A greeting and dental lesson from South Africa, and this week's top stories

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Greetings to you from Pretoria, South Africa! As I type this, I'm preparing for a full day of educational lectures at the South African Dental Association's (SADA) annual meeting. I am honored to be here and be joined by so many presenters from around the world.

Kevin Henry.

This morning, as part of the opening ceremonies for the SADA meeting, I was honored to represent the U.S. at a flag-planting ceremony, among speakers representing North America, Europe, Australia, and, of course, Africa. With the Olympics recently concluding, this was yet another reminder for me of how there are still causes and moments that unite us all, no matter where we call home.

While the time here in Pretoria has already been amazing, I was fascinated by the first dental-related conversation I had after landing. Riding in the shuttle from Johannesburg to the conference's host hotel with me was a member of SADA's board of directors, who had flown in at roughly the same time.

As we made the journey to Pretoria, we discussed my upcoming lectures to dental assistants and he proceeded to tell me the biggest issues they were having with keeping team members in South Africa. Honestly, the conversation sounded very similar to so many of the talks I have had with American dentists who are desperately trying to find qualified and passionate team members to help them build their practices.

Our discussion (and his frustration with the situation) was another reminder that we are all fighting some of the same battles, no matter our nationality.

My hope while I am here is that I can lay the groundwork for dental assistants to remember how important they are on so many levels. That's the same message I will share at Greater New York later this year and that I discuss so often through my "Dental Assistant Nation" podcast series. As I make my journey back to the U.S. this weekend, I'll bring along with me some stories I will share next week on DrBicuspid.com, so stay tuned.

This week's must-read stories

A Colorado dentist has been indicted for allegedly using an illegal tax shelter to conceal more than $3.5 million from the IRS, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

There are plenty of issues for dentists and dental practices to consider when it comes to using artificial intelligence (AI), and the future opportunities the technology presents must be accompanied by a commitment to use AI ethically to improve patient care, not compromise it, writes Ryan Vet in this article. 

This week, we kicked off a series of interviews focused on infection control in the dental practice with key opinion leaders, starting with an interview with Leslie Canham that focused on dental unit waterlines and what team members needed to know.

A combination of ibuprofen-arginine and dexamethasone may provide better pain relief in patients following lower third-molar surgery, according to a recent study.

Looking for a clinical tip that can boost your endodontic skill set? Dr. Diwakar Kinra shared one this week.

A recent study reported that autonomous dental implant robot systems demonstrated high accuracy placing implants.

With that, I bid you a fond farewell from South Africa and wish those of you in the U.S. a great holiday weekend ahead!

Kevin Henry
Editor in Chief