Seminar highlights: Hygiene is the key

Twelve months on, Smile Dental's regular dental hygiene workshop is continuing to be well attended with the format delivering real benefits for dentists, hygienists, practices and patients alike.

Run from Smile Dental's practice in Townsville, it remains the only course of its kind in the country, gaining an enthusiastic following and earning resounding endorsements from those who have attended. The latest one-and-a-half day workshop - the third so far - attracted delegates from Armidale, Brisbane, Sydney and Townsville to the stylish north Queensland clinic in late October.

Titled "Develop the hygienist, develop the practice", the workshop is planned and presented by Laurelyn Higgins - a Certified Trainer and a Registered Dental Hygienist. Toronto-trained, Ms Higgins has practised as a dental hygienist for more than 30 years - in Canada, Germany, England, Bermuda and Australia. She has worked with Smile Dental since 1999.

The workshop brings together dentists, dental hygienists and support staff from different regions in a professional, collaborative and social environment. The program is presented in Smile Dental's custom-designed training facilities. The forum is extended beyond the clinic, after hours, with a colourful social schedule.

Ms Higgins says the workshops promote the potential of the dental hygienist in enhancing the success, efficiency and profitability of the modern dental practice.

"The key to this is the synergy between the dentist and hygienist," Ms Higgins said. "The patient is the most important person in any dental practice. And staff are the most important resource.

"The potential of the dental hygienist in the modern dental practice is considerable. It's therefore essential that the hygienist is thoroughly trained in the professional, technical and social aspects of the job. And it's essential that the rest of the practice appreciates the role and potential of the hygienist.

"We initially set out to create a program that brought together dental hygiene theory and practice - and also brought together the dentist and the dental hygienist. Though the curriculum and attendance have evolved, the underlying philosophy remains the same. As does the healthy balance of the curricular and co-curricular. It's not all work and no play. This is north Queensland after all! And one of the fastest-growing cities in the Southern Hemisphere. We do have a reputation to live up to!"

Develop the hygienist, develop the practice focuses on optimising the hygienist's six key roles of Clinician; Income producer; Head of hygiene; Educator; Marketer; and Dentistry promoter.

It also emphasises developing existing systems for superior patient care, job satisfaction and practice profitability. Topics covered included:

• How to encourage staff support for hygiene programs;
• Building a collaborative relationship between the dentist and hygienist;
• Utilising the hygienist's knowledge and not just his/her skills;
• Empowering the hygienist;
• The five types of hygiene patients, and how to treat them;
• The dental hygienist/hygiene coordinator relationship in the continuing care appointment;
• Creating value for through education;
• The hygienist's protocols and systems that create trust; and
• Just how the hygienist fits into marketing.

"A knowledgeable hygienist will enhance patient care and enhance the patient experience - increasing the patient's dental knowledge, building confidence and trust," Ms Higgins said. "In so doing, the hygienist will take the practice to new heights. Profitability will follow as the patient chooses to be healthy, improve their appearance and restore function."

Dr Anne-Maree Cole of Cole Dental in Brisbane is a graduate of the workshop, and is full of praise for Ms Higgins and the program. "I have never known anyone more enthusiastic and dedicated to making this aspect of the practice all about the patient and their health as well as the health of the practice's bottom line. Their generosity of information, presentation quality and overall dedication to showing us a good time is unsurpassed. Don't just send your hygienist, go yourself and get a clear direction for continuing care in your practice."

Ms Higgins encourages practices to "learn, play and grow together - to bring their entire staff so everyone can learn the secrets of a successful hygiene department and how staff fit in. In a dynamic practice, everyone is a partner in patient care. The workshop will pay for itself in no time."

Dentists attending with their hygienists say they gain much in understanding the value of a well-run hygiene department. The hygienists also enjoy bouncing ideas off each other in a sharing, collaborative atmosphere. All the hygienists attending agreed that the workshop bridged the gap between formal training and working in the real world, with real people skills."

Smile Dental plans to hold another three dental hygiene workshops over the next 12 months. The next is scheduled for 31 March - 1 April 2006. Attendance at each workshop is limited to 15 participants.