DT Pakistan No. 6, 2021

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PUBLISHED IN PAKISTAN

pk.dental-tribune.com

Prof. Ihsane Ben Yahya
starts her tenure as
new FDI ...

NEWS

Page 2

NOV-DEC 2021 - Issue No. 06 Vol.8

An exclusive
interview with
Dr Howard Farran

INTERVIEW

Perio Master Clinic
2022 conference to
be held in ...
Page 4

NEWS

Page 12

INSPIRE DENTAL NETWORK

Alvi Dental Hospital ushers
affordable dentistry in Pakistan

Photo:
DT Pakistan

K

DT Pakistan Report

ARACHI - President Pakistan Dr Arif
Alvi recently witnessed the Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) signing
ceremony between Alvi Dental Hospital and USA's
Bringing Smiles Inc. at the Governor House.
The MoU was signed by Awwab Alvi of Alvi
Dental Hospital and Dr Anas Athar of Bringing
Smiles Inc., which President Arif Alvi and First
Lady Samina Arif Alvi witnessed.
The group was named Inspire Dental Network
(Pvt.) Ltd (IDN) after the MoU between Alvi Dental
Hospital and Bringing Smiles Inc., USA. IDN
would improve oral health in Pakistan by facilitating

the young dentists to set up their clinics under
supervision with standard and uniform procedures
that match the highest hygiene standards.
President Arif Alvi stressed the importance of
dental hygiene while addressing the ceremony as
a chief guest. He said dentists should focus on the
needs of society and the dental health of the masses
instead of prioritising the financial gains.
He appreciated the agreement between Bringing
Smiles Inc. USA and the Alvi Dental Hospital to
ensure affordable and quality dentistry for the
general public in the country. The president said
the project would bring about 25 million dollars
investment in the country and create opportunities
for healthcare professionals.

Awwab Alvi of Alvi Dental Hospital, while
speaking on occasion, said the project was not
initiated overnight, but the brief homework was
done for this. He said multiple dental health clinics
would be established across the country under the
agreement. He informed that Alvi Dental Hospital
has been credited to provide 'affordable' health care
in the country.
Dr Anas Athar of Bringing Smiles Inc. said the
project would bring 25 million dollars in Pakistan
investments. He said approximately 90 per cent of
Pakistan's population was suffering from some
dental issues, which was a big challenge. Therefore,
awareness regarding dental hygiene and health was
needed to be created, he added.

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NEWS

2 DENTAL TRIBUNE Pakistan Edition NOV-DEC 2021

Pakistani dental researchers rank
among the worlds top scientists

K

. Dr Muhammad Sohail Zafar,
Taibah University, Saudia Arabia
. Dr Fawad Javed, Eastman Institute
for Oral Health, University of
Rochester, United States
. Dr Zohaib Khurshid, King Faisal
University, Saudia Arabia
. Dr Zohaib Akram, UWA Dental
School, The University of Western
Australia, Australia
. Dr Shariq Najeeb, Schulich School
of Medicine & Dentistry, Western
University, Canada
. Dr Zeeshan Sheikh, University of
Toronto, Canada
. Dr Fahim Vohra, King Saud
University, Saudia Arabia
. Dr Kamran Habib Awan, Roseman
University of Health Sciences,
Nevada
The above scientists have been
registered in this database for their
contribution to salivary research,
tissue regeneration, dental
biomaterials, periodontics,
prosthodontics, implant dentistry,
clinical medicine and translational
research.

DT Pakistan Report

ARACHI - Ten Pakistani
origin dental researchers
have recently been featured
in the top 100,000 International
scientists list.
Elsevier BV published the list,
"Updated science-wide author
databases of standardized citation
indicators", of top 2 per cent
scientists on 19 October 2021, which
Stanford University, USA released.
The selection was based on
provided standardized information
on citation, h-index, co-authorship
adjusted hm-index, citation to papers,
and fulfilled other parameters.
Following Pakistani origin dental
researchers have been in the spotlight
in the Stanford - Elsevier list, who
have made notable research
contributions in the year 2020
. Dr Khalid Almas, Imam
Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University,
Saudia Arabia
. Dr Anwar T. Merchant, University
of South Carolina, United States

DRAP in action, seizing
unregistered drugs
DT Pakistan Report

I

SLAMABAD - Drugs Regulatory
Authority of Pakistan (DRAP)
recently began a crackdown on
spurious and unregistered drugs.
The Federal and Provincial Drug
Inspector's team conducted a raid on the

Photo:
DT Pakistan

General Market of Medicine opposite
NICVD Hospital in Karachi. They
seized and sealed a large number of
stocks of unregistered drugs.
The health ministry said action would
be taken against the sellers of these
unregistered drugs per the law.
Asim Rauf, Chief Executive Officer
(CEO), DRAP, said the authority was
committed to ensuring the supply of
quality medicines and would take
effective and thorough action on
receiving complaints.

Prof. Ihsane Ben Yahya starts
her tenure as new FDI president
DT Pakistan Report

G

ENEVA - Professor
Ihsane Ben Yahya
started her two-year
tenure (2021-2023) as President
FDI. She shared her vision and
hopes for FDI during the special
virtual edition of the ADA FDI
World Dental Congress after the
traditional handover of the
presidential chain. She was
officially sworn in the ceremony.
In her speech, she said that she
was truly honoured to take over
the FDI presidency. She thanked
Dr Gerhard for his leadership
over the past two years and was
honoured to work at his side.
She promised to be a strong
ambassador for FDI. Although
being the first African President,
she was committed to serving all
their members globally and
reducing inequalities in oral
health so that the most
marginalized populations would
not be left behind. She believed
everyone has the right to good
oral health and to live a full,

happy, and healthy
life, and by joining
forces and as an
u p l i f t i n g
federation, she
could make that happen.
Prof Ihsane expressed she
couldn't be successful in her
presidential role without the
support and trust of a strong team.
Since day one of her involvement
with FDI, she has seen the impact
of teamwork every day as Head
of Hospital and Dean of the
Dental Faculty at University in
Morocco.
The new President said she
would work with her team to
deliver on FDI's three strategic
pillars,i.e., membership, advocacy
and knowledge transfer. She
thought that FDI's report Our
Vision 2030 - Delivering Optimal
Oral Health for All report had
been a critical tool to make it
possible.
She considered that the World
Oral Health Day campaign had
been an excellent opportunity to
Continued on Page 11

