Trusted implant education and community

14 December 2023

It has been estimated that the dental implantology market was worth £3.53 billion in 2023, with its value increasing further to £5.55 billion by 2030.[i] For dental professionals, this represents a massive opportunity to diversify skills and boost earnings, while also growing their businesses. Whether you already provide implants or not, there are significant benefits to starting your journey or advancing your skills in the area. This highlights the importance of lifelong learning and the need to find trustworthy sources of training and support throughout one’s implant career.

 

Novice to expert

The Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition[ii] sets out five key stages to the adult learning pathway:

• novice,
• advanced beginner,
• competent,
• proficient
• expert.

Though there has been some debate in the academic community as to how each category would be defined in real life, the model still offers a useful gauge by which to begin assessing skills. For dental practitioners developing within the implant world, it is essential to understand skill level and personal limitations to ensure the provision of safe, effective and ethical patient care. This can also help to guide development goals and on-going education, ensuring that individuals seek courses and mentorship in the most relevant areas for them.

Of course, dentists are responsible for seeking out the necessary training to deliver implant treatment, as the modality is rarely covered in the undergraduate curriculum.

A recent study[iii] suggested that some of the most common barriers to undergraduate education in the field for dental schools are costs, limited time and liability insurance restricting the teaching programme. This means that clinicians must identify and invest in quality training separately, ensuring that their education is appropriate for their skill level and current competency. 

Even for those who don’t perform implant placement, it’s still necessary to understand implant maintenance, with a growing number of patients likely to have undergone related treatment elsewhere. This is something that many dentists remain less confident about in general practice,[iv] once again emphasising the need for high-quality education in the field.

Technology is increasingly becoming a part of dental education, especially when it comes to implantology. The use of augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence is changing the way that cases are diagnosed and treatment planned or executed.[v] Its use during the clinical workflow also means that practitioners must learn how to operate digital equipment and successfully integrate it into the treatment journey for the best patient outcomes.

 

References

[i] Fortune Business Insights. Medical device. Dental Implants Market. https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/dental-implants-market-100443 [Accessed December 2023]

[ii] Dreyfus S, Dreyfus H. A five stage model of the mental activities involved in directed skill acquisition. California University Berkeley Operations Research Center [monograph on the Internet]; 1980.

[iii] Hare A, Bird S, Wright S, Ucer C, Khan RS. Current Undergraduate Dental Implantology Teaching in UK. Dent J (Basel). 2022 Jul 5;10(7):127. doi: 10.3390/dj10070127. PMID: 35877401; PMCID: PMC9324480.

[iv] Jayachandran S, Walmsley AD, Hill K. Challenges in dental implant provision and its management in general dental practice. Journal of Dentistry. 2020; 99,; 103414,; ISSN 0300-5712

[v] Ferro, Ana Santos, Nicholson, Ken and Koka, Sreenivas (2019) Innovative Trends in Implant Dentistry Training and Education: A Narrative Review. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8 (10). 

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