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REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE DENTAL EDUCATORS CONFERENCE

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE DENTAL EDUCATORS CONFERENCE ON WEDNESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER, 1998

As a person who is less then comfortable at the thought of visiting a dentist – notwithstanding the fact that I happen to be married to one – I have to say that I feel very courageous indeed in coming here before a whole gathering of dentists. I am one of those people who holds the dental profession in complete awe – and I certainly don’t subscribe to the view that a dentist is a collector of old magazines! I suppose my view of dentists is inspired by the story about the patient who quibbled about the cost of an extraction – “You mean it’s £20 for only two seconds work?” – “Well”, said the dentist “if you like, I can take it out slowly!”. Maybe my view is based on the terrible feeling of vulnerability that you get as you sink into a dentist’s chair and try to figure out how you’ll tell the dentist that you’re in pain if your mouth is wide open. And that reminds me of the tale about the patient who asked if his mouth was opened wide enough – and I imagine if he could ask the question at all, it wasn’t! – but the dentist reassured him by saying “Oh yes, I always stand on the outside when pulling a tooth!”.

I would like to firstly welcome the many overseas delegates who have come to Dublin for this conference – and to join with their colleagues in this significant week for the Dublin School of Dental Science. I have to admit that coming here today is an absolute pleasure for me – particularly as I have been an educator myself – and still have a deep interest in the whole field of education and the delivery of education – and also because this is a special week for the Dental Hospital – in that in a few days time the new Dublin Dental Hospital will be opened by the Taoiseach – almost one hundred years since the original building was completed. Later that same evening I hope to join with the alumni re-union of the Dublin School of Dental Science. So I suppose that by the end of the week I will have had several opportunities to get my teeth into the many matters concerning dental education and science!

Earlier, I had the opportunity to meet with the staff and students of the school and hospital and some of the conference delegates. I also had a fascinating tour of the Dental Clinics, the library and the amazing virtual reality laboratory training suite in the DentSim Room. I suppose with the imminent opening of the new building – the thought on everybody’s mind is on the changes that have taken place in dental education and science over the century since the original hospital was opened – but particularly in recent years. That is reflected to some degree in the conference programme – addressing the theme “From Plato to the Internet” - which will cover the development of education from its platonic origins right through to the virtual laboratories of today.

There can be no doubt that the astonishing pace of technological change in every area of medical science - and in other areas such as information technology and communications – have given us the opportunity to look again at how we impart knowledge and skills – and how we can continue to find new and more effective ways of educating. With students at the school coming both from Ireland and abroad – the school’s philosophy of improving its approach to educating is reflected in the introduction of self-directed – or problem based – learning, eliminating role learning and the replacement of lectures with small group learning and discussion sessions. I would also like to take this opportunity to commend the recent breakthrough by the team of researchers working in the area of clinical and molecular biological research - under Professor David Coleman - who discovered a new form of candida – appropriately named Candida Dubliniensis.

But education dentists is not just about methods of tooth extraction or disease control – it’s not just about producing people with finely honed dental skills. It is also about producing professionals who are sensitive to the people who are in their care – from the young child who is making those first tentative tip-toes into the dentist’s surgery to the older patient who has fears and apprehensions about the effects of increasing age on their ability to cope with dental treatment. Dentists have to be able to customise their approach and responses to the needs of their patients. Dentists are also employers who have to operate in the complex world of human resource management and all of the administrative procedures and obligations that that entails.

Over the next few days – you will have many opportunities to reflect on the issues that are relevant to you today – some of which are as relevant now as they were when Plato was attending conferences! With papers on the origins, evolution and development of medical education – on information technology – publishing – hospital planning – requirements for the treatment of new diseases – finance – and human resources issues – you have a full range of areas to be addressed. Of course, conferences like these have another dimension which is not set out on the programme. Through establishing contacts with other educators – or renewing old links – you have many opportunities to share ideas – to explore areas of common interest – and to hear of different approaches to the problems and obstacles that you face in your situation. It is impossible to put a value on that dimension to the conference but it is an essential ingredient in making it a success. I have no doubt that you will also have an opportunity to engage in some crystal ball gazing. Would it be too much to expect that some day when we can “beam” our teeth to the dentist instead of taking them along personally?

In opening the conference, I would like again to say how delighted I am to have had the opportunity to be with you during this important week. I would like to commend all of you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to come here for the conference. I hope that you have a fruitful and enjoyable time while you are here. I hope also that you will return home with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and interest in what is a very exciting branch of medical science – and one that is destined to get more and more exciting as the impact of technological progress is reflected in the way educators deliver their services.