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4 DENTAL TRIBUNE Pakistan Edition NOV-DEC 2021
What was your motivation behind establishing
Dental Town?
I have never had an original idea in my life. This
means I became a dentist like my next-door
neighbour. It was in 1999, I was on the ESPN
website, and they were talking about soccer and
football, and I thought, 'Oh My God, I am into
dentistry'.
There was a company called BBB British Bulletin
Board, out of London. This is back when you had
to write a letter and put an international stamp on
it by licking it, and it cost 300 dollars. So simply,

Town to be a member, it's free, and you don't have
to worry about journalists and news. It's a place
where you can be anonymous. So, if you failed a
root canal, and you don't want to show how bad
you are in root canals, you can just make your
account 'Dr Smiley', and everybody's there to help
you. I've always been amazed at the love of
everybody trying to share to get you to do what
you need to do so you can help your 6500 patients
save their teeth.
Social media has become a source of information
and disinformation. How can one differentiate?
I think this is the first generation on social media,
and a lot of people like the disinformation. If you
talk about the coronavirus, my entire family doesn't

INTERVIEW
partials. So, we really need to present it like they're
five years old, and that's not insulting.
The word 'doctor' comes from the Latin word
'docer', meaning to teach. About 2000 years ago,
when we were doctors, we were teachers, and when

I think what social media
and internet has done better
than anything it's made all
knowledge zero cost
you're teaching me, I will be a doctor too, but when
we're teaching patients about saving their teeth,
we got a long way to go. It takes a lot of efforts
from doctors to teach their patients regarding the

In dentistry it is not what
you know; its who you know;
Dr Howard Farran
by Dr Muattar Hanif

I mailed him 300 dollars cash and never heard from
him for like six or eight weeks.
Then I got a letter back. In it had a little floppy
disk. The disk was actually a platform that was
Dental Town. I just wanted to be able to talk to
other dentists about root canals, fillings and crowns.
This was five years before Facebook, and it was
my huge head start, and I think it was the first
social media platform. And what was good about
it was that all those six million posts were achieved.
Let's say you broke a file inside MB2; you could
just go and type in 'MB2', and you'd find every
thread wrote, every case ever presented on MB2.
So it was a really good reservoir of archived posts
of two decades, i.e., every post ever written in
dentistry.

The only value of knowledge
is transferring it
The Internet has played a huge role in the success
of Dental Town, in fact, it was formed even before
Facebook. How much difference has it brought
in your own life?
It's been very great for finding friends and
mentors. You might find a separate mentor for root
canals and oral surgery. If you want to be good in
business, marketing, advertising or have to lead
staff, the internet's just a great way to network with
people in the same boat as you. The planet has
seven and a half billion people, but there are only
two million dentists, so there are about sixty-five
hundred humans for every one dentist.
If you have a problem with a root canal, you could
refer to an endodontist. But if you are living in a
town where you don't have an endodontist and an
oral surgeon, then register yourself in a Dental

oward Farran, DDS, MBA, is the founder
and owner of Dentaltown.com and
Dentaltown Magazine. He has practised dentistry
at Today's Dental in the Phoenix metro area for
more than 30 years.
In 2017, Incisal Edge magazine ranked him
among the 32 most influential people in dentistry.
Dr Farran has made a prominent presence on
Youtube and iTunes through hist imeless "Your
30-Day Dental MBA" series in 1999. Since
then, he has released massive amounts of
distinguished content, including his monthly
"Howard Speaks" column in Dentaltown
magazine, the 11-part online CE course "The
Virtues of Profitable Dentistry," and his worldrenowned podcast series Dentistry Uncensored
with Howard Farran. The podcast has released
more than 1,500 episodes and has been
downloaded more than 8 million times.
Dr Howard has an ever-expanding presence
across social media platforms and has lectured
internationally on the business of dentistry since
1990, sharing his genuine passion for helping
young dental professionals and to provide
higher-quality and lower-cost treatment to their
patients.

believe in it. They think it was all hype, and it was
a cold. As a social media first generation, we're
going to hear all the crazy stuff, and that's a lot
better if you won't go back. It would get better and
better, but it would probably going to take two or
three generations before you're not embarrassed
about all the crazy people saying crazy stuff.
If a five-year-old comes up to you and says she
believes in a tooth fairy. Would you make fun of
her? No! You just say she's fine. Similarly, patients
don't know the different caps, crowns, bridges and

basics to improve their wellbeing. However, this
type of teaching is going to take another generation
or two before it's civilized.
Social media has created an over the top demand
for achieving the 'perfect smile.' What is your
take?
I think it's really going to put a lot of emphasis
on teeth. I've lectured in 50 countries, and they
started tooth whitening. There's a boom in males
getting Invisalign, boys putting on makeup,
managing wrinkles and hair. I think this is very
profound because, during the pandemic, a lot of
people had to work from home. While now seeing
themselves on Zoom, they're now worried about
their teeth, wrinkles, nail, etc. We've seen our own
face more during the pandemic than we did in the
first 50 years. When people start wearing masks,
they start realizing that teeth and brushing are really
important.
I think looking at our faces every day is going to
make people start thinking maybe I should make
my face look better.
Being the pioneer of digital dentistry, how much
has social media played a role in the paradigm
shift and origin of modern dentistry?
When I was in school, just a textbook could cost
several hundred dollars, and when you were done
with the course, you had to sell the book back to
get money for the next book. I think what social
media and internet has done better than anything
it's made all knowledge zero cost.
If you go back 500 years, only the kings and
queens could afford teachers for their kids, and
now the common peasant can afford it.
I was born in 1962, and in 1972, my mom went
to a garage sale and bought some used
encyclopedias that were printed in 1952. So my
first awakening to the whole world of knowledge
Continued on Page 11

