Well, not exactly on empty; however, this dental assisting instructor is out of ideas for a student project and needs some help. Each time I teach a course called Assisting in a Specialty, I have my students create a patient education brochure on a dental topic. In the past, I have used topics such as Orthodontics, Root Canal Therapy, Periodontal Disease, Whitening, Fluoride, Halitosis, TMD, and Fixed Prosthodontics (and many others) The students have to create a tri-fold brochure in which the goal is to effectively explain the topic/disease to the “patient” while also offering solutions or treatment for the problem.
If you have a topic idea for me, please comment on this post. Thanks!
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Hey Angela – A few weeks ago, a local dental assisting school came into my dental school for some hands-on experience assisting.
Both times that I got an assistant I explained how we usually go it alone as dental students. They tried to teach me some four handed dentistry, and I think I was catching on by the end of the 2nd day.
This probably isn’t too much of an issue with your students if they are getting hired into established practices, but maybe you could have them do a project teaching a dental student how to work more effectively with an assistant. Just an idea I had – Have a great day!
As a dentist, I have patients who are habitually sipping soft drinks and other highly sweetened beverages resulting in generalized advanced dental caries. Your plea for subject matter to teach dental assisting students using a student designed brochure brings a certain patient I saw recently to mind who has this problem. He is in his early 30′s living with his parents and going to school to become an ultrasound technician. After beginning his treatment several years ago he was non-compliant in completing all of his dental care, but we managed to complete some treat in the very worst areas of his mouth. He used our recommended prescription flouride anti-caries regiment for only a short while and then abandoned it and resumed his soft drink habit. Now, the amount of treatment that will be required is about double what it was just a few years ago and he is looking at an overwhelming cost for dental care or eventual tooth loss. I have to wonder if a brochure that could have been handed to him would have had a positive impact on his choice to neglect his oral health. Just some thoughts I had. Good luck with your search for dental care ideas. I have some other thoughts about your brochure project that I will send your way if you want them. Just let me know.
FYI, we have a dental assisting school in the Houston TX area and we are always looking for other similar websites with quality content to exchange links with. If you are interested, please visit: http://linksmanager.com/manndental/add_link.html and add your link. You will be given instructions on how to reciprocate our link after you submit your link to us. Thanks, and we look forward to swapping links with you!
Dr. Mann
Dr. Mann, I would love to hear your other thoughts! Thanks. Angela
Thanks Tom! Great Idea!
Angela,
Here is information from my website on the correlation of gum disease and heart attacks that I find interesting:
http://manndental.com/pat/viewarticle.php?article_id=1350
The Dental Education Center on my website:
http://manndental.com/pat/
has a thorough listing of subjects that you can reference. Feel free to use it as you wish. Good luck!
Sincerely,
Dr. Mann