About
Us
The
Vision/Mission Statement of The Society
The Society Logo
Inception
Constitution
The Definitions adopted in the
Constitution
The Objectives of The Society
Privacy of membership
Registration
as a Section 21 non-profit Company
Humanitarian
Outreach Program
Contact Us
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The
Vision/Mission Statement of The Society:
The
Society and its members is committed to the efficient legitimate practice of Denturism,
the appropriate training of Denturists in South Africa
and compassionate care for prosthedontic patients!
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The
Society Logo:
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The logo chosen to identify the aim of The
Society is a golden figure of a balance scale, the universal symbol for justice,
with a golden banner underneath depicting the word:
EQUITY
as our motto. Gold was chosen
symbolically because it is a neutral metal associated with oral use and
classified as a noble metal, as our mission is a noble one. Equity is defined as
the quality of being fair and reasonable in a way that gives equal treatment and
opportunity to everyone. Equity is also the right to recourse to principles of
justice, used to correct laws when these would apply unfairly in special
circumstances.
An earlier version of
our logo adopted with the Constitution was incorporated on our
letterhead and other stationary and
also on the title page of our Report:
"Clinical
Dental Technology: A Quest for Equity in Oral Health Care"
Both versions of the
Logo is recognized as the official Trademark of The Society for Clinical
Dental Technology.
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| We chose this logo to illustrate the need for
justice that will balance an opportunity for professional development for dental
technicians with a more efficient rehabilitation procedure that meets the needs
of denture wearers, but simultaneously respects the fair competition and rights
of other members of the Oral Health Team. |
Inception
The Society came into
being when different pressure groups and non-governmental organizations (NGO's) with
the same aspirations to establish a category of Denturist in South Africa,
started working together in 1996; initially as a study group. Their aim was to
contribute to the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) in a constructive manner by facilitating the restructuring
of the denture delivery process, in order to improve efficiency and
affordability of one of the most basic oral health services. It was agreed to:
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Prepare a new
motivational Report, with a new much broader terms of reference, which would
take into account the realities and difficulties of a politically and
economically changing new South Africa;
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Launch an Association
with a broad membership of dental technicians with the view to facilitate, lobby
support, and monitor the various stages leading up to and after the legislative
process, under the initial title
The Denturism Society.
Their initial objectives were to be:
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The legal recognition
of a category of denturist for independent practice
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The
determination of a work-demarcation guide, based on international trends and
guidelines.
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The introduction and
maintenance of an internationally acceptable training course for aspiring
denturists in South Africa;
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The compliance to
ethical conduct by practicing Denturists.
The
research,
gathering of information and the process of broad consultation continued. As the
new democracy was dawning, so was a sense of justice to rectify the legacy of an
unjust political history and to create a mechanism of equity to previously
disadvantaged communities and groups. Many laws were repealed and replaced with
progressive new concepts, also in the Health disciplines. One of the amendments
was the inclusion of a definition for a category of
Clinical Dental
Technologist
in the Dental Technicians Amendment Act, Act 43 of 1997. The
Society adopted the term as a synonym for
Denturist,
although we have
never agreed with the inhibiting and outdated scope of practice prescribed or
the general mindset reflected by the definition. That definition ignores the
example of the international practice and trends and the
realities of local needs and demands.
In July 1998 The
Society submitted its Motivational Report (a 200 page work document providing relevant
data to assist decision makers and to facilitate co-operation and debate with
stakeholders)
to the SA Dental Technicians Council, the Minister of Health and the
Department of Health under the title: "Clinical
Dental Technology: A Quest for Equity in Oral Health Care"
On 17 August 1998 an Inaugural Meeting was held
on the Campus of Peninsula Technikon in Cape Town to launch the Association. All
registered Dental Technicians were invited and 86 dental technicians attended
the meeting with 16 apologies recorded. Widespread enthusiasm were
reported from around the country. 16 principle motions were adopted.
An Interim Committee consisting of
7 members was elected to draw up a Constitution to guide the functioning of the
Association. It was further agreed to
include the guidelines of the Motivational Report and the Mission &
Objectives of the IFD in both the Constitution and the operational lobby of The
Society.
Over the last decade, much more research was done into
the international practice of the profession. Our contacts and relationships
with colleagues overseas have been strengthened substantially. With the
initiation of this website, we are now moving into the next phase where our
membership strength will become a determining factor. We will need much more
determined dental technicians with a passion for denturism, to lobby the public
support.
Constitution
Click on the Book
Image to access the Constitution of The Society for Clinical Dental Technology
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The Definitions adopted in the Constitution are:
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Clinical Dental Technology is the practice of supplying and fitting removable prosthetic appliances
where both chair-side and laboratory work are performed by one and the same
person, qualified and authorized for the purpose. The training of a dental
technician is a prerequisite for the CDT training.
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Clinical Dental Technologist (CDT) is a highly skilled oral health professional who has specifically been
trained to design, construct, fit, patient aftercare and care of removable
prosthetic appliances and the
repair, reline or adjustment thereto. These skills enables a CDT as a professional member of
the Oral Health Team to work independently of other Oral Health Care providers
to ensure optimal fit, maximum comfort and general well-being of denture wearers,
and to refer the denture wearer to other Oral Health Team members when necessary
or appropriate.
