Harley Technicians Study Club begins 70th year Leave a comment

Harley Technicians Study Club met for their 69th AGM on Wednesday 18th January to begin their 70th year as a technician-focused dental study club open to all interested dental personnel. While there was much important business to be done for the management of this very active group, they had invited Professor Nairn Wilson along to give his presentation on Tomorrow’s Dentistry.  He discussed anticipated developments in dentistry, emphasising the need to adopt new technologies and ways of working to realise the goal of dentistry becoming an integral element of modern healthcare.

Prof. Nairn Wilson is a well known and respected figure in todays dentistry, having held numerous senior executive and academic positions, published many original research papers, abstracts, and reviews, and co-authored and edited many books. Further, Professor Wilson has given hundreds of lectures to organisations worldwide, is a past President of the GDC, former dean and head of King’s College Dental School 2001 – 2010, and dean of the Faculty of Dentistry RCS. Edinburgh 1995 – 1998.

The meeting opened with the business of the AGM.  David Coppen, the long-serving and much loved Chairman, reviewed the minutes of the last meeting and suggested that certain agreed changes to the constitution should be discussed and agreed in time for the next AGM. David said he was pleased with the way the club continued and thanked his committee for their hard work.  The Treasurer presented his report and was generally very pleased with the figures and the tiny final deficit of £31.00; which, spread over the wonderfully full yearly programme of speakers, catering and other expenses, is a remarkably good result.  Many thanks go to the generous sponsors during the year, and of course the membership fees which are seen as very good value for money with each meeting offering two hours of verifiable CPD and a relevant and interesting speaker and topic.  There was only one change to the committee with David Turner, having reached the age of retirement, stepping down from his position as Vice Chairman.  The members wished him lots of sleepy mornings and frost free gardening.

David went on to confirm the club has existed for seventy years (the same age as the publication you are now reading!) And, to celebrate the occasion, any renewed subscription until March will qualify for a ticket (which will include a partner) for the planned anniversary occasion to be organised for July 2017.  It promises to be a very enjoyable occasion.

David introduced Professor Nairn Wilson as the speaker for the evening.  The title of Prof. Nairn Wilson’s talk was Tomorrow’s Dentistry which really did cover the broad aspects of modern techniques and innovation, as well as the changes being brought about by the philosophy of Patient Centered Care rather than a dental professional applied treatment, which is gaining more and more support across the movers and shakers of the national dental service.  He spoke of the tremendous technological changes which are taking place at a pace which is hard to comprehend, but warned that the speed of change may inevitably double and double again as the newer concepts are applied and become identified with the progressive improvement sought for by the dental services.  Prof. Wilson spoke of the progressive change from dental surgeon based dentistry to the dental physician with more emphasis on prevention and minimally invasive treatments; perhaps a greater funding and awareness of diet and oral health, and the incorporation of the exciting stem cell and other research products, which seem to be confirming our confidence in the natural reconstruction of tooth tissue.

The desire of the graduate dentist is to move this way with a majority expecting to work in a mixed private and NHS practice and a large minority (38%) of those seeking to retire from everyday commitments by the age of 60. 79% seek to specialise, but overall, 52 % would seek to be part-time after 15 years in practice. The number of single-handed practices are diminishing, with more corporate ownership or federations being formed to try to control and improve standards and of course incomes. With the various government requirements and compliance regulations, it is very difficult to manage a small practice, so the move to grow is almost a common sense one.

What of the technician’s lot in all of these changes of emphasis and direction?  It is clear that much of the digital innovation is aimed at chair-side design and either in-house or remote construction.  Undoubtedly the concern is that there will not be a place for the working technician as the clinician can design and direct manufacture. But there is a real understanding that the recent undergraduates and those now in progress are being taught very little of the laboratory phases of the restorative procedures, and will not have that three-dimensional understanding so required to plan and construct a restoration.  The need for that technical skill will very much be required but, in many cases, within the practice. The consensus around health care today incorporates the inclusion of many other medical professionals, within a team approach to care. Pharmacists working directly with patients, and skilled specialist nurses working in conjunction with or within a medical practice, are all seen as very much part of the answer to the growing pressure on health provision. Dental hygienists, therapists, clinical dental technicians and qualified dental nurses are also very much part of the dental answer to the same pressures.  The U.K. population is predicted to grow by 8,000,000 by 2030 and all medical and dental services will be expected to meet the need, but with little prospect of increased government funding.

Many changes are certainly coming to the future dental care scene and Prof. Nairn Wilson has shone a light on what we can expect. All technicians need to keep up to date with the rapidly changing pressures and direction of those changes, applying their knowledge to provide patients with their needs with restorative dentistry, and continuing to learn in order to be very much the leading edge of the dental restorative team for the future.

David Coppen Chairman of the HTSC thanked Prof. Nairn Wilson for sharing his insights and knowledge and hoped the future presentations would live up to the same standard of interest.The next speaker due for February will be Charlotte Stillwell supported by Schottlander, on The Strategic Use of Implants for RPDS.  Charlotte is an ITI Fellow and very well-known teacher and speaker on implant therapies related to restoration in dentistry.

Future dates:
March 15th: Shivani Patel, Orthodontics.
April 19th: A Club event, the very popular Table Clinics.
May 17th: GC. Dental, The List Press System
June 21st: Southern Implants, Specialist-Driven Dentistry; taking prosthetics one step further.
July 19th: Ashley Byrne, TBC.
Sept. 20th: Tom Bereznicki, Occlusion. TBC.
Oct. 18th: Metrodent, The benefits of in-house milling.
Nov. 15th: Straumann, TBC.
Dec.: Club Dinner, TBC.

Quite a programme, which can be attended as a guest visitor on the dates shown. Refreshment and food are provided.  It is a really good evening in the heart of London at the Medical Society, Chandos Street, London W.1. from 6.30pm to 9.00.pm on the dates shown above.