Fall 2006

COVER STORY Bridging into Dentistry Back to School Joint Degree Program Bridging into Denistry – In Brief

Dental technology is rapidly evolving, offering new CT imaging, diagnostics using spectroscopy, new CAD-CAM systems in offices and labs, and state-of-the-art laser systems for tooth and tissue cutting.

photo by Stanley Leary Georgia Tech faculty and staff, including both dentists and engineers, create educational programs designed to teach clinicians how products are designed and ways to improve patient care. (300-dpi JPEG version - 976k)

But this technological revolution is occurring so quickly that it can be overwhelming for dentists, says Jeff Sitterle, chief scientist and director of the biomedicine initiative at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).

To help dentists meet these technological and clinical challenges, GTRI began a continuing education program for practitioners in 2005. Based on objective technology evaluations done at GTRI’s Dental Technology Center (DenTeC), engineers and scientists advise dentists on the pros and cons, as well as appropriate applications, of the new technologies.

“The use of these technologies really relates to the type of practice a dentist has,” Sitterle explains. “…. Dentists need to use the technologies that are best suited to the type of patient they’re seeing and the types of procedures they’re doing.”

GTRI’s continuing education classes, offered through Georgia Tech Professional Education (see www.pe.gatech.edu), also give dentists hands-on training presented by experienced clinicians, as well as instruction on the financial aspects of integrating new technology into their practices.

Jennifer McDonald, associate director of DenTeC, has been planning future classes based on feedback from a survey of dentists and other dental professionals who attended a major industry conference in early 2006. She also worked to get GTRI’s recent approval from the American Dental Association (ADA) to grant continuing education credit to dentists who take Georgia Tech courses.

“This means we’ve shown consistency in delivering high-quality, scientifically based information,” McDonald says. “It’s tough to get approved by the ADA, so this is a prestigious acknowledgment of our program.”

To date, GTRI has offered two- and three-day classes on dental implants, dentures, and imaging and diagnostics technology. Dentists and dental lab technicians have come from around the United States to attend the classes.

“People are starting to connect Georgia Tech and GTRI with dental technology,” McDonald says. “We are building name recognition with dentists as we partner with recognized organizations.”

In January 2007, GTRI sponsored a three-day conference offering a comprehensive program on advances in dental implant therapies. The conference, which featured more than 20 speakers from the United States and Canada, was open to oral surgeons, dentists, dental lab technicians and those who work in restorative dentistry practices, as well as the dental technology industry.