The New Zealand Dental Association WE DON’T HAVE SHAREHOLDERS TO PLEASE. JUST YOU. No shareholders means we’re not going to push you into something you don’t need. Instead you can trust us to take the time to understand your unique situation, and only then offer recommendations on what we think is best for you. It’s the way we’ve always done it – for over 90 years. Talk to us today about becoming a Member.

Wellington Branch Monthly Newsletter

2014

Proudly supported by Medical Assurance Society MAS4107 MAS Shareholder A5_01.indd 1

25/03/13 4:47 PM

NZDA Wellington Branch Committee 2013

President TIFFANY LOGAN 387 9392 [email protected] Hon. Secretary GRAHAM SYMES Newsletter Editor 801 5551 [email protected] Hon. Treasurer ELIZABETH HITCHINGS 027 235 8224 [email protected] Consumer Affairs Officer ADRIAN TONG 476 7295 [email protected] Board Delegate WAYNE GILLINGHAM 021 240 0335 [email protected] Board Delegate DAVE EXCELL 562 7506 [email protected] Gpdp Co-Ordinator

OLIVER FERRY 472 7826 [email protected]

Committee Members



CARA WELCH 027 322 5172 [email protected]

MATTHEW WILLIAMS 472 3335 [email protected]

LAURENCE FISHER 920 0880 [email protected]

DAVID MCKELVEY 801 5551 [email protected]

COLIN WONG 232 8925 [email protected]

DAVID CORCORAN 4723102 [email protected]

Welfare Officer

Jeff Annan 472 5516 or 476 6088

ROGER BARNES 021 144 6723 [email protected]

NO COMMISSION MEANS WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU. NOT WHAT’S BEST FOR US. Unlike most other insurance companies, our advisers don’t earn commission on the products they sell. Instead we listen to the dreams and goals of our Members and only then recommend products that are appropriate for them, the way it should be. Talk to us today about becoming a Member.

[email protected]

Administrative Assistant SHARYN PICKARD 801 5551 [email protected]

MAS4107 MAS Commission A5_01.indd 1

12/11/12 3:21 PM

July Branch Meeting Wednesday 2nd July 2014 at

The Wellesley Club Maginnity St Wellington The presenter at the July Branch meeting will be: Assoc Prof Lt Col Darryl Tong RNZAMC Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, University of Otago

“100 Years On – War Surgery of the Face and Jaws’ Darryl Tong qualified in dentistry and medicine at the University of Otago and completed his specialty training in oral and maxillofacial surgery in Seattle, gaining a Master’s degree from the University of Washington in 1999. He has worked in Dunedin since returning to New Zealand and is an active teacher and researcher. His research interests include maxillofacial trauma and military surgery with an emphasis on ballistic trauma. He completed his PhD on war injuries of the face and jaws combining historical and evidence-based material alongside clinical material from his deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan. Darryl is active as a NZ Army Reserve Force officer and holds a number of appointments including Deputy Commanding Officer of 2HSB (NZ), Senior Medical Officer (Reserves) and is the Honorary Surgeon to His Excellency the Governor General of NZ.

The schedule for the evening will be:

6.00—6.15 6.15—7.15 7.15—7.30 7.30-

Pre-dinner drinks Dinner Branch meeting Presentation

Please RSVP to Sharyn on 801 5551 by 10.00am Monday 30th June if you would like to have a meal. The cost is $40. Meal orders will not be accepted after 10.00am Monday 30th June Due to the large number of members now attending the meetings but not having a meal, we would also like members to advise Sharyn if they will be attending the Presentation only so that adequate arrangements for seating may be made.

July 2014

From the President

Dr Tiff Logan President Wellington NZDA Presidents News 2014 July is nearly upon us. The long cold days are approaching quickly and I am hoping for snow. Then we can all have an excuse to huddle inside drinking " mulled wine " , as your husband has bought some seriously bad and cheap red. Anyway, President Business. The speaker for June , was enlightening. A new set of processes to look at , and some very interesting aspects of " problem solving " , when something doesn't go according to plan. It was important to meet some of the Practice Managers, as they are often dealing with these complaints. As you are all aware the Colgate Free Day will occur on the 6th July , all day at Symes de Silva. This is all organised through Deepa at NZDA, and is now fully subscribed . Thanks for those who are working on that day. The Conference in Christchurch is shaping up. It will be great to go back and have a look at all the really new buildings , different structures and houses. I was at the last conference, stayed on the Oxford Street strip , which is now completely demolished. I had the pleasure of presenting the Graduate Dental assistants with their certificates last Friday . A very successful night and a huge turnout , growing every year. The dentists who do the training are always welcome to attend , for drinks and nibbles with their DA. The NZDA Wellington, website , is going to be up and running in the next couple of weeks. A designated member of the committee , has allocated time to help Kamil, from City Dentists , reviewing current content and proof reading .

