Article Type : Research Article
Authors : Vishnu Sri Priya J, Melath A, Subair K and Saicharan G
Keywords : Teamwork; Interdisciplinary dentistry; Overall health; Clinical practise
A team approach, one
tooth or many essentially involves tackling dental problems with comprehensive
treatment plans that solve patients' problems and expectations, subsequently
leading to consistent long-term results for overall health. It is important for
dentists and doctors of any speciality to understand this concept and to work
together. Interdisciplinary dentistry is one of the great strengths of our
dental fraternity. A team of dentists all trained in different specialties
makes us unique due the synergy that exists between the entire team of doctors.
That is why we are capable of performing highly difficult dental treatments
with teamwork; each one contributing their knowledge within their dental
discipline. In interdisciplinary cases, the treatment plan needs to address
individual requirements and to coordinate sequential clinical stages. This
article enlightens the advantages and hurdles to overcome for effective
implementation of interdisciplinary dentistry in clinical practise.
A variety of tangled connections exists between
different biological tissues in the oral cavity. There are more diverse issues
that our orofacial structures can face. A single general dentist cannot always
solve some of the complex orofacial problems. This is when the dentist will
traditionally refer patient to a specialist in order to seek additional
expertise. The requirement of specialties is only for academic convenience and
growth of proficiency in the subject. More so, the oral tissues and the oral cavity
cannot be considered in isolation from the rest of the body. In a complex case,
there would be several referrals to different specialists over the course of
treatment, which would cause time lag and miscommunication. To provide optimal
oral health, we should practise interdisciplinary dentistry also known as
multidisciplinary dentistry. It is a dental treatment that involves the use of
different specialties and techniques of dentistry under one roof. In this team
approach the specialists work together and share their skills, expertise,
communication, and trust, in order to provide more accurate diagnosis, and
develop a more effective treatment plan for the patient. One may think that it
will take up too much time, be too complicated, or overwhelm patients. In
reality, it is exactly the opposite. By taking the initiative to create an
interdisciplinary team, we will save time and energy in the long run by
streamlining and simplifying the process of referrals and working with other
specialists. Most importantly, we will be ensuring that our patients receive
the best possible care at every step of the treatment process.
In recent times the individual practice of the dental
practitioner is becoming more of a team activity. Teamwork and collaboration
between healthcare professionals have an impact on achieving higher quality of
oral and general health care, along with proper function, an ideal aesthetic
outcome and greater patient satisfaction. At the outset, the greater or lesser
complexity of the treatment will lead to the participation of a greater or
lesser number of specialists. A reliable and promising treatment is often the
outcome of mutual coalition of the concerned specialties. Moreover, the
patients are also becoming aware and willing to accept toilsome treatment
options to achieve aesthetic and functional corrections. The clinicians are
also welcoming the need for comprehensive involvement of mastery for the
overall preciseness of the profession. This changing psychological scenario has
made interdisciplinary approach a prerequisite. Teamwork is the backbone of
interdisciplinary dentistry, as it bridges the ineludibly gaps that exist
between different domains of dentistry. True teamwork can be established when
there is mutual respect. Any differences and personal priorities should be put
aside and should mainly focus on what is good for the practice and the
patients. Teamwork cannot be achieved in
an instant, it takes time and practice. In addition, the importance of each
member’s willingness to commit to a specific set of goals and ethics is
paramount. Everyone should be comfortable asking for help when the need for it
arises, because if one of the members is not, then that is a sure-fire sign
that the team lacks trust. It is important to put your trust in the people you
work with to give them the confidence that they are doing well. Doing so will
enable them to dedicate and focus on their tasks as well as their areas of
expertise.
The clinicians who preferred interdisciplinary
approach have seen results worth noticing. Specialists with varied astute and
expertise gather as a team to work jointly, to identify the problems, plan
treatment and systematically execute them. Despite all advantages, there is
hesitance amongst clinicians to embrace interdisciplinary approach
whole-heartedly. The reasons could be professional ego, financial disputes or
failure to reach consensus. Everyone in the team, will have to work with an
open mind, listening to suggestions of all, discuss the pros and cons of every
treatment option and expedite the best possible plan. Considering the benefits
of the system, the caregivers must overlook petty ego and monetary clashes and
join hands for the overall sake of patients and the society at large. Our basic
and foremost aim, is to provide the best possible treatment to the patients.
Another important zone of interdisciplinary has evolved with the identification
of the association between oral and systemic health. The bilateral relationship
calls for the establishment of an interdisciplinary approach between oral and
general specialties. As evident from the impact of chronic periodontal
inflammation on diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and vice versa,
interdisciplinary approach can have a huge impact on diagnosis and management
of systemic ailments. Few recently published successful teamwork in dentistry
using innovative interdisciplinary strategies included the management of
children with special care, developmental anomalies of dental and facial
structure, geriatric patients, patients with systemic complications, severely
misaligned teeth with advanced bone loss, aesthetic rehabilitation. For
instance, while treating a subgingivally fractured teeth, it included team work
between an orthodontist for orthodontic extrusion, a periodontist for fibrotomy
and surgical crown lengthening, an endodontist for reattachment and endodontic
treatment, and a prosthodontist for cast post-core system and a crown.
The idea of a multidisciplinary approach to face
the challenges posed by dentistry has been fully taken on board in Spain by the
European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) and by European Association of
Osseointegration (EAO). This type of approach, apply multidisciplinary
dentistry based on scientific evidence and high clinical qualification, with
flawlessly structured teams, to afford patients the best results. Recently the
focus has been on the collaboration between different branches of dentistry,
emphasising the idea of seeing oral health from a team perspective. Furthermore,
the foundations are being laid for extending this team vision and
multidisciplinary approach to other medical specialties, particularly due to
the growing evidence of the systemic nature of various oral diseases. There is
an absolute necessity to include the concept of teamwork in the undergraduate
curriculum thereby stressing the importance of specialisation
A team approach, one tooth or many essentially
involves tackling dental problems with comprehensive treatment plans that solve
patients' problems and expectations, subsequently leading to consistent
long-term results for overall health. It is important for dentists and doctors
of any speciality to understand this concept and to work together. This is a
critical factor to achieve patients' long-term health stability. As the saying
goes "Alone we can do a little, together we can do so much", it is
the need of an hour to come together and broaden the horizon of our knowledge
and skill and provide better services to the patients and the mankind.