Dental Asia March/April 2019

Giving Back to Society
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month
Typically the month that celebrates love, history, and heart
health, February is also National Children’s Dental Health
month, sponsored by the American Dental Association (ADA).
At Children’s Dental Health, their dentists and staff are taking
this opportunity to share good oral health habits and raise
awareness of the importance of paediatric dental care at an
early age.
The ADA’s theme this year is, “Brush and clean in between to
build a healthy smile!” While daily brushing is an important
part of a child’s oral hygiene routine, bacteria that cause tooth
decay can still linger between teeth where the toothbrush
cannot reach. The ADA’s slogan reminds children and their
parents that it’s important to floss for this reason.
Today’s parents are often overwhelmed with an abundance of
information regarding their child’s health, making it difficult to
even begin a conversation on oral health. A parent’s first step
involves establishing a dental home for their child by their first
tooth or first birthday. During this time, parents/guardians will
have the opportunity to ask questions and address any dental
concerns at the primary visit.
Ultradent Products Inc. announced on 27 th November 2018,
known nationally as “Giving Tuesday,” that it would donate
US$10,000 to a Humanitarian Medical and Dental Education Fund
started by the Adams, Gladwell, Durham Foundation based in
Salt Lake City, Utah.
The money will go towards providing professional medical and
dental education to underserved populations through online
lectures and hands-on trainings provided to students through
virtual reality programmes.
“We’ve basically created online education with hands-on
education via virtual reality technology that allows the students
to perform procedures as if they were on an actual human,
in an actual lab, but via technology,” said Dr. Mark Durham,
a prosthodontist and co-founder of the Adams, Gladwell,
Durham Foundation.
“The challenge on the planet today is that there is progress in
some areas and the lack of progress in others which leads to
problems for people. The solution is scaling education. If we
In addition, the paediatric dentists at Children’s Dental
Health recommend the following oral health tips to maintain
a healthy smile and effectively prevent children from getting
cavities.
• Brush for two minutes, two times a day.
• Don’t forget to floss!
• Make regular dental appointments for teeth cleanings and
to minimise any damage with early treatment.
• Replace your child’s toothbrush every three to four months.
• Eat a tooth-healthy diet (limit sweet and sticky foods).
Children’s Dental Health has been providing quality paediatric
dental care to the community for more than 40 years. With more
than 20 practices and paediatric dentists located throughout
the state of Pennsylvania, they allow for convenient access to
dental care that is engaging, fun, and educational for patients.
With their “show, tell, do” method, their growing patients
actively learn routines to ensure a healthy smile for years to
come. Their gentle approach to paediatric dental care reflects
their core mission of education and prevention. DA
Ultradent Donates to Humanitarian Medical and Dental Education Charity
can share this information, we can start doing things that have
never been done before and really create another renaissance,
which would be beautiful for humanity. We’re investing in
systems and technology that we’re developing that allows
us to go into areas of the world and deliver education for a
fraction of the cost, with some of the best minds,” continued
Dr. Durnham.
As for their progress toward the goal of educating as many
people as possible, Dr. Durham reported, “So far, the foundation
has built three surgical modules for around US$50,000, which
can now be shared without charging a penny to download. This
year, because we are getting faster at building modules, our
team and our local collaborators have set a goal to build eight
modules for the same amount of money.”
Ultradent gladly supports hundreds of humanitarian efforts
every year, worldwide. This includes donations towards major
disaster relief efforts as well as smaller, individually run
humanitarian missions. DA
Establishing a Long Term and Sustainable Oral Health Program
In 2017, the Modern Dental Group Europe, to which Elysee Dental
belongs to, started a foundation to deliver a durable contribution to the
dental care in Madagascar: Modern Dental Care Foundation (MDCF). The
Modern Dental Care Foundation strives to perform preventive, medical
and dental treatments and to strengthen the help that benefits the
development in Madagascar, or another country where help is needed.
Besides financial contributions from our group of companies, we actively
promote and ask the dental industry and dental professionals for
donations. The Modern Dental Care foundation depends on gifts from
third parties and the help of volunteers for executing their activities. All
gifts, either small or big, are welcome to make dental help possible for
everyone.
For those interested to participate and contribute, please go to:
https://moderndentalcarefoundation.com/donations/
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DENTAL ASIA MARCH / APRIL 2019