Embracing change

Dentistry is a rapidly evolving profession and while advances in technology open up new routes for treatment and diagnosis, there is also a host of non-clinical challenges facing every member of the dental health care team. Organisers of the 2011 James Hull Clinical conference, held at The Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, brought together a range of expert speakers who covered areas from composites to complaints, occlusion to opportunity and records to restoration.

With parallel sessions running throughout the day, there was ample opportunity for dentists, DCPs and practice managers to attend a variety of lectures, talks and sessions.

To kick start the day, Simon Hocken of Breathe Business offered an assessment of what he called, the 'avalanche of change' in dental practice which will have a radical impact on both the delivery and business of dentistry. Simon pointed to:

He also spoke of the opportunities in dentistry, the importance of understanding the current business climate and having a set of strategies to develop and grow your practice.Another popular speaker was Andrew Hyatt, former president of the British Endodontic Society who asked: why do root canal fillings fail, can we all agree what is a failed root canal filling, if they fail, is it always the operator's fault, is it always because of inadequate technique, how significant is failure, what are the risks of failure?