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Tech skills transfer to boost dental care treatment

Published:Wednesday | August 31, 2022 | 12:10 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
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Dr Nicola Ellis, dental surgeon, and Keziah Laxman, student at the UWI, Mona, School of Dentistry perform a procedure on Faith Brow during a dental health fair hosted at Waldensia Primary and Infant School in Sherwood Content, Trelawny, on Sunday. The even
Ashley Anguin/Photographer
Dr Nicola Ellis, dental surgeon, and Keziah Laxman, student at the UWI, Mona, School of Dentistry perform a procedure on Faith Brow during a dental health fair hosted at Waldensia Primary and Infant School in Sherwood Content, Trelawny, on Sunday. The event was a collaboration of the Usain Bolt Foundation, the School of Dentistry, and the United States-based dental company SprintRay.
Track star Usain Bolt (centre) in discussion with Dr Biney Annie Thomas (left), a lecturer from the University of the West Indies’ School of Dentistry, and Arun Subramony, chief financial officer for United States-based dental technology company SprintRa
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Track star Usain Bolt (centre) in discussion with Dr Biney Annie Thomas (left), a lecturer from the University of the West Indies’ School of Dentistry, and Arun Subramony, chief financial officer for United States-based dental technology company SprintRay, during a dental health fair hosted at Waldensia Primary and Infant School in Sherwood Content, Trelawny, last Saturday.
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WESTERN BUREAU: United States-based dental technology company SprintRay, which partnered with track and field icon Usain Bolt for a healthcare initiative in his hometown Sherwood Content, has trained 10 local doctors to utilise the company’s 3D...

WESTERN BUREAU:

United States-based dental technology company SprintRay, which partnered with track and field icon Usain Bolt for a healthcare initiative in his hometown Sherwood Content, has trained 10 local doctors to utilise the company’s 3D printing devices and other related technology.

SprintRay’s Chief Financial Officer Arun Subramony, who was part of the team that visited Sherwood Content on the weekend, made the disclosure while noting that communities from all over the island will benefit from the doctors’ expertise.

The skill transfer is expected to significantly shorten treatment periods, cutting timelines that span two or three weeks to same-day intervention, said Subramony.

The outreach, which started on August 22, is a collaboration with Jamaica Dental Association and The University of the West Indies.

“The annual output of dentists across Jamaica is less than 30 dentists graduating from university every year, and the 10 that we trained in digital dentistry are within that 30 for this year,” said Subramony.

“Today those 10 doctors that we trained can continue to train others and actually ensure that in Montego Bay, Kingston, and other parts of rural Jamaica, we have experts who can use these technologies to help patients.”

The deficit in dental specialists in Jamaica was previously highlighted in 2019, when it was reported that there were 302 registered dentists in Jamaica, fewer than the approximately 1,200 needed to provide adequate service. There were 250 registered dental hygienists up to three years ago.

During Sunday’s dental health fair in Sherwood Content, 18 dental students from The UWI, Mona, School of Dentistry did tooth-cleaning, extractions, cavity treatments, as well as conduct lessons on proper brushing and flossing techniques.

Members of the William Knibb Memorial High School’s daCosta Cup football team were also on hand to receive dental check-ups and health tips.

Dr Biney Annie Thomas, lecturer from the Mona School of Dentistry and head of the dental fair’s delegation, told The Gleaner that 23 dental students had participated in the weekend’s activities.

“This is the first time we are doing this event with the Usain Bolt Foundation and SprintRay, although the Mona School of Dentistry has partnered with other organisations for the last 10 years. SprintRay and the Usain Bolt Foundation were open to the ideas that we give as to how to improve oral health at the community level,” Thomas said.

Subramony said that the weekend dental health fair would not be a one-time initiative.

“The community was very welcoming, and we really enjoyed the opportunity to make a small contribution to someone’s oral health and to their confidence,” said Subramony.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com