Unilever Professional Oral Care

🎉Introducing Pepsodent AI Denta-Scan 🦷👩⚕️   With #teledentistry, #dentalcare can be made more accessible to larger populations including vulnerable groups. Pepsodent has now launched AI Denta-Scan, an AI-powered teledentistry technology, during the National Oral Health Month in Indonesia.    The platform combines two forms of AI technology, generative AI to create personalized greetings and diagnostic AI as a tool for early dental health analysis.   By simply uploading three photos of their teeth, users receive early analysis of potential dental issues, such as cavities, plaque buildup and gum disease. What's more exciting: users will also receive a personalized AI generated greeting from Hamish Daud, celebrity Dad and Pepsodent ambassador, when logging into the platform, along with a fun education video on their chosen dental issue.   This AI-based service is a game changer and can be beneficial for early screening. Dr. Tari Tritarayati, Secretary General of the Indonesian Dental Association, supports the initiative, "AI-powered online consultations are valuable in dentistry as they serve as educational tools, assist in screening, and provide referrals for further treatment. For large-scale preventive campaigns, Pepsodent's AI Denta-Scan technology is highly strategic and can encourage the public, to consult dentists more regularly." What an amazing collaboration between our marketing teams, tech and digital partners and our dental association partners! Congratulations on this great initiative! Gaurav Datta Madhurjya Banerjee Distya Tarworo Endri Nadhila Fajriani Putri Jinitya Basarah Amanpreet Singh Ratu Mirah Afifah Sneha Raghavendra, CPACC Uma Moorty  

How do you nurture positive patient relationships? In our second installment on the benefits of strong relationships for well-being, Dr Mahrukh Khwaja explains how building positive patient relationships is a win-win, for patient and for clinician. "The case for prioritising positive relationships with our patients is a strong one: patients who feel we as clinicians are listening to their concerns, value them, and work together as a team feel happiest, and are less likely to complain. We in turn also feel more connected with our patients, energised, and have a sense of meaning. It's a win-win. Each time we have a patient sit on our dental chair, it is an opportunity to improve our relationship with them, and also increase our own well-being. It's even those small seconds of connection that have positive psychological benefits for us. Brain imaging studies show that we oscillate and resonate chemicals, such as oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin, when we share these moments with others (Fredrickson, 2014). When speaking with our patients, it sets up pleasure and reward centres, firing motor neurones in our social-emotional centre, making us feel more connected to the other person. But how do we connect with our patients in a personable manner, put them at ease, and develop an ethical, trusting relationship? Swipe or download to see 5 key ways we can do this." #communication #empathy #patientcare #wellbeingindentistry #wellbeingatwork #permah

Welcome to the first in our series of tips and activities from Dr Mahrukh Khwaja for nurturing positive relationships at work to boost well-being. "The practice of dentistry can be a lonely endeavour. We face a busy patient diary, emergency appointments sometimes double booked, referrals to fit in, and juggling record keeping in between complex treatments, with little respite. It can be very easy of course not to prioritise our relationships at work, and suffer in isolation in the process. However, one of the quickest wins when it comes to our well-being at work is the quality of our relationships. The key to transforming the dental environment, and an effective antidote to loneliness in dentistry, is to build and nurture these positive relationships. Drawing upon research by Heaphy and Dutton on High Quality Connections, and Gable on positive communication styles, swipe or download to see 5 ways we can prioritise our relationships with our team members at work." #positiverealtionships #wellbeingindentistry #wellbeingatwork #culture #permah #teamwellbeing

Do you ever feel lonely or isolated at work as a dental professional? When you consider the challenge of short appointment times, solo practice (sometimes in remote areas), or the simple fact that it’s difficult for patients to talk back, it’s easy to see how dentistry can be lonely, and why building relationships as a dental professional can be challenging. The “Relationships” pillar of the PERMAH model explores how building quality social connections can help build resilience and combat stress and burnout in dentistry. Here, Dr Mahrukh Khwaja introduces this pillar of the PERMAH model. And in the coming days we'll share a series of Dr Khwaja's tips and activities on this topic. Stay tuned! #wellbeingatwork #wellbeingindentistry #permah #positiverelationships #communication