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NEWS

6 DENTAL TRIBUNE Pakistan Edition NOV-DEC 2021

AMDC conducts orientation ceremony
and career counselling symposium

L

AHORE - Akhtar Saeed Medical and
Dental College (AMDC), Lahore,
recently conducted an orientation
ceremony and a career counselling symposium
for house officers who
had just started and
completed their house
job.
It has been a hybrid
event and the first of its
kind. The event aimed to
provide post-graduation
career options to all the
BDS students, especially
the house officers who
had just completed their
house job. It also aimed
to brief the house job
rules and regulations to
the new house officers.
Dr Farooq Khan,
Chairman, AMDC, Prof
Dr Sabir Hussain, Principal Dental College,
AMDC, Prof. Dr Col ® Iffat Batool, Dean Dental
Section, AMDC, Dr Sadia Minhas, Vice Principal
Dental College, AMDC) and Dr Agha Sohail,
MS Dental Clinics, AMDC, presided over the
event.
The new house officers were welcomed and
explained the "Academic Aspects of House job",
"Administrative Aspects of House job", and
"Outline of ClinicoPathological Conferences".
Prof. Dr Col® Iffat Batool introduced the
symposium to the students. Many renowned

dental practitioners from Pakistan and other
countries explained different career options.
Dr Saiqa Ahmad of Dental Professionals, Lahore,
briefed about General Dentistry Management
and discussed the key
points to a successful
private practice.
Prof Dr Sabir
Hussain, Prof Dr Col
®Iffat Batool, Dr Sadia
Minhas and Dr Rabia
Chaudhary explained
various local postgraduation options like
MDS,
FCPS,
M.Phil/Ph.D in basic and
clinical sciences.
Prof. Dr Khalid
Mirza and Dr Ahmad
Chaudhary, from their
Photos:
personal experience,
DT Pakistan
explained about study
options in France and Malaysia, respectively.
Two foreign speakers, Dr Hussain Abbas and
Dr Aun Sherazi, enlightened the audience on the
pathways to the USA and UK for post-graduation
and ultimately clinical practice.
At the end of the event, certificates were
presented to Dr Ali Haider and Dr Kinza Khalid
for their outstanding performance as 'Best House
officers of the year'.
Dr Sadia Minhas concluded the event, thanked
the speakers, wished the best to the passing house
officers, and welcomed the new ones. -PR

Dr Zohaib becomes member
of Royal College Glasgow

Dr Sohail Zafar associates
with Royal College Glasgow

S

AUDIA ARABIA - Dr
Zohaib Khurshid,
Lecturer and Course
Coordinator, Department of
Biomaterials and Prosthodontic, King Faisal
University, Saudia Arabia, has recently been
awarded Member of the Faculty of Dental
Surgery (MFDS) from Royal College of
Physicians and Surgeons (RCPS), Glasgow.
Dr Khurshid received his Bachelor's
degree in dentistry from Fatima Jinnah
Dental College (FJDC), Pakistan. After
graduation, he started working as a lecturer
at FJDC. He published international research
papers and book chapters and proceeded to
Master by Research (MRes) in Biomaterials
from the University of Birmingham (UoB),
UK. He became the first Pakistani dental
researcher to start working on human
salivary proteomics, gingival crevicular
proteomics, and platelet-rich proteins (PRPs)
proteomics.
He has 150 peer-reviewed publications
since 2013 in dental biomaterials,
tissue engineering and clinical dentistry.
Continued on Page 11

S

AUDIA ARABIA - Dr
Muhammad Sohail Zafar,
Professor and Course
C o o r d i n a t o r, D e p a r t m e n t o f
Restorative Dentistry, Taibah University, Saudia
Arabia, has recently been awarded Member of
the Faculty of Dental Surgery (MFDS) from
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons
(RCPS), Glasgow.
Prof. Zafar received his bachelor's degree in
dentistry from de' Montmorency College of
Dentistry, Pakistan, and PhD from Nottingham,
UK. After his PhD, he joined the Taibah University
College of Dentistry, Saudia Arabia. Prof. Zafar
has more than 200 publications [h-index of 40
(Google Scholar)], including journal articles,
three edited books and several book chapters.
According to the SCOPUS database, he has
145 publications [h-index of 28]. His research
interest covers dental biomaterials, tissue
engineering, dental education, and clinical
dentistry. Moreover, according to the recent AD
Scientific Index 2021, Prof. Zafar has been ranked
#3 at the Taibah University (#1 in Dentistry) and
ranked #230 among all the Saudi Arabia
researchers (#2 in Dentistry). -PR

Dr Arshad thanks President
ICD for heartfelt sympathy

I

SLAMABAD - Dr Arshad
Malik, Vice President,
Section
X V,
International College of
Dentists (ICD), recently
acknowledged Dato' Dr
How Kim Chuan,
President, Section XV, ICD,
for his heartfelt consolation.
Prof. Chuan has recently
sent a condolence letter and
flowers to Dr Arshad Mehmood
Malik on the demise of his
mother. Dr Malik was
grateful for his fellow
feeling and said, "I
would like to thank
Prof. Dato' Dr How
Kim Chuan, President
Section XV, ICD, on behalf
of ICD Section XV and Prof.
Dr Nauman Khan, Deputy
Regent Pakistan, ICD, for the heartfelt condolence
letters and beautiful flowers expressing solidarity and
sharing my grief of the loss of my great mother. I
truly appreciate your kind expression of sympathy in
this time of sorrow." -PR

DUHS accords its first PhD
degree to Dr Ambrina Qureshi

K

ARACHI - The Dow University of Health
Sciences (DUHS), Karachi, recently
awarded its 1st PhD Degree in Dentistry to
Prof. Dr Ambrina Qureshi in the speciality of
Community Dentistry after the approval from the
Boards of Advanced Sciences and Research, DUHS.