A huge Thanks to Kamil The committee will have a final look prior to the release of that. This is going to be a huge asset and brings us into the "nineties. " The Downtown Community Ministry project is trucking along. There has been fierce debate at the committee about whether it will impact on other practices. Dave Corcoran will be submitting an explanatory letter about its role for the patients that will be eligible in the near future The next speaker is Darryl Tong from Dunedin, who apparently outranks me , but has never been full time service military !!! He is a reservist. This will be a very interesting talk about War surgery for the face and jaws. Yes , approximately 20-30% of injuries to soldiers are now above the shoulders. A short and sweet note to you all. Good luck for the school holidays,

Tiff Logan, BDS. DipClinDent(Perio).

Assoc Prof Lt Col Darryl Tong RNZAMC Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, University of Otago

Introduction: This year begins the commemoration of 100 years since the First World War and the human tragedy that followed. Military technological advances such as the machine gun, tanks and the rise of airpower were paralleled with advances in surgery to deal with the injuries from modern warfare. Modern maxillofacial surgery has developed from innovations and experiences from war surgery and we owe much to pioneering surgeons in this complex field of dentistry and medicine.

NZDA Wellington Committee Meeting Minutes Wednesday 21st May 2014 Symes de Silva Conference Room PRESENT Drs, Logan, Fisher, Williams, Wong, Ferry, Excell, Barnes, McKelvey, & Corcoran APOLOGIES Drs Hitchings, Symes, Welch, Gillingham & Tong MINUTES OF LAST MEETING TABLED AND CORRECT Moved: Dr McKelvey Seconded: Dr Ferry MATTERS ARISING: Dr Logan was delighted to inform the Committee that she had finally been able to complete the list of speakers and sponsors for the year and she will provide the list to the Admin Assistant for circulation to the committee. The speaker for our June meeting is Tania Stuart with MAS being the sponsor. Dr Logan informed the Committee that Dr Kamil Taniwi is going to attend our meeting at 7.15 to discuss the Web-site. Dr Logan asked for an update on the Colgate Free Day. In the absence of Dr Symes the Admin Assistant reported that the suggestion from the Committee of having an open clinic day for all was not what NZDA and Colgate wished to pursue. The format for the day had been run in Auckland and Christchurch previously and successfully and they wished to remain with the same format in Wellington. The main difference in the day will be that appointments will be given to those who apply (no appointment – no treatment). An email has gone out to Dentists with the logistics of the day to be advised. Following discussion it was agreed that if this is successful perhaps the Wellington Branch could look at holding another free dental day with less restrictions. CORRESPONDENCE As tabled: Moved: Dr Logan Seconded: Dr Ferry FINANCIAL AS TABLED:

In the absence of Dr Hitchings Dr Logan tabled the financial report. Moved: Dr Logan Seconded: Dr Ferry Dr Logan asked for clarification at next months meeting from Dr Hitchings as to the ‘11 outstanding’ as reported. Dr Corcoran stated that the Branch is fortunate to be in such a healthy financial state. GENERAL BUSINESS: Dr Ferry invited the Committee to join him and the Graduate Professional Development Programme participants on the annual ‘walk-a-bout’ on Friday 23rd May. The agenda is to all meet at ‘The Pub’ on the Terrace at 6pm then the first practice being Keith Chapman’s at 6.30, Andrew Findlay’s at 7pm, Olivers practice at 7.30pm and lastly Icon Moro Dental Lab at 7.45pm. On behalf of Dr Symes the Admin Assistant read the email from the Director of the Downtown Community Stephanie McIntyre regarding their plans for moving forward and their request for representation from the Branch on their steering committee. Dr Corcoran agreed along with Dr Symes to represent the Branch. Dr Corcoran asked that his personal email address be given to Stephanie as this will ensure he gets all correspondence. ACTION: Admin Assistant to email DCM Dr Corcoran’s personal email address. Dr Logan asked if anyone had any comments on the Dental Council follow-up consultation document on the draft Medical Emergencies in Dental Practice Code of Practice. The general consensus was that this amended draft was more realistic than the original. Dr Excell asked if anyone had any feedback on the Colgate promotion running through Countdown Supermarkets. No-one reported having any vouchers presented at their surgery. The Admin Assistant said that Dr Symes had a report showing that only 9 had been claimed in the Wellington Region so far. Dr Excell said that he had been in touch with Anna Ferguson following her presentation to the Branch and although she was delighted to receive a gift of a bottle of wine when she got home she found that the wine had been opened and was not a full bottle. It was agreed that the Admin Assistant would purchase a dozen bottles of wine specifically for ‘thank you gifts’ for our guest presenters and then Dr McKelvey offered to deliver a bottle to Anna. Dr Logan requested an invitation be extended to Practice Managers to attend the Branch meeting where the topic that Tania Stuart is presenting is on ‘the anatomy, physiology and biochemistry of a Complaint against a Dentist".

