Education never ends

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), oral and dental diseases are some of the fastest growing global non-viral illnesses, with 60% to 90% of school children and almost 100% of adults having dental cavities⁽¹⁾. In the UAE, in 2017, the Department of Health (DoH) Abu Dhabi conducted a research study that found more than 85,000 cases of gum disease and 134,000 incidents of tooth decay amongst the adults studied⁽²⁾.

The UAE government has since put in place plans to tackle this concern. DoH Abu Dhabi launched the DentOral programme that focuses on four main initiatives: developing awareness programmes in dental and oral health, developing oral health prevention and screening programmes, developing and launching the Dubai Dental Protocol and developing innovative solutions for the delivery of dental services and treatment⁽³⁾.  Meanwhile in Dubai, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) expects demand for dental services to rise by 156 percent by 2025 with stringent checks being put in place to safeguard the integrity of dentists’ qualifications⁽⁴⁾.

In order to increase the likelihood of reaching the targets of the local Middle Eastern Health Authorities in elevating oral health, Hu-Friedy and CAPP Training Institute engaged in an agreement in May 2019 where Hu-Friedy delivered almost 700 dental instruments to CAPP in order to support their CME hands-on training educational programmes throughout the Middle East which has dramatically increased the quality of the trainings delivered. The instruments are clustered into three different kits focusing on endodontics, implantology and restorative dentistry.

CAPP was founded in 2005 in Dubai, UAE and is one of the largest dental CME providers in the Middle East. CAPP is an American Dental Association (ADA) C.E.R.P Recognised Provider, specialising in Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) dental education programmes and is quality controlled by the UAE government by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) out of which CAPP holds a training license and receives local accreditations from DHA, DoH Abu Dhabi, Ministry of Health and Prevention – UAE, KDA (Kuwaiti Dental Association) and SDC (Singapore Dental Council). It works with educational institutions including, King’s College London Dental Institute, Aachen Dental Laser Center (AALZ), RWTH International Academy – RWTH Aachen University, Tipton Training Ltd., British Academy of Restorative Dentistry (BARD) and British Academy of Implant Dentistry (BADI) and others.

Over the past 14 years, CAPP has facilitated over 723 CME programmes educating over 109,298 international participants and now Hu-Friedy instruments are being used in almost all of the hands-on training courses at the CAPP Training Institute. Opened in 2016, the institute is a world- class CPD facility located in Dubai, with the capacity to accommodate up to 30 delegates. It is equipped with phantom heads, clinical units with high, low and speed-increasing handpieces,   microscopes, the latest TV/ AV equipment and a lot more. CAPP has registered companies and offices in Dubai, Singapore and Kuwait, where similar activities are taking place.

In 2020, CAPP will offer over 190 days of hands-on training courses across a broad spectrum of subjects. Classes vary in length from one-day seminars and short courses to long-term hands-on training courses in Restorative, Aesthetic, Endodontics, Implantology, Lasers and other dental specialties leading to Certificates, Diplomas, Fellowships and Master’s Degrees.

On the other side, the mission of Hu- Friedy is: “To Improve Lives By Advancing Dental Performance... Smile After Smile”. Hu-Friedy’s mission remains the same today as it has always been – to help dental professionals perform at their best.

To do this, dental professionals require access to good post-graduate education where high-quality materials, equipment and dental instruments are being used. The ability to enhance the educational experience is why Hu-Friedy lends support to CAPP through the supply of dental instruments.

Since the partnership began over 450 delegates have been exposed to and used Hu-Friedy instruments. CAPP’s faculty leads have commended the use of Hu-Friedy’s instruments in the hands-on training courses by saying:

• “Hu-Friedy instruments are superbly designed and made from only the very best materials. The design enhances the precision placement of composite resins and definitely makes the final restoration more predictable. The students at CAPP certainly notice and appreciate the difference” – Dr. Matthew Holyoak (U.K.) who has taught delegates using the “Restorative kit” on the Restorative and Aesthetic Diploma programme.
• Prof. Göran Urde (Sweden) who is the faculty lead on Clinical Implantology Diploma programme which includes live-patient implant placement also shared his views: “Just by looking at the instruments from Hu-Friedy you know that they are very high quality and the moment you touch them and start working with them, you get a confirmation of this – a nice feeling of precision and quality. Quality instruments makes the life of a surgeon so much nicer and easier but also enables you to work faster and more precisely.
• Prof. James Prichard (U.K.) who is the main lead on the Clinical Endodontics Diploma programme says: “The Hu-Friedy instruments are a pleasure to use. Endodontics is made so much simpler and easier with these types of high-quality instruments. It is a pleasure to teach the delegates using them.

The partnership between the two companies will continue to deliver excellence in dental post-graduate education.