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DANIEL BATEMAN DANIEL BATEMAN DENTAL patients will soon have the option for discounted orthodontic treatment with a new course starting at James Cook University in Cairns.
The university’s dental school has two postgraduate courses beginning in 2017, implantology and orthodontics.
The Graduate Diplomas will cater for 20 students enrolled in each program, which will be based at JCU’s Cairns dental school.
Implantology, which is a one-year course, started in January while orthodontics, which is a two-year course, will start in June.
JCU Head of Dentistry Professor Neil Meredith said dental implantology was not recognised as a traditional speciality in Australia and there were few formal training programs, restricting clinicians to overseas or industry taught short courses.
He said the orthodontics course combined the opportunity for clinicians to continue their clinical practice while obtaining a high level of education and clinical training, directly on patients in orthodontic techniques.
As part of the courses, students will be working on patients at JCU’s dental clinic at the Smithfield campus.
“Patients are very happy to be treated by students and to receive that treatment at a less than normal price,” Prof Meredith said.
He acknowledged some local practitioners were nervous about losing their patients to the clinic.
“In reality, what happens is the patient that we see are the patients that effectively can’t afford to go to a regular dentist,” he said.
“They can’t afford $7000$8000 for orthodontic treatment, so we’re set up to address that need.
“It’s not going to erode the market and it’s not going to put the local specialists at risk.”