- Email: [email protected]
What are you thinking?
Canada presently has 280 to 300 dental therapists who serve in governmental, nongovernmental, territorial, and aboriginal organizations, with about 45% in private practice. By the 1980s, >80% of school children received annual examination, and preventive and restorative treatments in school and community clinics. However, declining financial support led to the current situation, where children receive care only from the private dental sector, and there has been a sharp decline in use and a sharp increase in untreated dental disease. Dental therapists serving in Saskatchewan are self-regulating professionals, licensed by the Dental Therapists Association. They are required to have a formal referral or consulting relationship with a dentist. In general, they are well-incorporated into the private sector by dentists, and continue to serve in the public sector as colleagues on the dental team. In The Netherlands, there are no longer dental therapists and dental hygienists, but rather a combination of the two that is called a ‘‘dental hygienist.’’ This professional provides basic preventive and periodontal services, basic restorative treatment, and noncomplex extractions. A 3- to 4year degree is required. The ‘‘prevention assistant’’ is a trained dental assistant who does prophylaxis, including supragingival scaling and fluoride applications, and is paid less than a dental hygienist. Dentists’ practice is devoted more toward medically compromised and elderly populations who require more knowledge along with greater skill
and experience. Eventually, dental hygienists will provide routine oral health care for younger, healthier patients. This quantum change in dental care was supported by other professional organizations, educational institutions, consumer organizations, and the health insurance industry, but was opposed by Dutch dental professionals.
Clinical Significance.—Dental therapists have a long history of service worldwide, as demonstrated by the five representative countries outlined. They have contributed significantly to the health of underserved populations and been used effectively in private dental practices. Advocates of dental therapists believe that adding them to the oral health workforce in the United States would provide a positive effect, permitting dentists to practice at a higher level of proficiency and efficiency.
Friedman JW: The international dental therapist: History and current status. Calif Dent Assoc J 39:22-29, 2011 Reprints available from JW Friedman, 3057 Queensbury Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90064; e-mail: [email protected]
EXTRACTS WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? The human mind is uniquely capable of focusing on the nonpresent. However, this comes at a price according to new research. When people’s minds drift from the task or activity in which they are engaged, they feel less happy than when they are completely focused. The 2250 participants were drawn from 83 counties, had many different occupations, and were between the ages of 18 and 88 years. They were prompted at random times using an iPhone Web application to report how they were feeling, what they were doing, whether they were thinking about something other than what they were doing, and whether the thoughts were pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. Subjects spent almost 47% of their waking hours with their minds wandering. About 43% reported thinking pleasant thoughts, about 27% unpleasant thoughts, and 31% neutral thoughts. Even people thinking happy thoughts, however, were less happy than those who were fully engaged in the present. The only activity in which people were quite good at remaining focused mentally was making love, with just 10% of people reporting wandering thoughts. People also reported being happiest while making love, exercising, or talking with others, and being least happy when resting or sleeping, working, or using a computer at home. These findings provide scientific evidence that is in line with what many self-help books and religious traditions recommend—being in the ‘‘here and now’’ is essential for happiness. [Jennifer Goodwin: Happiness Is a Focused Mind. HealthDay News, November 12, 2010]
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and experience. Eventually, dental hygienists will provide routine oral health care for younger, healthier patients. This quantum change in dental care was supported by other professional organizations, educational institutions, consumer organizations, and the health insurance industry, but was opposed by Dutch dental professionals.
Clinical Significance.—Dental therapists have a long history of service worldwide, as demonstrated by the five representative countries outlined. They have contributed significantly to the health of underserved populations and been used effectively in private dental practices. Advocates of dental therapists believe that adding them to the oral health workforce in the United States would provide a positive effect, permitting dentists to practice at a higher level of proficiency and efficiency.
Friedman JW: The international dental therapist: History and current status. Calif Dent Assoc J 39:22-29, 2011 Reprints available from JW Friedman, 3057 Queensbury Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90064; e-mail: [email protected]
EXTRACTS WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? The human mind is uniquely capable of focusing on the nonpresent. However, this comes at a price according to new research. When people’s minds drift from the task or activity in which they are engaged, they feel less happy than when they are completely focused. The 2250 participants were drawn from 83 counties, had many different occupations, and were between the ages of 18 and 88 years. They were prompted at random times using an iPhone Web application to report how they were feeling, what they were doing, whether they were thinking about something other than what they were doing, and whether the thoughts were pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. Subjects spent almost 47% of their waking hours with their minds wandering. About 43% reported thinking pleasant thoughts, about 27% unpleasant thoughts, and 31% neutral thoughts. Even people thinking happy thoughts, however, were less happy than those who were fully engaged in the present. The only activity in which people were quite good at remaining focused mentally was making love, with just 10% of people reporting wandering thoughts. People also reported being happiest while making love, exercising, or talking with others, and being least happy when resting or sleeping, working, or using a computer at home. These findings provide scientific evidence that is in line with what many self-help books and religious traditions recommend—being in the ‘‘here and now’’ is essential for happiness. [Jennifer Goodwin: Happiness Is a Focused Mind. HealthDay News, November 12, 2010]
Volume 56
Issue 4
2011
181