ACTION: Admin Assistant to amend Branch meeting email. Dr Logan requested an update on the presentation that the Branch is organising for the Dental Assistants who successfully completed their NZDA Certificate in Dental Assisting. The Admin Assistant apologised to the Committee as she had been unable to organise it in the agreed timeframe. A new date was agreed for Friday 20th June with the venue being the Amora hotel. The evening will commence at 5.30 for a 6pm start. Dr Logan welcomed Dr Kamil Taniwi who joined the meeting to give an update on our pending Website. The following points were made by Dr Taniwi for consideration by the Committee:



We need a domain name. Following discussion it was agreed that the domain name will be: nzdawellington.org.nz



The registration fee of the domain name is $21.50 and the web hosting is & $99 (X GST). It was agreed that Dr Taniwi would pay this account and the Branch would reimburse him.



The Committee needs to provide the content, copy and photos.



The Committee must appoint an administrator for the site. Following discussion it was agreed that Dr McKelvey will be the Web-site Administrator with assistance from Dr Fisher.



We need a logo. Dr Logan asked if there had been any response to the request in the newsletter. Unfortunately there had been no response.

Following discussion it was agreed that we should aim at having at least a PDF of the newsletter on the site and a list of upcoming events. Dr Logan thanked Dr Taniwi for coming to the meeting this evening and his commitment to this project.

Next meeting Wednesday 18 th June 2014

NZDA Wellington Branch Meeting Minutes Wednesday 4th June 2014 The Wellesley Club Wellington Dr Tania Stuart ‘The anatomy, physiology and biochemistry of a Complaint against a dentist Tania Stuart has been the Consumer Affairs Officer (Complaint’s officer) at the Auckland branch of the NZDA for the past ten years. She lives with her three boys and husband, and has practiced in Suburban and Central Auckland, as well as some time in rural practice in Alexandra. She is currently carrying out qualitative research into the effect complaints can have on dentists, and is particularly interested in professional ethics in practice. Tania titled her lecture “The Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry of Complaints.” The basis for this being that they are the most basic of the sciences behind dentistry; hence they correspond to the most basic science and reasoning behind complaints against dentists. Since the Cartwright Enquiry in 1987-88, patients have been given the right to informed consent and to make complaints. The Health Practitioner Competency Act ensures that dentists abide by regulations to protect patients, this involves registration with the Dental Council. If patients are dissatisfied about their treatment and believe they have been wronged, the Health and Disability Council provides a pathway for them to make complaints via the website. Most complaints go here, where it provides advocacy to help patients write complaints and facilitate communication between the complainant and practitioner. It doesn’t provide any peer review process for the dentist and is often the first avenue that a patient will try. For branch members of the NZDA, the Consumer Affairs Officer can provide advocacy and communication between the dentist and the patient; the CAO won’t help with complaints against dentists that are not members of their local branch. The process usually involves the patient contacting the complaints officer via email or phone. The CAO will then email the dentist that they have a complaint. The case may end up in peer review, and if a fault has been found with the practitioner, it can then go to the health and disability commissioner and on to a more intense investigation. If the dentist was found to be acting against the patients’ rights, this will result in some form of disciplinary action against the dentist. The commissioner will want to see a change in practice to protect patients from further issues. Monetary compensation can come from the dentist in the

