Trevor Brooker
The present study explored the role and the importance of emotional intelligence in modern dentistry. Generally, emotional intelligence is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in an effective and positive way, helping the individual to communicate better, reduce anxiety and stress, defuse conflicts, improve relationships, empathize with others, and effectively overcome life’s challenges. Emotional intelligence is important for dentists and their ability to stay cool under pressure without letting their emotions get the best of them. From the research, it emerged that EQ can be learned and improved with practice and training. In addition, the findings showed that EQ has 12 elements or competencies that are distributed among four main domains. One of the domains is self-awareness that enables one to recognize and appreciate the emotional state. The second domain is self-management that is comprised of four main elements, including emotional self-control, adaptability, achievement orientation, and positive outlook. The third domain is social awareness with two main competencies, including empathy and organizational awareness. Finally, the fourth domain identified from the findings is relationship management. The latter domain consists of five major elements, including influence, coaching and mentoring, conflict management, teamwork, and inspirational leadership. The identified assessments are critical to the holistic assessment of the individual’s EQ. The research concludes that EQ is essential in the dental practice because many of the patients are more educated and aware of the field and recent technologies. Even with evidence-based dentistry, it is still important to have a high EQ in order provide the best care for the patients. Diagnostic and working casts of the patient are made using alginate impression material. Dentures are fabricated on the cast after appropriate modification when required. Appropriate modifications include scoring away excess soft tissue thickness, creating a vestibule lingually as well as facially. These dentures will form the intraoperative guide as well as the stent for the vestibuloplasty procedure. Under general anaesthesia, an incision is made corresponding to the crest of the reconstructed neomandible. Full thickness mucoperiosteal flaps are elevated and subperiosteal dissection is carried out buccally as well as lingually to form buccal and lingual flaps. Subcutaneous 2nd International Conference on DENTAL & ORAL HEALTH November 26- 27, 2018 | Madrid, Spain Trevor Brooker Brooklands Technical College, UK fat is removed to thin the flaps. Implant osteotomies are made and tissue level implants are placed. The full thickness buccal flap is further dissected subperiosteally to gain sufficient mobility to be repositioned as the buccal/labial vestibule. The tip of the buccal flap forms the depth of the vestibular sulcus and is sutured corresponding to the depth either by suturing into the tissues or by transcutaneous sutures. A similar procedure is carried out on the lingual side. Figure 1 illustrates the surgical steps of the procedure. Postoperative medications consist of antibiotics (Amoxycillin per oral, 500 mg × 3 times a day) and analgesics (Paracetamol 650 mg × 3 times a day) for a period of 1 week. Chlorhexidine mouth wash is prescribed for a period of 2 weeks post op, followed by regular saline oral rinses. Patient is advised soft food for a period of three days followed by an unrestricted diet. Post operatively patient is advised not to remove the dentures till the next appointment 1 week later. Thorough oral hygiene measures are advised. After the first week, the patient is taught to remove, clean and refit the denture back in place. Patient is followed up weekly for first 2 weeks, followed by fortnightly for the next 2 weeks followed by monthly visits. The tissue surface of the denture is modified if needed during the follow-up visits. Granulation tissue formation on the raw fibula bone is noticed starting as early as the first week and the fibula is completely covered in approximately month’s time. Between 1 and 6 months, the granulation tissue matures to form epithelium that further matures to form keratinized fixed epithelium. Six months following the implant placement the soft tissues would have undergone complete maturation. New definitive prosthesis is fabricated at this stage