Photo:
DT Pakistan

Prof. Dr Ambrina Qureshi publicly defended her
PhD thesis under a team of supervisors including
Prof. Dr Syed Akhtar Hussain Bokhari, Community
Dentistry Specialist, Prof. Dr Zeba Haque,
Biochemistry Specialist and Prof. Dr Akhtar Ali
Baloch, Endocrinology Specialist. The topic of her
thesis was 'Glycemic Control in Type-2 Diabetes
Mellitus patients through Non-Surgical Periodontal
Therapy- A Three-Arm Randomized Clinical Trial'.
International reviewers evaluated her thesis. After
that, she was assessed by two PhD specialists of
Community Dentistry and one examiner of Public
Health, namely Prof. Dr Muhammad Khalil from
Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Dr Farooq Ahmed
Chaudhry from Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences
and Prof. Zafar Hydri from DUHS.
She was declared successful on June 12, 2021.
During her coursework, she scored the highest GPA
in Biostatistics. -PR

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NEWS

8 DENTAL TRIBUNE Pakistan Edition NOV-DEC 2021

IADSR provides hands-on workshop Students benefit from a two-day
perio-implant master class
on TMJ disorders and splints
AHORE - Institute of Advanced Dental Sciences and

L

AHORE - Institute
of Advanced Dental
Sciences and
Research (IADSR) recently
conducted a one-day
w o r k s h o p
o n
'Tempromandibular Joint
Disorders (TMDs) and
Splints'.

space, overjet and overbite
in association with TMJ.
Furthermore, he elaborated
a detailed method of history
taking and assessment of
TMD patients. Participants
then perform history taking
along with physical
examinations on each other.

on articulated casts with
modelling wax. After the
hands-on, he explained
several areas related to
splints loosening and tests
for stabilization and types.
In the second half of the
class, Dr Toosy elaborated
various methods of pain
Photo:
DT Pakistan

D r Wa l e e d To o s y,
A s s i s t a n t P r o f e s s o r,
Prosthodontics, Avicenna
Dental College, expedited
the workshop. He began the
session with a booster lecture
on the anatomy and
physiology of the
Temporomandibular Joint
(TMJ) with a particular focus
on its muscular and ligament
attachments. He discussed
several mechanisms like
mouth opening, freeway

In addition, he elucidated the
classification of TMDs along
with radiographical and
clinical methods used for
their diagnosis and treatment
planning.
To make the session more
interactive, Dr Toosy, after
giving a comprehensive
lecture on the utility of splint
therapy with TMDs,
demonstrated and equipped
participants to fabricate
anterior and posterior splints

management caused by
TMDs, comprising a range
of approaches from patient
education to the use of the
occlusal appliance and from
exercises to medications.
He concluded the session
with a short quiz comprising
cases for which participants
made diagnoses and
treatment plans. The session
ended with the adequate
achievement of learning
objectives. -PR

HITEC-IMS conducts Basic Life
Support training for faculty

T

AXILA - The Faculty Development
Committee at Dental College,
HITEC Institute of Medical
Sciences recently organised a two-day Basic
Life Support (BLS) Workshop, which was
mandatory for all faculty members.

in BLS and chocking management
according to American Heart Association
(AHA) guidelines for Adults, Children &
Infants.
BLS has been one of the essential skills
for which every health care worker should

L

Research (IADSR) recently conducted the tenth session
of 'Professional Diploma in Periodontology and Oral
Implantology', which was comprised of the 2-day
workshop.

Photos:
DT Pakistan

Dr Muhammad Haseeb, Assistant Professor, University Of
Lahore; Dr Myra Ahmed, Assistant Professor, Lahore Medical
& Dental College; and Dr Zubair Ahmed Khan, Assistant
Professor, FMH College of Medicine and Dentistry, Lahore,
facilitated the workshop.
Workshop Day 1: Dr Zubair commenced the day with a
detailed and interactive lecture session on 'Full-arch
Rehabilitation with Dental Implants' scoping from treatment
planning to prosthodontic restoration. The first-hand clinical
cases were analyzed and discussed with the participants in
order to give them a didactic and pragmatic experience.
Moreover, the students were made to perform exercises of
diagnosing clinical cases and enumerating the possible treatment
approaches. Dr Haseeb then took on the day and concluded
it by giving an overview of 'Digital Dentistry' across the globe
in Oral Implantology.
Workshop Day 2: The second day was focused on the clinical
work of the patients facilitated and rehabilitated by participants
under direct supervision.
Four implants were successfully placed by guided implant
surgery in one clinic, whereas free gingival grafting was
performed in the other clinic. Moreover, several impressions
were also taken of the implant cases done at the beginning of
this 9-month long course.
The workshop was concluded with an hour-long session of
reflections during which participants shared their experiences
and got their relevant queries addressed. -PR

Dow Dental College promotes
oral health at local school

K

ARACHI - Department of Community Dentistry at
Dow Dental College (DDC)recently arranged an oral
health promotion visit to Government Boys Secondary
School Kotwal building (GBSS).
Community outreach programs to primary and secondary
schools are a great way to educate and engage youth on the
Photos:
DT Pakistan

