ADI Mentor Register

The importance of mentoring came to the attention of the ADI as a result of a questionnaire to members conducted in 2005. The results of the survey indicated an obvious demand for mentoring by ADI members looking to further their implant training. Very little was being offered through any of the established providers.

It was also apparent that many experienced members already involved in implant mentoring were willing to participate in an ADI initiative to increase access for mentees throughout the UK. It appeared to be timely for the ADI to take a more active role in putting the two groups in touch with each other.

Over 70 mentors are now listed on the ADI Register from all regions of the UK and new mentors are being added to the register once they have complete the application and and mentor training requirements.

Each mentor can be searched by region, by aspects of implantology skills (surgical and or restorative) and the range of systems available to be mentored in.

ADI Role

The ADI is neither recommending nor appointing mentors specifically.

The ADI is providing a regional list of members who have satisfied application criteria to be listed on a register.

The ADI is acting as a facilitator to enable members who wish to pass on their knowledge and clinical expertise to members who wish to extend their knowledge in dental implants.

The ADI is not involved in any financial relationships between mentor and mentee.

The ADI is not involved in any individual contract between mentor and mentee.

The ADI does not accept responsibility for the action or lack of it by mentor/mentee during the clinical activity provided by the qualified practitioners on the ADI register.

The payment of a fee either directly (by a patient and/or mentee) or indirectly (benefits) implies an agreement to carry out a task role and accountability for performance to a given standard (duty of care) which necessitates the monitoring of the standard of that performance which will be recorded and documented within the Implant Learning Portfolio, maintained by the learner and informed by the feedback and interactions between the mentor and mentee.

The mentee's work, while the mentor is present, is the responsibility of the mentor and mentee and not the ADI.

The launch of the ADI Mentor Register comes at a time when the GDC is now actively recognising the importance of mentoring. See: "Doing implants? Make sure you’re up to scratch, warns GDC" and the GDC's Policy Statement on Implantology.

The recently revised “Training Standards in Implant Dentistry” document stating that “before undertaking implant treatment, a dentist should be familiar with the procedures involved in clinical assessment, treatment planning, and the placement and restoration of implants in conjunction with an experienced implant clinician acting as a mentor, as part of a training course in implant dentistry”, further endorses the importance of the role mentoring.

ADI membership is required for access to the ADI Mentor Register.

Mentoring in Implant Dentistry - Professional Indemnity

One of the recurring themes of the growing number of cases involving implant dentistry, is that of dentists getting into some kind of difficulty, and not having the skills or experience to recover the situation. Sometimes the dentists concerned do not recognise the difficulty they are in until it is too late.

Having access to experienced colleagues can help us to avoid problems, and can also help us to deal with unexpected complications and difficult situations when they do arise.

Becoming competent in implant dentistry will take time, effort and commitment and involve a lot of study. If it doesn’t, it invites the question of whether the course is too superficial.  In an ideal world, implant training should involve formal, structured training provided by acknowledged experts in the field, over an extended period of time (such as one to two years), and a period of mentoring (i.e. the ability to practise implant dentistry under both direct and indirect supervision, where help is readily at hand if you should need it). Dental Protection has published a Position Statement on dento-legal aspects of Mentoring arrangements, which is downloadable from www.dentalprotection.org.

In Dental Protection’s experience, Dental Councils in many parts of the world are becoming increasingly concerned when dentists undertake procedures for which they are not properly trained and competent, and this will often be regarded as an ethical issue and a matter of professional misconduct.

Kevin Lewis, Dental Director MPS

The Dental Defence Union (DDU) of which around a third of UK dentists are members, is the specialist dental division of the Medical Defence Union, the UK's largest medical defence organisation. A mutual, owned by its members, the DDU defends the professional reputations of members when their clinical performance or conduct is called into question. Our benefits of membership include insurance for claims of clinical negligence and a wide range of dento-legal advisory services, such as help with GDC disciplinary investigations and responding to patient complaints.

Another important part of the DDU's service is to provide members with general risk management guidance and with personal advice on specific dento-legal dilemmas through our 24-hour advisory helpline, helping them avoid risks and adverse incidents that may lead to a complaint or a claim. We believe mentoring schemes provide valuable help for dentists embarking upon implant treatment, enabling them to develop their professional skills through the support and guidance of an experienced colleague.

The ADI would like to acknowledge the advice and the support of Rupert Hoppenbrouwers, Head of  the DDU in the launch of its Mentor Register.