Scottish Dental

Postgraduate diplomas: new course opportunities

Designed by subject experts, in consultation with GDPs, to address the needs of dentists in general practice

03 May, 2022 / indepth
 Will Peakin  

A new opportunity to gain Postgraduate Diplomas in Oral Surgery and in TMD and Oral Occlusion is now available to General Dental Practitioners (GDPs). Edinburgh-based Sunrise Dental Clinic has developed the courses based on the expertise and experience of their specialists and with the aim of supporting dentists in gaining new skills and of improving patient care.

The first will allow successful graduates to comprehensively treat cases that require oral surgery and to provide evidence of training that will allow dentists to gain the ‘dentists with special interest’ in Oral Surgery accreditation. The second – a first of its kind in the UK – will allow successful graduates to deliver safe management for many TMD cases that would otherwise not be possible within their current scope of competency.

It will also enhance their self-directed learning, enabling them to better deliver good occlusal practice and more confidently manage the challenges they may face with the management of patients with bruxism.

“Sunrise has specialists working in the clinic who not only have expertise in their area but also have a significant academic background,” said Dr Mo Almuzian, the Practice Director. “They are happy to share their knowledge and train more GDC registered dentists to gain new skills in their areas of interest and improve patient care across the UK as much as possible.”

The Oral Surgery course¹ will be led by Dr Julie Burke², former Programme Director for the Postgraduate DClinDent in Oral Surgery at the Edinburgh Dental Institute, University of Edinburgh, and current President-Elect for the British Association of Oral Surgeons, and by Dr Suzanne Lello³, creator of the Edinburgh Dental Institute’s Postgraduate Certificate in Dental Sedation and Anxiety Management.

The TMD and Oral Occlusion course⁴ has been created, and will be led by, Dr Ziad Al-Ani⁵, a senior lecturer at Glasgow Dental Hospital and School, a visiting TMD consultant at the Specialised Dental and Dental Implant Centre in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia, and author of the books Temporomandibular Disorders (A problem based approach) and Practical Procedures in Dental Occlusion.

Both courses have been developed in partnership with the Glasgow Dental Academy. “The courses have been designed by subject experts, in consultation with GDPs, to specifically address the needs and requirements of dentists working in general practice,” said Dr Almuzian.

“There is a high demand for oral surgery currently with long waiting lists on the NHS. Also, TMD is a unique topic – affecting around   25 per cent of adults – but with not enough skilled or trained GDPs to treat.”

+

Scotland Social @ Sunrise

Free CPD, dinner and refreshments. Register here: https://sunrisedental.co.uk/scotland-social-at-sunrise/

Courses

Dr Julie Burke – Impacted teeth and other obstacles including radiological interpretation of DPTs and CBCTs (Wed May 11 2022, 7pm-9pm); Dr Ziad Al-Ani – Top tips in TMD management (Mon Jun 6 2022, 7pm-9pm); Dr Mo Almuzian – My favourite 20 orthodontic tips and pearls (Wed Jul 13, 2022, 7pm-9pm); Dr Ryan Jenkins – Marketing and management of a dental practice (Wed Aug 10, 2022, 7pm-9pm); Dr Libi Almuzian – General tips and tricks for management of paediatric patients (Wed Sep 14, 2022, 7pm-9pm).

¹www.orthodonticacademy.co.uk/diplomaos
²https://sunrisedental.co.uk/dr-julie-burke
³www.orthodonticacademy.co.uk/drsuzannelello
⁴www.orthodonticacademy.co.uk/diplomatmd
⁵https://sunrisedental.co.uk/dr-ziad-al-ani

Course features at a glance

Oral Surgery – on certification the candidate will…

• Have evidence of enhanced skills and experience
• Have the knowledge and ability to carry out a range of oral surgery activities for patients with moderate need
• Be able to recognise when specialist advice is needed
• Understand what equipment and settings are required to safely carry out enhanced skills procedures such as surgical removal of uncomplicated 3rd molars requiring bone removal, surgical removal and exposure of uncomplicated ectopic teeth, surgical removal of retained roots and biopsy of benign oral lesions

TMD and Oral Occlusion – the main aims of this evidence-based diploma course are to …

• Develop and enhance the GDP’s skill in comprehensive assessment and diagnosis of TMDs
• Develop a higher level of competency in delivering good occlusal practice in both simple and advanced restorative care
• Recognise more complex TMD and occlusal cases which require a referral and/or cooperation with relevant specialists to achieve maximum benefit to the patient and most importantly to reduce the risk of complications and complaints

Categories: Feature / Magazine