generated in oral radiology is expanding at a rapid rate, Probably the " h o t t e s t " topic today is digital imaging, but we haven't reached the limit on some of the more prosaic subjects such as films and processing either. Our knowledge of disease entities is also growing as we apply advanced imaging techniques to old problems. Even the way we calculate and express radiation doses and risks has changed in the last few years. How do we as radiologists keep up with these changes? All members of A A O M R receive--and presumably read--this journal, where much of the new knowledge is published. Many of us are also members of other radiologic associations and read their journals and attend their meetings. Many of us have hospital appointments where we can join medical radiologists and others for study of interesting cases. What are the opportunities for our general dental colleagues to keep up to date on radiology issues? A few months ago there was a discussion on Oradlist, an e-mail group of over 100 oral radiologists, about the difficulty of getting dentists to attend continuing education courses in radiology. Courses for auxiliaries fill
to capacity but it is a rare dentist who signs up for a radiology course, even when it covers topics that might be valuable in practice, such as the latest information on radiographic risk estimates, digital imaging, or the interpretation of radiographs for pathology. One cynical suggestion from one of the Oradlist participants was to include the word "malpractice" in the title of the course in order to entice dentists to attend. Those dentists who go to the 1996 A D A meeting w o n ' t be able to learn much radiology either. A quick perusal of the program reveals that there are over 160 lectures to choose from at the meeting. There are 33 courses dealing with various aspects of practice management and 23 with subjects of personal interest, such as raising children and preserving the marriage relationship. There are quite a few on restorative, prosthodontic, and other dental procedures, even five on oral medicine and oral pathology. How many courses on radiology are available to choose from? One. That one course is being taught by a dental hygienist/dental assistant and is clearly aimed at auxiliary personnel, although it is open to dentists also. Other radiology courses were proposed to the A D A but not selected for inclusion in the program. Because we oral radiologists work hard to continuously advance our skills and knowledge in radiology, is there any way we can help the general dentists do the same? Even if O M F R becomes a recognized specialty in a few months, there still w o n ' t be enough of us to provide all the radiologic services required by the public. How can we convince our colleagues that things have changed since they graduated from dental school? That they need to be aware of advanced imaging modalities so they can refer patients appropriately? That they need to evaluate and upgrade as necessary the more routine radiologic services they provide, including the interpretation of pathologic processes that are uncommon enough to fade out of the m e m o r y bank after graduation? Suggestions, anyone?
Sharon L. Brooks, DDS, MS Editor, Section on Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology 505