Is Dental Education Like a Smart Phone?

I remember when I bought my first portable phone. Notice I said portable – not smart. It was hardly smart. But it allowed me to not be tied down to a land line if I wanted to communicate with someone. That ancient technology allowed me certain advantages that I did not have before.

However, it did not even come close to what I can do now with an iPhone 6. It's a night and day comparison. This reminds me of dental education.

The Evolution of Dental Education

When I received my dental education, I hardly knew everything about dentistry. Not even close. I was essentially taught the basics during my dental education so I would cause no harm. It was, and still is, apparent that if I wanted to treat patients – and treat them well – I would constantly be investing in further dental education. It was and is a given.

There are many new techniques and products that have come into existence over the years and new knowledge about them has to be learned to do the best for our patients.

So I guess one can say that dental education, continuing dental education, is analogous to the evolution of the smart phone. It seems there is a constant need to update both!

Mark J. Fleming, DDS, Spear Visiting Faculty and Contributing Author.


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