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Biomedical subjects

J Silversin

Publications and source records attributed to J Silversin.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1989

Communicating with each other.

Most dentists commit their professional lives to improving oral health by providing preventive and treatment services to their patients. In addition, dentists often participate in community, professional or legal activities that promote oral health. This paper describes five ways that dentists have worked with each other and with others to enhance oral health: (1) Dentists working with each other to promote oral health without the use of organized dentistry. Described as an example is the experience of all the periodontists in one city in the USA in providing community education. (2) Dental associations organizing or facilitating groups of dentists and other dental health professionals to develop and implement programmes that promote oral health. Two community-based educational efforts stimulated by the American Dental Association are described. (3) Dental specialty associations encouraging and facilitating specialists to work with other dentists to enhance their knowledge and skills in prevention, treatment and appropriate referral. The American Academy of Periodontology's efforts to teach communication skills to periodontists and diagnosis and treatment skills to general practitioners is cited as an example. (4) Dentists working with physicians and other non-dental health professionals to promote oral health. Integrating dental education into childbirth preparation classes for expectant parents is one instance of an interdisciplinary approach. (5) An individual dentist taking a leadership role to positively influence legislation to regulate a harmful substance. The efforts of one dentist to restrict the sale and promotion of smokeless tobacco are described. Working with other dentists, health care providers and legislators represent alternative ways that dentists have affected the oral health of individuals.

American Dental Association↗
PubMed1987

For better practice relations.

Since the 1970s dentists in the US have shown a growing interest in converting unmet need for dental care into demand for their professional services. Internal marketing is one approach that has received a great deal of attention. Internal marketing focuses on what dentists and staff can do with current patients better to sense, to serve, and to meet their needs. This paper focuses on work that was done to help dentists market their practices internally. It is not the report of a rigorous scientific study. It is a presentation of findings based on the experiences of one consultant. It should be viewed as a preliminary observational study on identifying what it takes for dentists and staff to convert unmet need into demand. Based on preliminary work, a series of interventions for dental practices was developed. These interventions can best be described as continuing education programmes. The format was either workshops, attended by the staff of large numbers of practices, or in-office consulting, with dentists and staff. The intervention was not standardized but had consistency in terms of five basic elements: awareness raising; training in communication skills; leadership development; team building for the entire dental team; and activities directed toward patients. Findings are based on subjective observations and conclusions. Self-reports from dentists indicate that what was developed can be an effective tool. Whether this is a practical approach for reaching large groups of dentists is a question that requires thoughtful analysis. This paper also includes a presentation of other observations and conclusions drawn from this experience.

Communication↗
PubMed1984

Acceptance of preventive measures by individuals, institutions and communities.

The acceptance by individuals, institutions and communities of preventive measures for controlling the two most prevalent dental diseases, dental caries and periodontal disease, is limited. A wide gap exists between available preventive methods and their appropriate application. Adoption of preventive dental self-care (tooth brushing, flossing diet modification) is organized around five categories of determinants influencing oral health behaviours: psychological factors; face-to-face interactions between people; broad societal influences; information and the immediate surroundings; and reinforcement schemes. While each of these five categories of determinants influences adoption of the desired behaviours, altering any single factor does not usually result in sustained behaviour change. Institutions (e.g. schools and workplaces) and communities are sites where the determinants of individual behaviours can be altered and preventive services can be delivered. Very little research has been conducted to improve our understanding of the variables which explain why dental health prevention programmes are accepted or rejected by institutions or communities. When programmes are adopted, little is known about the accuracy of their administration or about barriers to, and problems in, their implementation and maintenance. To achieve optimal oral health throughout life, a combination of passive measures (e.g. water fluoridation, school-based fluoride programmes) and active personal behaviours (e.g. oral hygiene, diet control) is required. Therefore, it is essential that researchers and practitioners improve their understanding of the acceptance of passive measures by institutions and communities as well as their understanding of the adoption of active measures by individuals.

Adolescent↗