Continuing Professional Development (CPD) may be defined as an individual’s further education in relation to their chosen field of work, after completion of their formal schooling or training. Members of such professions as medicine, dentistry and law are encouraged to participate in CPD programs, with the ultimate goal of maintaining the standard of professionalism in providing service to the public. Over the years, regulatory boards of such professions have recognized the value of CPD and thus more recently have made it a requirement for their members. Most nations have now incorporated in their law that licensed practicing professionals should complete a certain number of hours or units of CPD prior to the renewal of their license.

A dental practitioner’s CPD encompasses all seminars, lectures, workshops, courses, individual study methods and other educational activities related to the practice of dentistry that can be added to one’s CPD record if the said activity contributes to the advancement of one’s proficiency as a dental practitioner or if the said activity is relevant to maintaining one’s dental practice. This would include both university-based and non-university based programs for as long as it is accredited by the proper authorities as valid entries for continuing education.

Through dental CPD, dental practitioners are able to show commitment in providing quality service to society. It allows practitioners to stay updated with current scientific findings and modern recommended techniques of treating patients. A lot of patients these days are technology savvy and aware of health issues that they read and research on through the internet. Sometimes a patient may come to a clinic and already know things before it is explained to them by the dental professional. It is therefore crucial for dental practitioners to stay a step ahead of the patients and be educated. This is a way to avoid conversations wherein the patient seems to know more, which may taint the image of the dental practitioner as someone who is uninterested or uncommitted towards more knowledge of their practice.

Participating in dental CPD requires practitioners to refresh their basic knowledge of dental matters and gain a deeper understanding of them. This in turn allows the practitioner to better master particular areas of dentistry and oral health care, especially those subject matters that a person may feel is his or her weakness. For example, one may be an expert at treating the general adult population but has difficulty in treating children. Further education may be used to develop one’s know-how and skillfulness of proper pediatric oral health care, which will positively affect the practice’s business. The practitioner thus has an opportunity to improve in any specialty field of dentistry through further education.

The dental CPD is a good requirement for dental practitioners in order for a nation’s health authorities to ensure that good quality oral health care is attainable by and provided to the general public. It is a way to assure that persons involved in the dental practice increase their knowledge of and skill for oral health care. This will increase the standards of performance of all practitioners in the nation and around the world, and therefore also the standards of health care as offered to and perceived by the public, making the dental profession more successful worldwide.

For more information please see CPD in Australian Dentistry

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