Jeffrey B. Dalin, DDS
As practicing dentists, we know the importance of continuing education. Many of our state dental licenses have this as a requirement.
In the past, you had to close down your office and travel to a lecture to obtain CE credits. Then, articles began to appear in magazines that would earn you an hour or two of credit if you would read them and take a written examination.
With the ever-growing World Wide Web, there is a plethora of CE sites in cyberspace, just waiting for you to visit; read, listen, or view; and learn. You are able to access this information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from your office, home, or anywhere else with a computer. You can`t get any more convenient than this! And, since you don`t have to close down your office and miss that productive time, the cost-savings to you are enormous.
Let`s explore some of these sites:
Rdental -
www.rdental.com:
This is one of cyberspace`s premium dental continuing-education sites. You can watch your lecturer give his or her presentation on streaming video. These lectures are interactive - you can click on links that apply to products being discussed and visit Web sites dedicated to those products. You then can return to the presentation right where you left off.
Dental Quest -
www.dentalquest. org:
This site shows lectures in PowerPoint format with simultaneous streaming audio.
IDF CE -
idf.stat.com/ce:
This site from Internet Dental Forum uses streaming video to show presentations given at its conferences.
The following sites are dental e-zines, or places on the Internet where you can read articles. Many will get you CE credit:
Go Dent:
www.goDent.com
CEPH Cont Ed:
www.cephonline. com
Dental Didactics:
www.dental didactics.com
Dental Xchange:
www.dentalx change.com
Dental Angle:
www.dentalangle. com
Dental Care:
www.dentalcare.com
Dental Economics/PennWell Corp.:
www.net32.com
Dental Webpreneur:
www.dental icon.com/webpreneur
The following sites allow you to search for lectures being given on specific subjects and in specific geographic locations:
Dentaltown:
www.dentaltown.com
Sybertooth:
www.sybertooth.com
Dental Courses:
www.dental courses.com
Dental CE:
www.dental
continuinged.com
And, of course, you can find many of the excellent dental teaching institutes with online presences:
Clinical Research Associates:
www.cranews.com
Pankey Institute:
www.pankey.org
Las Vegas Institute:
www.lvilive. com
PAC Live:
www.paclive.com
Accelerated Dental Learning Center:
www.accelerateddental.com
Seattle Institute:
www.seattle
institute.com
Experdent:
www.experdent.com
Dawson Center:
www.dawson center.com
All dental schools have excellent Web sites to visit, as do most dental organizations. Many dental manufacturers have excellent Web sites with good educational material for dentists and their staffs.
Everyone knows how expensive it is to close down your office and travel to another city to attend continuing-education courses, so start getting your continuing education over the Internet. You now can get lectures, articles, discussion groups, and electronic journals.
Imagine the convenience of doing your learning when you have some free time. You will be able to save this information and review it whenever it is needed.
The possibilities are limitless. One day, you will be able to observe clinical procedures and have one-on-one discussions with clinicians as they perform their magic. We are just beginning to scratch the surface of what can be done in cyberspace.
Jeffrey B. Dalin, DDS, FACD, FAGD, practices general dentistry in St. Louis. He also is the editor of St. Louis Dentistry Magazine and spokesperson and critical-issue-response-team chairperson for the Greater St. Louis Dental Society. His address on the Internet is www.dfdasmiles.com. Contact him by e-mail at [email protected], by phone at (314) 567-5612, or fax at (314) 567-9047.