Photos:
DT Pakistan

Dr Zeeshan Baig, Assistant Professor,
Frontier Medical & Dental College
(FMDC), Abbottabad, led the hands-on
training program on BLS. Dr Zeeshan Baig
has been a certificated BLS trainer of Life
Savers Foundation Pakistan, Islamabad.
A comprehensive lecture followed by a
hands-on drill on dummies was carried out.
Forty-four faculty members were trained

be trained. Dr Mudassir Saleem, Head of
Faculty Development Committee, has been
actively involved in the program and
conducting workshops on a regular basis
and aims to continue to do so in the future.
At the end of the second day, Prof. Dr
Irfan Shah, Principal, Dental College,
HITEC-IMS, handed the certificate and
shield to Dr Zeeshan Baig. -PR

importance of oral hygiene practices. In pursuit of this goal,
forty-eight third-year dental students from DDC visited GBSS
under the supervision of Dr Muhammad Taqi, Assistant
Professor, DDC, Dr Adnan Sukkarwallah, Assistant Professor,
DDC, Dr Babar Zia, Dr Mona Shah and Dr Amber Saeed.
Continued on Page 11

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NEWS

NOV-DEC 2021 Pakistan Edition DENTAL TRIBUNE 9

BUMDC highlights Cerebral Palsy
in poster competition

K

ARACHI - The
Department of
Community &
Preventive Dentistry, Bahria
University Medical & Dental
College (BUMDC), Karachi,
recently organised a poster
competition to highlight the
dental diseases commonly
found in Cerebral Palsy (CP)
children.
Cerebral palsy is attributed to
a group of disorders that affect
muscle movement and
coordination. It also affects
vision, hearing, and sensation.
Cerebral palsy children are one
example of a disadvantaged
population in Pakistan.
Vice Admiral (R) Khalid
Amin HI (M), Director General,
BUMDC, and Dr Wahab
Buksh Kadri, Principal,
BUMDC, graced the event with
his presence. Moreover, Prof.
Syed Ahmed Omar, Head of
Dental Materials Department,
BUMDC and Dr Kiran Bana,
Assistant Professor, BUMDC,
was invited to judge the
competition.
The Health Care Professional
(HCP) team of the department
supervised the students in
designing their posters. The
HCP team comprises Prof

L

University College of
Dentistry enlightens patients
about sensitive teeth

L

AHORE - The Department of Community
and Preventive Dentistry, University College
of Dentistry (UCD), Lahore, recently arranged
the event titled "Season's Greetings" in collaboration
with Martin Dow under strict COVID-19 SOPs at
the University Dental Hospital, The University of
Lahore.
Photos:
DT Pakistan

Kulsoom Fatima Rizvi, VicePrincipal & Head of
Community Dentistry
Department, BUMDC, Dr
Maria Moin, Assistant
Professor, BUMDC, Dr
Mohsin Haider, Senior lecturer,
BUMDC and Dr Hajra Asghar,
Lecturer, BUMDC. Further, Mr
Qadeer Ahmed Tunio helped
the HCP team to arrange the
venue for the competition.
Students were divided into
four groups, presenting a dental
disease commonly found in
Cerebral palsy children. The
posters highlighted the
information about the disease's
etiological, risk factors and
preventive measures. The

Photos: DT Pakistan

emphasis was more on oral
hygiene practices such as
meticulous tooth brushing
techniques, types of
toothbrushes, and mouth rinses
helpful in CP.
At the end of every
presentation, there was a
question, and answer session
by the judges and students were
able to answer all questions
effortlessly. Judges found all
the posters commendable and
rated them based on the
presenter's poster title, content,
pictures, graphics, and
presentation style. Students
were also given certificates
according to the position
secured by them. -PR

UCMD holds introductory seminar
on fillers and botox usage in dentistry

AHORE - The Department of
Preventive and Dental Public Health,
University College of Medicine and
Dentistry (UCMD), University of Lahore,
recently arranged a seminar titled, 'From Filling
the Teeth to Filling the Cheeks: Introduction to
Fillers and Botox in the Scope of Dentistry' for
the fresh dental graduates.
Dr Arooj ul Hassan, Head of Preventive and
Dental Public Health Department, UCMD, and
his team organised a seminar to address this
amalgamation of fields. They invited Prof. Dr
Atif Kazmi, Professor and Head of Dermatology
Department, The University of Lahore Teaching
Hospital, Lahore, to introduce some novel
procedures to the young dentists.
Dr Muhammad Hassan, Head of Dental
Materials Department, UCMD, Lahore, started
the session with his lecture on the direct
relationship between oral and general health.
Afterwards, Prof. Dr Atif Kazmi took the
stage and explained the various skin problems
that come with age and their management using

Photo: DT Pakistan

fillers and botox. He emphasised when and not
the treatment of this proportion was necessary.
From the types of fillers and botox to their
application methodology to the possible side
effects of the therapy, Prof. Kazmi introduced
the concept in his lecture and concluded with
a Question-Answer session.
In the end, Prof. Dr Rehan Qamar, Principal,
UCMD, thanked Prof. Kazmi and lauded the
organisers' efforts. He presented the certificate
of appreciation to Prof Kazmi. -PR

The department conducted the event after the weekly
clinicopathological conference. The topic of the
discussion was as per the activity to raise awareness
about dental health problems and their management.
Prof. Dr Rehan Qamar, Principal, UCD and Dr Zahid
Pervaiz, Medical Superintendent, The University Of
Lahore Teaching Hospital, Lahore, adorned the event
with their presence. The senior faculty of UCD also
participated in the activity, including Dr Arooj ul
Hassan, Dr Aqil Malik and Dr Muhammad Hassan,
Dr Muhmmad Haseeb and Dr Adeel Haider.
University Dental Hospital decided to welcome the
patients with more than smiles on the event day. They
deliberately served fresh and cold fruits to them on
their arrival.
The activity aimed to raise awareness regarding
sensitivity and tooth decay in patients. More than 200
people participated in the event, including students
and patients. The participants were asked about
sensitivity or pain in their teeth due to the cold or
sweet. Students then informed patients about the
possible causes of pain and sensitivity of teeth with
their treatment and prevention. Representatives of
Martin Dow distributed oral health products amongst
the participants.
Sensitivity in teeth is one of the patients' most
common presenting complaints at the Dental Hospital,
University of Lahore. The problem can be related to
different causes, including tooth decay and poor oral
hygiene. Prevention of these factors can be the best
way to avoid sensitivity entirely.
Dr Rehan and Dr Zahid Pervaiz were appreciative
of the coordinators of the event. They explained the
importance of such events to improve the patient
experience and morale of the faculty members. -PR

