Amraiz Khan
Whereas the Covid-19 global pandemic continues to has devastating health, economic, and social effects, and is profoundly affecting the delivery of health services, dentists around the world see this crisis as an opportunity to rethink future of dentistry and address system-level failures. They have also stressed that along with the second wave of Coronavirus should come another wave of scientific discovery and innovation.
UK’s Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (RCPS), Glasgow, Vice President (Dental), Dr Andrew Edwards, while addressing at the closing ceremony of a three-day virtual international dental conference here at the University of Health Sciences (UHS), on Monday, said that rather than being isolated and separated from mainstream health care, this crisis had clearly shown that dental professionals could be integrated into the wider system. The theme of the conference was “Redefining Trends in Dentistry” and it was the first virtual conference organized by UHS. Speakers from the UK, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia, Palestine, Hong Kong, Turkey, France and Pakistan presented the papers in the conference.
Queen Mary University, London, professor of oral biology, Professor Paul Anderson said the Covid-19 pandemic had exacerbated socioeconomic inequalities and would undoubtedly worsen oral health inequalities. He was of the view that dental care systems now needed to be more responsive to the needs of their local populations and prioritize care for groups with a high need for care, such as low-income, marginalized, and vulnerable groups, including those with multiple morbidities.
Dalhousie University, Canada, assistant professor of periodontology, Dr Nader Hamdan held that current restrictions on aerosol-generating procedures provided an opportunity to re-orientate dental care towards a less invasive and more preventive approach, one in which the dental team worked in partnership to tackle the shared risks for oral diseases and other non-communicable diseases. University of Glasgow, UK, Head of School of Education, Professor Margery McMahon said that radical reform of oral health-care systems would require brave and bold decision making from professional leaders.
King’s College London, professor of orthodontics, Professor Martyn Cobourne was of the view that though the field of remote orthodontics had expanded significantly in recent times, the Covid-19 pandemic had further highlighted the role tele-dentistry could play in delivery of patient care whilst adhering to high professional standards.
Guy’s Hospital London, Chair and Professor of Oral Surgery, Professor Tara Renton said that there were a host of serious diseases and conditions linked to oral health, including cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, certain cancers, and also pregnancy complications.
Al-Quds University, Ramallah, Palestine, lecturer at periodontology, Dr Ghassan Habash said that routine care was often preventive care and it was extremely important in helping to avoid oral infections and diseases, which could impact a person’s quality of life. He added that the pandemic had proven that it was time for dentistry to be recognized as a form of essential health care. UHS Vice-Chancellor Prof Javed Akram said that the Covid-19 pandemic had posed many challenges for the scientific community, and among them was how to drive science and medicine forward while sheltering at home.
“Yet, the crisis itself highlights the urgent need for sharing scientific insights to overcome the many diseases that threaten humanity. Therefore, we must rise to the current challenge and utilize new virtual interfaces to stimulate the next wave of scientific innovations. We cannot afford to delay the exchange of scientific information, waiting for this pandemic to pass”, he added.
Prof Javed Akram further said the in-person international dental conference was cancelled a few days before its hosting at the UHS, leading the varsity to employ a virtual platform to continue the conference as scheduled. “It has been a success. Hundreds of professionals around the world attended this online conference where 26 national and international speakers presented their papers. It was the first Pakistani online dental conference with registered foreign dental delegates”, he apprised the participants.
