School Services

Change your thinking

May 13, 2021

Cathy Richardson, MBA, RDH

 

VP, School and Student Services

 

 

 

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”

-Albert Einstein

 

Dental hygiene practice was first established as a profession in the early 1900’s. Dr. Alfred C. Fones envisioned dental hygienists as oral health educators in school settings providing preventive treatment in the early stages of life. Understanding that bacteria caused tooth decay and that infection of the mouth was a source of systemic disease, he trained his chair side assistant, Irene Newman, to clean teeth and perform other preventive treatments.

More than a century later, Dr. Fones original vision of preventive dental care to improve overall health is the same. He would be thrilled to witness the drastic changes that science and technology have brought to the actual delivery of the preventive care he imagined. Advances in manufacturing and design have given us area-specific instruments and ultrasonic inserts with ergonomic benefits that make it easier to access areas of the tooth. Digital cameras and radiography assist in documenting and educating patients about restorative needs. Sealants and various methods of delivering fluoride have proven significant in reducing decay. Voice-activated probes and other periodontal assessment tools guide dental professionals in better treatment planning. And finally, lasers are proving effective in soft tissue management.

The role of the dental hygienist has also evolved to include certification for advanced and independent practice, oral facial myotherapy and integrative care positions. Many hygienists now own their own mobile care units providing care to the geriatric population and those with limited access to dentistry.

Even with all the advances in preventive dental care and the role of the dental hygienist, the methods in which dental hygienists are educated remain much the same. In 1913, Dr. Fones and Ms. Newman were instructing the first class of dental hygienists, creating teaching aids like those used today. “As teaching aids, Dr. Fones used the plentiful extracted teeth from his practice. He mounted them in modeling compound and painted plaster of Paris around the neck of each tooth to simulate calculus and stains.” (2006-09-03 at the Wayback Machine "History of the Fones School of Dental Hygiene" Web page at the University of Bridgeport Web site, accessed May 7, 2021). Computer technology has definitely enhanced didactic instruction but most schools are still employing manikins and tooth models to teach dental anatomy and instrumentation.

Dr. Fones forward thinking created a new process of care. One focused on prevention rather than “extraction”. His radical views changed the perspective of dental health as it relates to overall health. Promethean Dental Systems is now changing the way we think about dental education. Clinical skills can now be taught with virtual-haptic simulators rather than manikins and extracted teeth. Psychomotor skill courses can be designed and customized to integrate into current dental hygiene curriculum as well as continuing education programs. We must continue the creative thinking of Dr. Fones and educate ourselves using the highest level of technology available. Only then will we be providing the highest standard of care.

Professional Installation

Training, Support, and Analytics

Idea Generation and Product Innovation

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Current teaching methods focus on skill building.  PDS advocates a multimodal learning approach, which can be used for skill building, but extends into repetition boosting and end to end workflow experience. Currently, most schools use didactic courses coupled with typodonts and manikins to teach clinical skills. Multimodal learning augments traditional learning modes by adding proprioception through the integration of three-dimensional haptic technology. By using didactic courses, manikins, virtual-haptic simulation, digital dentistry and dental software, the student becomes more engaged, and learning is strengthened.

We have found that most schools are unaware of the need for additional learning modalities. The incorporation of innovative technology and services can help schools address challenges such as remediation, and more recently, Covid. Remediation of students is expensive and is limited by clinic space and faculty monitoring. Covid has severely reduced the amount of patient appointments and opportunities for skill repetition. Technology, like the Simodont Dental Trainer, will allow students access to self-guided remediation and receive objective assessments. A student logs-in, completes the skill exercise module and submits the results. Skill building and repetition boosting will improve the student outcomes and decrease failure rates.

PDS works with dental schools and dental hygiene programs to evolve their educational curriculum. Integration of the multimodal learning model requires more than the purchase of equipment. Our Value-added services include:

  • Cloud Support & Analytic Services-Secure hosting with value added services for making suggestions (Idea Box), to conveniently schedule expert advice (Ask the Doctor) and an analytics dashboard to provide secure, comprehensive data for student progress assessments.
  • Collaboration Programs -Assists schools with using their technological assets to raise revenue.
  • Pre-Admissions Boot Camp-Courses and subscriptions that help students gain experience and gain a competitive advantage for admission to dental or dental hygiene school.

International Dentist Program-Supports Internationally trained dentists who wish to be admitted to dental schools, Advance Standing Programs, or Advanced Education in General Dentistry Programs

You will feel confident in knowing that our online Knowledge Base is available 24/7. This customer help center provides customers the ability to retrieve important information around the clock. Here, you will find a library of frequently asked questions along with the answer and associated instructions. If you don’t see your concern addressed in the library, simply complete and submit your technical support ticket. One of our team members will quickly follow up to address your issue.

There are 2 options for acquiring the Simodont Dental Trainer.

  • Purchase: Quotes for the purchase will be provided by Kilgore International.
  • Lease: Lease agreements will be provided by Promethean Financial Services, a subsidiary of Promethean Dental Services.

Promethean Dental Systems collaborates with Kilgore International and Nissin Dental to perform alignment with your internal IT department, align on the delivery date, and provide installation, configuration, and training services.  If you need assistance from Promethean Dental Systems, please go to our Contact Us webpage and provide your contact information and questions.