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Professional Issues

Oral-Systemic Health Day Offers Unique Interprofessional Learning Experience

Oral Systemic Health Round Table More than 200 Manitoba-based dental and non-dental health care providers (HCPs) learned how to screen for oropharyngeal cancer in adults and rampant caries in pediatric patients during Oral-Systemic Health Day, hosted by the Faculties of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Manitoba on February 7, 2014. 

The day’s activities included presentations by internationally renowned experts, facilitator-led round table discussions of simulated case studies, and an optional hands-on workshop. The knowledge gained was particularly useful for rural and remote HCPs whose patients have limited access to dental care.

A number of participants offered positive feedback about the educational experience and the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from other areas of practice.

“The collaboration was excellent,” said Dr. Curtis Krahn, a family physician in Steinbach, Manitoba. “We all have the same goals in mind. We all want our patients to be healthy. (Oral health providers) have a lot to teach me and they seemed to imply I had something to teach them as well.”

Dr. Jack Lipkin, a Winnipeg-based prosthodontist, said Oral-Systemic Health Day helped him realize the important role primary care physicians can play in educating parents about oral health because they see children long before dentists do. “The kids are not necessarily getting to the dentist on time, and there are health care providers that really can do a tremendous job. It struck me sitting at the table with a doctor that here is a perfect person to provide some of that education that’s missing,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Mark Kristjanson, a Winnipeg-based family physician, appreciated the diversity of views around the table and said he will now be more comfortable about calling someone from a different discipline if he is unsure how to manage a particular oral lesion. “It was nice to see where there was overlap in scope of practice and where the different disciplines had unique things to contribute,” he said.

To see all of the video-recorded participant interviews  visit the Oral-Systemic Health Day webpage at http://umanitoba.ca/cpd/oshealthday. Other resources include:

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1 Comment

  1. Jaklin tadrous May 10, 2014

    Very good experience wish to have the same thing in Ontario

    Reply

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