[10] => DTI-PDF Nov-Dec 21.FH10

NEWS

10 DENTAL TRIBUNE Pakistan Edition NOV-DEC 2021
By Dental Tribune International

O

TS JAPAN - In the largest
study of its kind, researchers
in Japan have analysed
glycaemic control and natural tooth
retention to investigate the association
between the two. They have
uncovered evidence that people with
higher haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)
levels and elevated fasting plasma
glucose (FPG) levels, indices of poor
glycaemic control, have poorer tooth
retention.
Speaking to Dental Tribune
International, Dr Katsutaro Morino,
one of the researchers and an assistant
professor in the Division of
D i a b e t o l o g y, E n d o c r i n o l o g y,
Nephrology and Neurology at Shiga
University of Medical Science, said:
"There have already been many
reports on the relationship between
diabetes and periodontal disease and
the risk of tooth loss. We wanted to
identify who are suitable subjects for
an intervention. We thought it would
be important to analyse data obtained
from the real world with relatively
large numbers to clarify the impact of
fasting glucose and HbA1c levels on
tooth loss among multiple age
groups."
For their large-scale study, the
researchers employed the medical
records and information from health

Poor glycaemic control
results in tooth loss in
middle age, study finds

In a recent Japanese study, a continuous relationship between poor glycaemic
control and tooth loss across each age group, from 20 to 70 years of age, was
found. (Image: girl-think-position/Shutterstock)

insurance claims of 233,567 patients
between 2015 and 2016. They split
the patients, who were between 20
and 70 years old, into five ten-year
age groups and then assigned them to
five groups based on their HbA1c
levels and three groups according to
their FPG levels. The researchers then
compared the number of natural teeth
between the groups.
They found that, compared with

patients with normal FPG levels,
people with impaired fasting glucose
levels were already at risk of fewer
teeth between 40 and 69 years of age.
Regarding the results, Dr Morino and
his division colleague Prof. Hiroshi
Maegawa highlighted that at-risk
patients who smoked negatively
impacted their likelihood of tooth
retention. Additionally, they advised
that those diagnosed with diabetes or

prediabetes should improve their
glycaemic control and undergo regular
dental check-ups and that patients
with high blood glucose levels should
look to preventive oral care to protect
against tooth loss. In another study
using the same data, the high HbA1c
group, which corresponded to HbA1c
> 7%, showed a lower retention rate
regarding many tooth types, especially
molars.
Commenting on how dentists can
best implement the findings into their
clinical practice, Dr Morino noted:
"Since this is a cross-sectional study,
caution must be exercised in
interpreting causality. However, I
believe that the importance of smoking
cessation has been reaffirmed, as
lifestyle improvement and oral care
with awareness of blood glucose
control are necessary from a young
age to prevent tooth loss. I am
convinced that collaboration between
dentistry and internal medicine will
lead to the prevention of mutual
diseases and improvement of quality
of life."
The study, titled "Glycemic control
and number of natural teeth: Analysis
of cross-sectional Japanese
employment-based dental insurance
claims and medical check-up data",
was published on 28 August 2021 in
Diabetology International, ahead of
inclusion in an issue.

Study shows how remote monitoring
can reduce orthodontic check-up frequency

D

By Brendan Day
Dental Tribune International

UBAI, UAE/SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA One of the most notable trends in dentistry
in 2021 has been the continued rise in
popularity of remotely monitored orthodontics.
New technologies have emerged that allow
orthodontic patients to scan their own dentition
and send the resulting images to a dental
professional in lieu of a physical check-up. A study
has now found that combining clear aligners with
a popular remote monitoring tool could significantly
reduce the number of in-person visits an orthodontic
patient needs-without compromising the treatment
outcome.
The research was conducted by researchers at
the UAE's European University College in
partnership with Dr Vandana Katyal, an Australian
orthodontist in private practice. The overarching
purpose of the study was to measure the effect of
pairing a course of Invisalign clear aligner treatment
with the DentalMonitoring remote monitoring tool,
which employs artificial intelligence.
A sample group of 90 clear aligner patients at Dr

A recent study has shown that a popular remote
monitoring tool could be used to reduce the number of
in-person visits and total treatment time required by
orthodontic patients. (Image: Ancapital/Shutterstock)

Katyal's practice were selected for the study. Half
of these patients underwent their scheduled
treatment with the assistance of the
DentalMonitoring software and saw the orthodontist
for an in-person appointment once every 16 weeks
on average; the other half formed a control group
that generally saw Dr Katyal once every six to
eight weeks. In accordance with the pre-established
protocol, the control group changed aligners once
every seven days. Although the same was

recommended to the DentalMonitoring group, the
authors noted that "this recommendation was
dynamic", since "the software instructed the patient
whether or not to proceed with the next aligner or
continue with the same aligner".
Analysis of the overall results indicated that the
average time to first refinement for the
DentalMonitoring group was 1.7 months shorter
than that of the control group and that there was
no clinically important difference in the tooth
movement achieved. "A possible explanation for
this finding could be the more frequent and proactive
monitoring" offered by the DentalMonitoring
software, the authors noted.
The average total treatment time for patients in
the DentalMonitoring group was also less than that
for the control group, 12.2 months compared with
14.0 months. In addition, patients in the
DentalMonitoring group had an average of 3.5
fewer in-person appointments than the control
group had over the treatment duration-a finding
that was primarily a function of the "increased
monitoring and communication with patients"
enabled by the software, the authors remarked.
Continued on Page 11

[11] => DTI-PDF Nov-Dec 21.FH10

NOV-DEC 2021 Pakistan Edition DENTAL TRIBUNE 11

SSCMS promotes new
implant in workshop

K

ARACHI - The Continuing Dental
Education (CDE) Department of Sir Syed
College of Medical Sciences (SSCMS)
recently organised an implant workshop
collaborating with the ImplantSwiss company.

