Oral Health has come a long way since the post-colonial era in Malaysia. Almost every year, we hear or read about new advancements or technological interceptions that raise the bar and provide better solutions for oral health care.
Many new advancements have taken place in Malaysia over the past few years. Last year alone, the Ministry of Health recorded several milestones in the Oral Health Programme including the introduction of the Dental Act 2018, which regulates the practice of dentistry and introduces a registry for dental specialists and dental therapists, among other things.
The world of oral health has certainly witnessed an innovative shift, particularly in the area of aesthetic dentistry and periodontology, e.g. 3D-printed dentures, digital x-rays and antibacterial resins, and recently, experiments have being done to check the viability of artificial intelligence-aided dental surgeries. We gathered some of the latest developments to illustrate why dentistry is an exciting field to be in, especially in this day and age.
Nanotechnology to treat periodontal disease
According to the International Journal of Science and Nature, nanotechnology has been used in dentistry since the 70s, in the form of micro fills, but recent developments have resulted in materials like titanium nanotube-coated dental implants, nanoceramics that aid bone regeneration, nanoparticles in toothpastes and mouth rinses and more recently, studies have been conducted on using nanotech to aid gum regeneration with minimal side effects.
Oral Ulcer Self-Adhesive Patch
Forget ointments and mouthwashes to treat those painful ulcers. In recent times scientists from the University of Sheffield have developed muco-adhesive patches that stick to the inner mouth, gums and tongue, and release drugs to cure ulcers, without irritation or unusual smell or taste.
Tissue Engineering and Laser Dentistry
This may sound like advanced engineering and may take some time before it reaches our shores and is affordable, but the world of dental science is now looking into stem-cell treatment to regrow decayed teeth instead of replacing them with restorative materials. The magazine, Dentistry Today published an award-winning article regarding an innovation which uses a very low dosage of laser light to trigger something called reactive oxygen species in small doses, which in turn, can generate new tissue growth.
Smile Designing
This is a cosmetic dental procedure which helps to create the perfect smile according to the preferred curvatures, something that is said to be a trend among celebrities today. It may involve combination of treatments such as tooth whitening, uprighting, replacing and arranging teeth, placing implants, and gum remodelling.
Uveneer
Veneering is the process of applying a thin tooth-coloured material to mask the front surface of teeth so that they appear neater and brighter. We have probably come across porcelain or composite resin veneers but an Austrian dentist created direct processed composite veneers that mimic the natural dentition. The entire procedure can be done in the clinic in a fraction of the time.
At SEGi, not only are we equipped with a state-of-the-art Oral Health Centre, but we also provide our students with a comprehensive curriculum, early and extensive clinical exposure and a dedicated mentoring programme for more holistic learning experience. Our student-centric learning approach also prioritises their needs and emphasises on the development of personal and professional skills through various engagement activities.
Our Oral Health Centre, which is well-equipped with modern clinical facilities, laboratories and teaching facilities, modern dental units, prosthetic workstations, simulation units and modern x-ray equipment and modern technologies, has been instrumental in enhancing our students’ aptitude to offer them early exposure to a professional working environment in a well-structured clinical practice.
Explore a highly rewarding career in dentistry, which covers restorative dentistry, orthodontics, oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, paediatric dentistry, forensic odontology, endodontics, special needs dentistry and dental public health with the Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme in SEGi University. Visit https://www.segi.edu.my/programmes/course/enrol-in-dentistry-degree for more details.