disputes tribunal, small claims court and ACC in treatment injury. Tania pointed out that many complaints come from a communication breakdown between the practitioner and patient early on in the process even with no dentist error. Were there better management of the patient, and better communication to ensure the patient felt properly informed, the complaint might not have reached the CAO or H&DC. Ideally someone within the practice (such as the practice manager) could help deal with the complaint as it first arises and aid in communication between the dentist and the patient to reach a solution. Clear and concise notes about the treatment provided are also very important when dealing with any proceedings. She stressed that when a complaint is first received, it is best to contact DPL through the NZDA. Dental Protection will provide assistance, from help in writing a complaint reply letter, through to providing legal aid and advice; however, DPL does not provide payment for damages awarded in court. Through her experience and research, Tania has shown that everyone gets complaints. Good and bad people, all people. All complaints are different. In some the patient is satisfied with an explanation and is happy, in others they are not satisfied at all. She found that dentists can feel hurt, insulted, annoyed and angry about small complaints. Even if the complaint is minor, it can have a big impact on the practitioner. Complaints spread across all aspects of dentistry, from orthodontics (and notably general practitioners performing orthodontic treatment), endodontics and failed treatment, prosthetic issues and implant treatments, right through to complaints from WINZ patients. Often issues arise when the patient has gone to seek a second opinion from another dentist and the comments they make about treatment can be very negative. Several issues were pointed out here, where your duty as another practitioner would be to tell the truth, but remember you do not have the full story. The best course of action is to send the patient back to the first dentist. The patient would also need to give permission to allow you to speak to the original dentist as their information is told to you in confidence. If there is a concern about ongoing practice by this dentist you may contact the NZDA. All of this sparked a lively discussion amongst members of the branch in attendance. This revolved around the view of patient’s seeking monetary compensation, and the differences between the desire for complaint resolution and financial payment via peer review, versus verdicts handed out by the Health and Disability Commissioner. The structure and pathways by which patients make complaints was also discussed, admitting to the confusion amongst pathways for support, peer review and legal aid. In summary, Tania advised it was best to have pathways in place to diffuse complaints before they happen, by using good communication between

dentist and patient and having support in place at the practice if a complaint was made. When a complaint does arise, even small ones can have a large psychological impact on the dentist. To lessen the stress and to aid in complaint resolution, it is best to contact the NZDA for support and guidance when the patient first presents with a problem. David McKelvey

The New Zealand Dental Association WE DON’T HAVE SHAREHOLDERS TO PLEASE. JUST YOU. No shareholders means we’re not going to push you into something you don’t need. Instead you can trust us to take the time to understand your unique situation, and only then offer recommendations on what we think is best for you. It’s the way we’ve always done it – for over 90 years. Talk to us today about becoming a Member.

Wellington Branch Monthly Newsletter

2014

Proudly supported by Medical Assurance Society MAS4107 MAS Shareholder A5_01.indd 1

25/03/13 4:47 PM

NZDA Wellington Branch Committee 2013

President TIFFANY LOGAN 387 9392 [email protected] Hon. Secretary GRAHAM SYMES Newsletter Editor 801 5551 [email protected] Hon. Treasurer ELIZABETH HITCHINGS 027 235 8224 [email protected] Consumer Affairs Officer ADRIAN TONG 476 7295 [email protected] Board Delegate WAYNE GILLINGHAM 021 240 0335 [email protected] Board Delegate DAVE EXCELL 562 7506 [email protected] Gpdp Co-Ordinator

OLIVER FERRY 472 7826 [email protected]

Committee Members



CARA WELCH 027 322 5172 [email protected]

MATTHEW WILLIAMS 472 3335 [email protected]

LAURENCE FISHER 920 0880 [email protected]

DAVID MCKELVEY 801 5551 [email protected]

COLIN WONG 232 8925 [email protected]

DAVID CORCORAN 4723102 [email protected]

Welfare Officer

Jeff Annan 472 5516 or 476 6088

ROGER BARNES 021 144 6723 [email protected]

NO COMMISSION MEANS WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU. NOT WHAT’S BEST FOR US. Unlike most other insurance companies, our advisers don’t earn commission on the products they sell. Instead we listen to the dreams and goals of our Members and only then recommend products that are appropriate for them, the way it should be. Talk to us today about becoming a Member.

[email protected]

Administrative Assistant SHARYN PICKARD 801 5551 [email protected]

MAS4107 MAS Commission A5_01.indd 1

12/11/12 3:21 PM