Photo: DT Pakistan

Dr Syed Ali Raza & Dr Hamid Baig Mirza were
the chief organisers of the program. Prof. HR Sukhia,
Principal Dental College, SSCMS and Dr Ajeet
Kumar Rathi, Head of Oral Surgery Department,
SSCMS, led the workshop.
On occasion, Dr Ajeet highlighted the benefits
of oral implants and their effect in modern clinical
practice. He stressed the impact of oral implants in
addressing the concerns of missing teeth in dental
patients and the rising demand for implants in both
the public and private sectors. He also emphasised
the proper case selection and knowledge of oral
surgical procedures during the discussions. The
dental faculty and final year BDS students actively
participated in the lectures and hands-on workshop.
Certificate distribution ceremony followed the
workshop. Dr Syed Ali Raza and Dr Hamid Baig
Mirza acknowledged the efforts of ImplantSwiss
Company in promoting the new oral implant. The
SSCMS admin greatly appreciated the department's
efforts in promoting the latest technology to the
faculty and students. -PR

Sir Syed College hosts
farewell to dental students

K

ARACHI - Sir Syed College of Medical
Sciences (SSCMS) recently gave a farewell
to their 2021-22 graduating dental batch.
The occasion celebrated the good academic times
and honoured the hard-working students as they
reached their goal of becoming professional dentists.

Prof. HR Sukhia, Principal Dental College,
SSCMS, and admin greatly appreciated the efforts
of the dental students and wished them the best in
their future endeavours.
Prof. Sukhia & the dental faculty photographed
with the final year dental students at the farewell
party-themed 'Halloween'. Students were dressed
up in their spookiest costumes. -PR

Prof. Ihsane Ben Yahya ...
Continued from page 2

improve oral health literacy globally. So, she
encouraged us to celebrate with them on March
20.
She concluded by saying, " It is a heavy
responsibility that I promise to assume with all
the due ethics, values, and integrity. I look
forward to working with you and thank you
again for the trust you have placed in me and
for handover the torch to Africa. I will not let
you down."
Professor Ben Yahya has been an FDI Council
member since 2013 and has been the Dean of
the Dental Faculty at the Mohammed VI
University of Health Science, Casablanca,
Morrocco. She has also worked in various
committees, commissions, juries, and boards

Interview with

Dr Howard Farran
Continued from page 4

throughout her career in dentistry.
was 20-year-old information. Now a kid can go
to Wikipedia, and it's 75 million pages long for
free, all instantly updated.
The century that started in 2007 to 2021 will be
human's finest century because we've all known
what was wrong.
I think it's going to change all the fields. If
you can look at the pandemic when that
coronavirus came out, all those amazing studies
were flying around the internet even before they
got published. In the old days, it might take a
year or two for them to publish it. Then, you'd
have to subscribe to an expensive journal, and
now people like you are saying, "Oh, they're
not going to publish, yeah but I'll send it to you",
and then you send it to her and eventually a
million dentists are reading it. It's levelled the
plainfield in religion, politics, business
everybody's on the same platform and
information, and knowledge is zero cost. Now
a patient listening, "I'm a dentist, and you're
not", doesn't fly anymore because now your
patient can get on the iPhone and be worried
about root canals.
Being a podcaster and interviewing hundreds
of people, what was one thing that you have
learnt from those conversations?
What I love the most is every dentist is willing
to share. I feel like I'm in an exceptional club.
I contacted Stephen Cohen, the author of
Pathways of the pulp, the number 1 selling root
canal book of all time. He was ready to go right
then.
Moreover, I remember when I called Dr Carl
Misch, a great Implantologist, he was dying of
cancer. He had chemotherapy, throwing up, and
still put on a suit and showered and died shortly
after the interview. You know, just a while longer,
he still wanted to help the young kids place their
first implant to the day he died.
The only value of knowledge is transferring
it, and I think the podcast transferred it well.
When you reach my age, the best thing to do is
transfer all this knowledge to the new graduating
class.

Your message to our readers especially young
dental graduates?
Just remember that one should start networking
during dental school. People trust only those
who they meet regularly or know. If you were
going to learn karate, why don't you go to Bruce
Lee's house and have Bruce Lee teach you how
to do karate? Instead, we know from the guy
across the street only because he's reliable and
approachable.
Also, keep on working, generating energy,
learning and treating patients. Keep working
hard every day because success is a marathon;
it's not a sprint. If you keep working hard every
day, help people the way you want them to help
you, then life's great.

Dr Zohaib becomes member ...
Continued from page 06

Moreover, he recently ranked #7 for his citations
at King Faisal University, according to AD
Scientific Index 2021. -PR

Dow Dental College promotes ...
Continued from page 8

This visit aimed to screen and spread oral
hygiene awareness among school children aged
11-14 years. Children received intra-oral
examination, and their subsequent dental disease
profile was documented, including dental caries,
staining, and calculus. They were mainly
educated on developing healthy oral hygiene
practices such as regular dental checkups, tooth
brushing and flossing, and correct techniques.
Additionally, a dental kit was given to each child
to encourage the implementation of the
aforementioned oral hygiene skills.
School visits have been a simple, accessible,
and effective way to introduce oral health
education, which in turn helped develop healthy
habits within the community from an early age.
Conducting regular visits help reduce the overall
cost of dental care and dentistry-related
morbidities.-PR

Study shows how remote ...
Continued from page 10

"This study is the first to focus on the clinical
application and performance of remote
monitoring, and several limitations are
apparent," the authors wrote in their conclusion.
Among these limitations were the inherent bias
due to the study's retrospective nature, the
question of its external validity given that it
was conducted entirely in one private dental
practice and the consideration that the
DentalMonitoring software, by requiring
patients to take regulars scans of their
orthodontic progress, could be viewed as a
form of reminder therapy, "which has been
shown to be effective at improving
compliance," the authors explained. "Therefore,
additional studies are required to support our
findings."
The study, titled "Outcomes of clear aligner
treatment with and without Dental Monitoring:
A retrospective cohort study", was published
in the April 2021 issue of the American Journal
of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics.

