Oral Health and Dental Management

“Fifty years at the ‘Coal Face’ – facing the challenges and cherishing the rewards”

4^th Asia Pacific Congress & Expo on Dental and Oral Health

July 27-29, 2015 Brisbane, Australia

Paul Gratiaen

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: Oral Health Dent Manag

Abstract:

Life is always full of challenges. Dentists are no exception. Challenges can make or break them. Challenges are opportunities in disguise, a great reservoir of learning, we should grasp them and ?manipulate? them to the advantage of both our clients/ patients and ourselves. The purpose of this talk is to: ? share my experiences (and the challenges I have faced) over the last 50 years, working in a number of developing countries (including in the pacific), and in the latter part of my career, working regularly with old, ill and frail patients (including cancer patients with poor prognosis); and ? outline what I see as the challenges going forward for dental healthcare both in Australia, and in our pacific neighbours.