Continuing Dental Education – More Than A Requirement; A Necessity

By Author: Karen McDonagh
Total Articles: 75
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Becoming a professional in the medical field requires countless of sleepless, and that does not even assure you getting the license.

Dental education is one of the many programs that anyone interested in becoming a dentist. It can be grueling, but once you get to the end of the tunnel it is rewarding, especially when one reaches the end of the tunnel.

The Commission on Dental Accreditation is the authority when it comes to dental education. There is no dental school or dental educational activities which do not go through them. Everything requires their accreditation.

The commission was established in 1975, and was recognized by the United States Department of Education. It is their responsibility to make sure that the program of every school is up or exceeds standards. In addition, the Department of Education does not have control over anything that they do. Their function is independent and thus whatever they decide is the best for the field will proceed without a hitch. Of course, if someone complains, that is the moment that the Department of Education intervenes. Aside from that, ...
... there is no reason for them to get involved.

Included in the areas of dental education that the Commission of Dental Accreditation oversees are the following:
· Dental hygiene

· Dental laboratory technology

· Advanced dental education programs

The last one is specifically for professionals who are already practicing. They need continuing education courses for two purposes: a) For them to be allowed to continue their practice and b) To ensure the safety of their future patients.

Among the reason given regarding the importance of continuing dental education, the second one is the most important. This is because the patient is the most important member of the medical team. They are the focus of everything that the dentist does. You are ensuring their safety by joining such courses by making sure that your knowledge is up to date. There will always be studies which may disprove prior practices. If, as a professional, you do not know about these, you will be liable if anything happens to the patient while applying outdated concepts in your practice. Therefore, if you practice without joining any continuing dental education courses, getting your licenses suspended or revokes is more likely.

That is why it is smart not to be stubborn. It might help you get out of some cases, but in cases where you are truly liable, you can only pray that nothing happens to the patient after your realized that it was a mistake.

In addition, it might be smart if you do not lie to yourself. If you have not enrolled in any continuing education course, then stop practicing until you can complete. The money will come once you become competent enough to practice again. Compare the money that you are going to spend in studying rather than losing everything you worked hard for four years. The consequences of the latter are direr.

Continuing dental education courses have been approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. That is proof enough that it is indeed necessary and very beneficial.