The FEPPD came up with the idea of informing the European dental patient of the exclusive role this profession holds in the dental occupational group, as the manufacturer of all forms of custom-made dental appliances.
What is the role of the dental technician, or technologist as they are known locally?
The dental technologist is part of the dental team, in the technical role of transforming a prescription issued by a dental practitioner and constructing a custom made dental device for the individual dental patient. Alternatively, he services devices in use through repairing and altering as required. A Dental technologist may also manufacture specific appliances.These devices may be for example orthodontic braces, fixed or removable, meant to align the patient’s teeth in their proper positions. As well as functional appliances, constructed to improve occlusion and complicated jaw positions after surgery.
In addition, removable dentures in acrylic or chrome cobalt, replacing partially or totally lost teeth in the oral cavity, to help the dental patient regain his original mastication and speech phonetics. Furthermore, fixed crowns and bridge work in a wide variety of materials and techniques including implants. These devices serve to preserve the oral tissue in the best condition possible. The dental Technologist also has a role in maxillofacial restoration, more precisely in reconstructing faces damaged by disease or accidents.
Education and status of the profession
Within a scientific background, the profession requires a high element of manual dexterity and an eye for detail, including IT knowledge to keep abreast of the modern technological innovations in our field.
Regulation of the profession
As manufacturers of custom made dental devices, dental technicians are obliged to coincide with the Medical Devices Regulation, presently in transition from the Medical Devices Directive.
Scope of the Dental Technician’s Day event
The FEPPD decided to launch this event, using it as a means of raising awareness to expose the profession of the dental technician in its proper status, the legal standing and the services they provide in favor of the dental patient.
The scope of practice of a dental technologist differs from that of a Dentist/Dental Surgeon as one is laboratory based while the other is clinically based. A dental technologist is not a dentist, however together they strive to produce the best possible solutions for the patient’s aesthetic and functional requirements. Communication between both practitioners is essential to allow the best possible evaluation of information about the end-users’ needs.
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