Flying Safe - Medics Onboard Qantas

[CaviAck]

The Dental Board of Australia has a fact sheet on this: http://www.dentalboard.gov.au/docum.../9309&dbid=AP&chksum=O3NS9It3zKKvSQTcXJFoGw== As you say, there aren't any bodies that officially confer the title in Australia, but it's illegal to use the title in a way that falsely implies a health practitioner registration which you don't actually hold, so I suppose a dentist can't get a job working at at a GP's office and continue to use the title Dr (as unlikely as that situation is).

No, there are dentists working in the same clinic as doctors using the title "Doctor", it's just that in any advertising or promotion we need to make it clear that we're not medical doctors and make clear that we're operating in the dental field.

I'll disagree with you there, I think there is a more signifiant overlap than there was 10 years ago. As a professional with many dentists as clients (back to year of UQ 1969 graduates IIRC), I have a modest working knowledge of the industry. Your profession now checks patients (often presenting with pain management issues) for jaw misalignment , tongue and mouth cancers and other oral-based issues that are treated by the dentist (or referred to the appropriate doctor or specialist when they aren't).

Absolutely we're being trained to be the first to identify certain issues and refer for potential issues, we are still not able to confirm a diagnosis. (Any lab work sent out to a lab has the pathologist diagnosing essentially, we then refer onto a GP for referral onto an oncologist for treatment) The system has kinks in it in regards to effectiveness or streamlining but the things we do are only a small part of the medical field and generally does not overlap with the majority of the medical field. And that's what I was talking about when I say there isn't significant overlap. I would say there is a significant increase in the utilisation of the dental work force in terms of managing the general health of the public, the things you listed aren't exactly things that a medical GP would pick up or deal with either. When was the last time a doctor looked in one of their patient's mouth (disregarding those who are ENT) and knew something was going on (inc oral cancers).

Anyway back on topic, if anyone has a toothache in the middle of a QF flight I'm happy to say "you need to see a dentist".

 

[ajd]

No, there are dentists working in the same clinic as doctors using the title "Doctor", it's just that in any advertising or promotion we need to make it clear that we're not medical doctors and make clear that we're operating in the dental field.

Sorry, yes, I meant getting a job at a GP's office where for some reason you're not actually practising as a dentist. Can't say I've ever been to a medical clinic with dental personnel though...

 

[PaulST]

At least dentists tend to work in and around the mouth therefore you can guess that they're doctors of dentistry. This most recent tangent reminds me of a conversation with a friend who had a few questions about his wife's chronic pain. He referred me to a video by someone claiming to be a "functional neurologist" who was using the "Dr" title and criticising other health care professionals for their poor management of this particular kind of pain. Upon further investigation, it became apparent that this guy was a "DC" (Chiropractor) and not actually a doctor.

The unfortunate thing is that everyone else reading his website thought this guy was a qualified neurologist (>5 years of med school and then a decade, or so, of post-grad training in neurology) when in fact he was a graduate of the Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry and only real interest was making money and projecting various anxieties.

/rant.

 

[JohnM]

I actually know a dentist who has a PhD. It's probably a bit unusual and IMO he (and anyone similarly qualified) is the only person that legitimately can claim the 'Dr' title as a dentist.

Frankly, anyone else doing so is doing it for marketing reasons IMO.

Sadly, we live in a world of horsesh!t these days...

 

[jb747]

Perhaps the navy term would be more appropriate.....fang bosun.

 

[JohnM]

Perhaps the navy term would be more appropriate.....fang bosun.

I know two ex-navy dentists - one being mine. Must mention that next time I see him!

 

[prozac]

All this talk of dentists, well I just couldn't resist posting this link - Man surprised women by pulling out their teeth with pliers, court is told

 

[Ambo]

Not sure how many other paramedics are on these forums but I constantly fly to MEL-OOL to visit family and have just started recently travelling overseas. Luckily for me the only thing I have really done on holidays is a cardiac arrest but that was on the ground outside the hotel and not on the flight. Hopefully never come across something while on a plane (tough enough while at work) but I would gladly help out if someone needed some assistance.