Education of both dental professionals and patients should be revisited to improve the industry, according to six leaders.
The leaders featured in this article are all speaking at Becker's 2024 dental conferences. This includes our Spring Future of Dentistry Roundtable, which is set for June 19-21 at the Swissotel in Chicago, and our Fall Future of Dentistry Roundtable, which is set for Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago.
If you work at a DSO or dental practice and would like to be considered as a speaker, contact Randi Haseman at rhaseman@beckershealthcare.com.
As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who will speak at our roundtables. The following are answers from our speakers at the events.
Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What is something you would like to see done differently in the dental industry?
Catrise Austin, DDS. Owner of VIP Smiles Cosmetic Dentistry (New York City): I would love to see the major dental corporations, organizations and leaders in dentistry doing more public service announcements on social media, TV, and radio about the importance of oral health. I feel like the general public still lacks awareness when it comes to dentistry. We could do better!
Sibera Brannon, DDS. Dentist and Owner of Affordable Dentures and Implants (Sun City, Ariz.): Expansion and more focus on dental implant and technology mentorship programs that pair experienced dentists with new dentists to help educate on best practices and the latest technologies available to benefit patients. This kind of mentorship plays an integral role in the development of new and/or young dentists. As part of the mentorship program, which I have been doing for more than a decade with doctors in my region, leadership development training would be included. The ability for a new and/or young dentist to make an impact whether working within a DSO or in private practice starts with professional development and mentorship to help them grow and serve others.
Bryan Carey. CEO of Benevis (Atlanta): Integrating oral health into our education system would be an important strategic change. Similar to how annual physicals are mandated for general health in schools, requiring an oral examination for enrollment in early childhood education and kindergarten programs would significantly enhance dental health awareness and care. This requirement would ensure that children undergo at least one dental checkup every 12 months, thereby reducing the incidence of untreated tooth decay and the associated negative outcomes such as pain, embarrassment and missed school days. To catalyze this change, there should be a concerted effort to raise awareness among parents and educators about the importance of maintaining healthy teeth from an early age. Advocacy for policy changes that integrate dental health into educational prerequisites is an important measure. Overall, the goal should be to ensure that good oral health practices are instilled early, reducing both personal and systemic health burdens.
Richard Hall. President and CEO of U.S. Oral Surgery Management (Irving, Texas): I would like to see more education for the consumer to understand the exceptional skill and patient outcomes achieved by oral surgeons. This should be their choice when selecting care for themselves or their loved ones. Also, I would like to see a better understanding of why the oral surgery traveling itinerant model is a poor quality care model for patients.
Louis Kaufman, DDS. Managing Member of Smile Design Studio of Hyde Park (Chicago): I believe we need to be taking a more active role in the development of our support systems. There is more education needed to develop future dental team members. I believe dental schools need to organize education centered around training dental assistants on the clinical side and the administrative side of running a dental health care facility. These programs need to be more in-depth. These programs could be run in conjunction within clinical dental settings. I believe we have created reliance on pop-up dental training certification programs that over-promise candidates competency, and once they enter the clinical setting of private practice, they need a tremendous amount of clinical retraining.
Trevor Lines, DDS. Consultant of Business Development of RevTribes (Gilbert, Ariz.): I would love to see the dental industry shift from a management orientation to a coaching orientation. The practices and groups I know that are all excelling have embraced a culture of coaching that elevates the individual team members, the team as a whole, and thereby the care provided to patients. It's time that we evolved from a 20th-century management style to a 21st-century standard of achieving high performance through coaching.