In our final instalment of tips focusing on "engagement", Dr Mahrukh Khwaja dives into the topic of "strengths", and how applying your strengths in novel and engaging ways may help invite greater meaning, connection to others and get you to ‘flow’ states. Follow us for more tips and information on Dental Professional Wellbeing. "Drawing upon the science of strengths, utilising our key strengths in our every-day in new and engaging ways can boost our well-being and build resilience. We can even use our strengths to overcome challenges at work.  And although generally a strengths-based approach is a new concept in Dentistry, research amongst medical and healthcare professionals show increases in positive well-being markers (boosting clinical wellness, work engagement and improved patient-centred care) when clinicians are trained in self-awareness of strengths and character building (Duan et al, 2014; Hausler et al, 2017). This is through several ways: 👉 It gets us into ‘flow’ states (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990), otherwise known by athletes as ‘in the zone’ where we lose track of time, and feel really absorbed in the activity we are doing. 👉 We also increase our levels of positive emotions when we engage our strengths. 👉 And lastly, it invites more meaning, as we are using our values at work. That in itself, can be protective when it comes to burnout." Swipe or download to learn more about strengths, and how to practically apply this with patients, or at home. #wellbeingatwork #strengthsatwork #wellbeingindentistry #permah #positivepsychology

Today we continue our focus on how we can boost engagement at work. Here, Dr Mahrukh Khwaja spotlights how research and evidence from the science of well-being and sports psychology can help increase your confidence as a clinician. "It's natural for there to be times as dental professionals to feel low in confidence. This is especially true as we transition from dental student, to working, or upskilling so we can provide new treatments for our patients. For us to feel happy, and stay with the discomfort of transitioning or learning new things, applying the science of well-being can be really useful. Swipe or download to learn 7 strategies you can use to increase self confidence as a clinician, drawing upon the work of Bandura, sports and positive psychology." #selfconfidence #wellbeingindentistry #strengths #growthmindset #permah #mindfulness #selfcompassion

How can we increase engagement in day-to-day clinical practice? Here, Dr Mahrukh Khwaja introduces the concept of "flow", and how it can not only boost engagement, but also act as a buffer against stress. "Disney Pixar’s movie ‘Soul’ beautifully brings to life what flow looks like and feels like. It tells the story of Joe, a band teacher, whose life has not quite gone to plan. His true love is playing jazz music. But it isn’t until he travels into another realm to help someone else work out their true purpose that he discovers what it means to have a soul. When Joe talks about his passion for jazz, and starts playing, he has an out-of-body experience. He is transformed to another dimension, where it is just him and his music. The feeling of time changes. This film expertly illustrates the experiential quality of flow experiences. the altered perception of time, the high concentration and the melting together of action. These conditions draw upon research by the late Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi and his flow theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Making time for flow moments will bolster us against stressors and create a life that is rich and meaningful. In Dentistry, there are opportunities where we can zone parts of our diary for activities that bring us into flow states. This looks different for all of us, but could be for example composite bonding or orthodontics. We can also increase our flow moments outside work." Swipe or download to learn more about flow, happiness and how we can integrate this at work.  #flow #wellbeingindentistry #positivepsychology #permah #workplacewellbeing

Welcome to the second instalment in our Wellbeing series for Dental Professionals in collaboration with Dr Mahrukh Khwaja, dentist and positive psychologist. The second part of the PERMA-H wellbeing model focuses on "engagement". Watch Dr Khwaja's video to find out how channelling your strengths can boost engagement and "flow" at work. And stay tuned over the coming weeks to receive top tips and activities for how you can identify and harness your strengths for increased productivity and engagement in your day-to-day practice. #mentalhealth #wellbeingindentistry #positivepsychology

12th May is GUM HEALTH DAY! Organised by the European Federation of Periodontology, this annual event aims to increase public awareness about the importance of healthy gums. Studies show three out of four adults with gum disease do not know they have a condition at all. Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss worldwide, and in addition, there is strong evidence for its connection to diabetes, heart disease and a range of other systemic conditions. This year's campaign is "Gums Rock! Keep them safe!" and you can find more details and downloadable resources here 👉 https://shorturl.at/lmzQR The role of at-home care using prevention techniques such as toothbrushing and interdental cleaning is of paramount importance to prevent gum disease. Here are some tips you can share with your patients to help maintain good gum health 👇 Vaidehi Ketkar Monika Fleischhacker Justyna Janssen Grace Choo Gem Laforteza

IN THE NEWS: "Teledentistry effectively aids dental referrals, early disease detection, treatment planning [AND] compliance.... Education on the capabilities and benefits of teledentistry should become part of the curriculum of future dental professionals and broadly leveraged on continuing education platforms." Goffin et al. 2024. Unilever is committed to breaking down the barriers to accessing oral health care around the world. Our teledentistry programmes in Indonesia and Vietnam have shown that an initial tele-consultation can act as a catalyst to accessing in-person care. The recently-published article in the British Dental Journal explains how teledentistry can expand the reach of care and calls for more, larger-scale standardised research in order to harness its potential. To read the full article, click 👉 https://rb.gy/t5kvx8 , or download it below. Vaidehi Ketkar Madhurjya Banerjee Oral Health Foundation Queenie Ou