As a registered dentist, working to the highest standards, you will appreciate the importance of training and of having the confidence to apply your knowledge to differing situations. Continuing professional development, being an ongoing requirement, is always on the agenda for dentists and the Sunnymede Trust offers a rewarding training opportunity.
The Sunnymede Trust, (a charity registered in 1989) is committed to sharing knowledge and is dedicated to the improvement of oral health in disadvantaged communities. Twice a year, they deliver an oral health module to students of the diploma in tropical nursing which is run by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
This six month course is intended for nurses and midwives who have travelled or worked in developing countries, or who hope to do so in the future. The diploma course aims to provide students with knowledge of the causes, prevention and treatment of major tropical diseases, through lectures and practical laboratory sessions. It also gives them an insight into primary health care in developing countries so they can learn to maximize care with minimum resources and understand the importance of promoting health through prevention rather than cure.
By helping to train these nurses in the field of oral health, the trust is able to influence a wide range of communities which might otherwise be beyond their reach.
‘If we can increase their awareness of oral health and give them the confidence to include the mouth in their repertoire of health indicators, then we can expand the knowledge base and encourage good oral care within existing healthcare systems,’ says Sharon Rankin, chair of the Sunnymede Trust.
The Sunnymede Session, (a half-day module), focuses on appropriate care in low resource situations, emphasising the importance of prevention and cross-infection control. For CPD purposes, it addresses, in part, the core subjects of legal and ethical issues and disinfection and decontamination. Sunnymede Trustees deliver each session with the help of other dental volunteers including dentists, nurses and hygienists.
The CPD aim of the session is to enable the dental care professionals to pass on the message about incorporating appropriate oral health-care provision into general health-care in low resource communities. To achieve CPD verifiable hours, the volunteers are required to:
- read the Teeth relief oral health training manual and pre-session training notes
- learn and discuss (with diploma students) how to incorporate appropriate oral health into general health in low resource situations
- teach three practical sessions, using the training manual: examinations, instruments and charting; injections (infiltration and nerve block); principles of extracting teeth.
The Teeth relief oral health manual was written by the Sunnymede Trust and is specifically designed to serve as an educational and training resource for people with basic medical knowledge.
The Sunnymede Trust is grateful to Henry Schein Minerva who provide consumables for these sessions. As a registered charity, the trust does not receive any funding and would especially appreciate donations of specialised training equipment and also to hear from individuals or groups who could sponsor copies of the manual for groups and communities who cannot afford to pay.
These sessions depend upon the support of dental professionals who volunteer to help tutor the students in small groups.
If you’d like to apply to be a trainer email the Sunnymede Trust via info@teethrelief.org.uk. For more information about Henry Schein Minerva call 08700 10 20 43.