Since Peter’s return to Otago, he has being studying stress – (amongst other things).

1. Are we creating a Super-Bug?

Whilst chemomechanically preparing infected root canals, are we inadvertently creating a stressed out, but alive and kicking Super-Bug? Calcium hydroxide is the most widely used medicament in endodontics & is a powerful antimicrobial agent. The survival strategies of bacteria are diverse and bacteria such as E.faecalis can adapt to the harsh alkaline environment created by a root canal therapy. Is it time to revisit the role of calcium hydroxide as a medicament and are there strategies to maximize its efficacy?

2. How Stressed are you as a Clinician?

A career in Dentistry is considered to be one of the most stressful health professions and dental students are under the most stress when learning new procedures.  Heart Rate levels were used as an effective way to quantify stress of both students & clinical tutors. Situations that caused extremely high stress were determined and strategies to make stress a positive, rather than a negative event were evaluated.  Learn how to accentuate the positive!

3. Clinical applications of Hydroxyapatite products.

There are a wide number of uses for hydroxyapatite-based products including: pulp capping, bone grafting, use in dental restorations & root canal sealers and as a remineralization agent in toothpastes. These products are often, however a low-cost method of production could lead to greater clinical uptake. The development and clinical uses of these new products will be presented.