[12] => DTI-PDF Nov-Dec 21.FH10

NEWS

12 DENTAL TRIBUNE Pakistan Edition NOV-DEC 2021

Perio Master Clinic 2022
conference to be held in Mexico

By Dental Tribune International

USSELS, BELGIUM - The European
Federation of Periodontology (EFP) is
currently making the final preparations for
International Perio Master Clinic 2022, which will
take place in León in Mexico on 25 and 26 February.

The main focus of the congress will be soft- and hard-tissue
regeneration. (Image: Dental Pro Content/Shutterstock)

The conference is another step in the EFPs
continued work towards improving the quality of
education for dentists around the world. This will be
the first time that the clinical expertise and handson approach of the Perio Master Clinic will be brought
to the American continent.
The programme will feature
nine sessions focusing on current
and future challenges in hardand soft-tissue aesthetic
rehabilitation around teeth and
dental implants. Speakers from
Mexico, elsewhere in Latin
America, and the US will share
Prof. Lior Shapira.
(Image: EFP)
their expertise with small
audiences in order to enhance the learning experience
of attendees.
Dr Alejandro García, chair of the Perio Master
Clinic 2022 and former president of the EFP-affiliated
Mexican Association of Periodontology, commented
in a press release: At the Mexican Association of
Periodontology, we are proud and delighted to
welcome all dental practitioners interested in
improving their skills in the fascinating area of tissue
regeneration to attend this unprecedented event next
February in our country. We have been working
jointly with the EFP for two years in preparing this
world-class conference.
He added: León is a very well-connected city in
the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, close to
major touristic and historic sites such as Guanajuato
City and San Miguel de Allende. Our attendees can
easily reach León by plane, via its international
airport, or by car, thanks to an extensive road
network.
Prof. Lior Shapira, president of the EFP, said: We
are excited [ ] to have succeeded in making
International Perio Master Clinic 2022 the first major
dental event in the region after the worst outbursts
of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we celebrate the first
30 years of the EFP after its foundation in 1991, we
remain committed to a global approach to
periodontology, and consider this conference a major
step forward in our mission of promoting periodontal
health for a better life everywhere.
To register for International Perio Master Clinic
2022 or to find further information, please visit the
dedicated section in the EFP website.

New study explains link between
obesity and periodontal disease
By Iveta Ramonaite
Dental Tribune International

UFFALO, N.Y., U.S. In a new study,
researchers sought to
gain a deeper understanding
of the link between obesity
and periodontal disease. They
found that being overweight
causes chronic inflammation,
and this may trigger the
development of cells that
break down the bone
responsible for holding the
teeth in place. The researchers
believe that the findings may
help
improve
the
understanding of certain
chronic inflammatory bonerelated diseases that develop
alongside obesity, including
common comorbidities such
as periodontal disease, arthritis
and osteoporosis.
It is well documented that
bone loss is closely connected
to periodontal disease and may
lead to edentulism. Dental
Tribune International has also
reported on studies that found
a link between periodontal
disease and oral cancer,
preterm delivery and
Alzheimer's disease. The
disease can be costly, both
financially and in terms of the
human cost.
According to the Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention, periodontal
disease affects approximately
half of adults aged 30 years
and older in the U.S., and the
U.S obesity prevalence
reached 42.2% between 2017
and 2018. Obesity and
periodontal disease are some
of the most common
noncommunicable diseases in
the U.S., and the correlation
between the two conditions
has been confirmed in some
previous studies. However, the
link between obesity and
periodontal disease is still
poorly understood, and the
present study sought to
provide some insight into the
mechanisms that underpin the
link.
In the study, researchers
from the University at Buffalo

According to a recent study, obesity may lead to the
development of periodontal disease owing to an increased
number of cells that initiate bone degradation around teeth.
(Image: TANAPAT LEK.JIW/Shutterstock)

in New York state examined
two groups of mice who
received distinct diets over the
course of 16 weeks. According
to the study, the first group
was fed a low-fat diet that
derived 10% of energy from
fat, whereas the second group
followed a high-fat diet
that drew 45% of energy from
fat.

of oral biology in the
University of Buffalo (UB)
School of Dental Medicine,
said in a press release:
"Although there is a clear
relationship between the degree
of obesity and periodontal
disease, the mechanisms that
underpin the links between
these conditions were not
completely understood."

A graphic demonstrating the link between obesity and
increased bone loss around teeth. (Image: Keith Kirkwood)

The researchers later
reported that the group that
was fed a high-fat diet
experienced obesity, higher
levels of inflammation and a
greater increase of myeloidderived suppressor cells
(MDSCs) in the bone marrow
and spleen compared with the
low-fat diet group.
Additionally, the high-fat
group lost more alveolar bone
and had an increased gene
expression tied to osteoclast
formation as well as
significantly more osteoclasts,
which break down bone tissue.
Commenting on the findings,
Dr. Keith Kirkwood, professor

Dr. Kyuhwan Kwack, who
is a postdoctoral associate in
the UB Department of Oral
Biology, added: "This research
promotes the concept that
MDSC expansion during
obesity to become osteoclasts
during periodontitis is tied to
increased alveolar bone
destruction. Taken together,
this data supports the view that
obesity raises the risk of
periodontal bone loss."
The study, titled "Novel
preosteoclast populations in
obesity-associated periodontal
disease," was published online
on Oct. 12, 2021, in the
Journal of Dental Research.

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[cover] => DT Pakistan No. 6, 2021

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