Dental As Anything

This week Matt is joined by Dr Tim Keys, a specialist paediatric dentist whose research looked at clinical caries management.When do we make a decision to intervene restoratively? And perhaps more importantly, how do we make that decision? Is there a gap between the evidence and how clinicians actually practice? In a thought provoking episode, Tim challenges us to explore the current evidence and consider a more preventive approach.

This week Matt talks about public funding in the context of dental service provision across both the public and private sectors. Did you know that $1 in every $5 spent on dental care in Australia comes from the public purse? With the possibility of reform coming off the back of a Senate inquiry into dental services, it’s important for all dental practitioners to be aware of the reasons that change might be coming.

This week Matt Hopcraft is joined by Dr Jodie Heap, a clinical dentist and social theorist to talk about ethics and professionalism. Where do our ethics come from, and does it matter? Is it enough that we focus on ‘doing no harm,’ or is there more to being a health professional? And are our ethics fixed and immutable, or are they at risk of changing? Jodie explores these issues and more during this episode.

This week Matt Hopcraft is joined by Michael McCullough, Professor of Oral Medicine at the Melbourne Dental School to discuss the role of mouthwashes in clinical practice - are they effective, and should we recommend them to patients?Michael has just co-edited a special supplement on mouthwashes in the International Dental Journal, which forms the basis of the discussion for this episode. Did you know that the ancient Romans used Portuguese urine as a mouthwash? It was thought that the ammonia