DentaltownUK Winter 2017 - 58

DentaltownUK Honorary
Associate Editor Kishan Sheth

The concept of Dentaltown
has empowered and inspired
students and dentists around
the world.
In particular, it has been a beneficial
learning tool for students, including
me, and I was excited to hear that the
movement was being brought to the UK.
It's a chance to discuss important
matters and trends in dentistry and to
share ideas, which leads to the spreading
of knowledge and generation of discussion
and debate.
The primary goal of the magazine's
student section is to empower undergraduate dental students to write about
topics they're passionate about and to
share their experiences with fellow dental
students in the UK.
Few magazines and publications
of this calibre give the dental stars of
tomorrow an opportunity to be recognised and listened to, but that's where
DentaltownUK differs.
It believes in the talent of tomorrow
and wants to give it a voice. Whatever
empowers the profession and begins
discussion should be shared for all to
benefit from, and we all encourage the
discussion of ideas that will help us to
raise our standards and become more
effective providers of patient-centred,
evidence-based, minimally invasive and
holistic dentistry.

58

WINTER 2017 // dentaltownuk.com

It has been exciting to witness the
great explosion in the discussion that
DentaltownUK has sparked. In this issue,
we include an interview with Dr. David
Radford, director of clinical studies at
the University of Portsmouth Dental
Academy.
Radford is an accomplished dental
surgeon, educator and author. He has
played an integral role in the management and expansion of the clinical
and educational opportunities that
the University of Portsmouth Dental
Academy provides, and it's indeed a true
honour to have him feature in this issue.
I'm confident that DentaltownUK
will continue to deliver an unrivalled
service to the profession, and will continuously play a pivotal role in the way
in which students and professionals
come together.
I truly hope that you enjoy this issue!

Visit the boards!
Visit the dental student
message boards here.

Thoughts
Studying dentistry is full of
firsts-beginning with the
moment you step into clinic (just
as the realisation of the path
you've taken hits) and moving
through others, such
as treating your first patient.
The latter is one of the most memorable
points in your student career, and a memory
that I am sure stays with you throughout
your time as a dentist.
As a third-year dental student studying at
Glasgow University, that moment happened
at 9 a.m. Thursday, 27 July-a date that will
ring in my memory forever and that seemed
ever-looming, yet couldn't come fast enough.
After consulting with some peers, it's
clear that the generalised feeling is that of
nerves, anxiety and excitement. Each student
experiences his or her own mixture of said
feelings toward the moment in which we
introduce outselves to our first patients and
in that moment feel the enormity of our
professionalism, in which all of our education
comes into play.
My experience of treating patients, differs
from that of most other students, having
qualified as a dental nurse and gaining 4
years' experience before I started courses. I
knew what I was getting myself into.
I have a particular interest in the treatment
of patients with anxiety and phobias, having
been a part of a dental team where this is
a great deal of the focus. Working in such
an environment and with such patients has
allowed me to adapt my thinking around
treating patients in general.
I knew that my first patient was aware
that I was a student, so my greatest fear was
coming across as underprepared-or, worse
still, underconfident. To combat some of my
own anxiety in the lead-up to beginning the
third year and moving toward my first patient,
I had been doing some at-home preparation.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DentaltownUK Winter 2017