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Removable prosthetic appliances includes acrylic full dentures, partial dentures, immediate dentures,
over- dentures, dentures over implants,
chrome cobalt metal plates & frames, mouth guards, oral protectors (bruxism splints), and
sleep apnea appliances.
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Equity
is the quality of being fair and reasonable in a way
that gives equal treatment and opportunity to everyone. Equity is also the right
of recourse to principles of justice, used to correct laws when these would
apply unfairly in special circumstances
The
Objectives of The Society are:
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To promote the establishment and maintenance of
a professional oral health category of clinical dental technologist under an Act
of Parliament in South Africa;
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To prepare and recommend minimum standards of
training and qualification for clinical dental technologists in South Africa;
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To negotiate at an international, national, provincial or local level or
otherwise to assist members and branches to establish, maintain and/or improve
the practice of clinical dental technology;
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To collect and distribute information relating
to the profession, including existing and proposed legislation and experience
gained through the practice of the profession of denturism worldwide;
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To hold conferences related to CDT and to
facilitate in the establishment and maintenance of a culture of continuous
education;
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To publish books, reports, articles and other
literature relating to clinical dental technology;
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To compile and publish a Code of Ethics and
Practice Guidelines for the profession;
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To engage in all other activities consistent
with these objectives.
Privacy of membership
Dental technicians are totally dependent on generating an income
from working on prescription for dentists. Organized dentistry in the
Republic of South Africa is currently opposed to the introduction of Denturism and views the initiative by
The Society as encroachment on their monopoly. Pro-denturism advocators have in
the past been victimized with a total boycott of work. The
Society have accordingly adopted a policy of privacy of membership.
Until such time when a
training program has been put in place and individuals are eligible for
registration, no information about the identity of members of the Association
will be made public. The identity of membership and of Executive structures of The Society will
only be accessible to members. The only inevitable exemption to this policy is
that of the Secretary who is the public face and liaison person responsible for public
communication and obviously members of the negotiation team when applicable. Membership
Certificates is available, but will only be issued on request.
Registration
as a Section 21 non-profit Company
The
Society is investigating the option to register as a Section 21 Incorporated Company as
prescribed under the Companies Act. This simply means that we will become a
legal entity, separate from the individual members that provides certain
benefits to it's members in terms of the law.
Registration
under this Act
will provide protection to Executive members during the execution of their
duties towards reaching the goals and objective of The Society. Individual
Executive members shall not personally be held liable to debts and liabilities
and certain other charges of the Association. Furthermore, The Society is a
non-profit generating entity and all moneys accrued through membership
subscription, grants, donations, and service rendered belong to the
Association, and can only be used to achieve the objectives of the Association.
Humanitarian Outreach
Program :
The Society have made contact with an
internationally established Humanitarian Foundation (involved in blindness
prevention campaigns) that trains paramedical individuals to perform cataract
eye operations on patients in many exceedingly destitute communities, also
in South Africa.
The
Foundation may be able to provide the answer to the legal clause that allows
them to perform medical procedures in South Africa without fulfilling extensive
medical studies. There may be a similarity with Denturists
(Clinically trained Dental Technicians) to fulfill the enormous gap of denture
needs that a large part of the SA population suffers.
The Society of Clinical
Dental Technology may be able to take the (moral) lead and provide cost
effective dentures to the underprivileged communities in SA, without undergoing
a Dentistry degree.
The
Society are currently looking into the concept of providing free dentures to
people in a destitute area, possibly through a district clinic and getting
sponsors from dental suppliers and manufacturers to provide materials and teeth
for this project. Dental technicians with ambitions to become Denturists will be
making the dentures and doing the clinical work under the supervision of a
qualified Denturist as a Humanitarian Outreach Program, which will prove
competence and need to our Government.
Possibly this work could be evaluated as
part of a practical module of a training program in a specific
formal education track connected to a distance learning program from a
recognized Denturism Training Institution with International accreditation.
There are obvious legal prescriptions that will have to
be complied with, but at this stage we are more concerned that the unhygienic
practices by quacks providing dentures, be displaced by accountable
professionals who knows what they are doing, and that all oral health,
infection control and hygiene protocols are followed. The intra-oral
procedures, which experienced dental technicians understand better than many
newly qualified dentists (with a de-emphasis and very superficial exposure to
prosthetics) will be carried out under supervision of a Denturist registered elsewhere. We have also received interest from
practicing denturists overseas to come and do voluntary work on this project
(and possibly sponsors too). This project is not about a license to
practice illegally in the open market without control, or in competition with
registered professionals, it is about FREE humanitarian services to destitute
people in need, that are not served by the monopoly holder in private practice or the State.
Contact
Us
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A message in a
bottle is not efficient communication any more!
The Society may be contacted at the
following Postal Address, Fax and Landline numbers or E-mail Address. Kindly refer all
communication to The Secretary. Please note that The Society is a
voluntary Association managed exclusively by volunteers in their spare time. All
reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate enquiries as speedily and
efficiently as possible. Dental technicians with Denturism ambitions may become
members of The Society by following the links on the Members
button on the top bar of the website to register.
The Secretary :
Mr. Duffy Malherbe
Postal Address :
71 Duminy Street, Boston Estate, BELLVILLE 7530. Republic of SA
Telephone :
(021) 592 1342
(8am-5pm)
Fax :
(021) 592 1344
Alt Fax /Tel: (021) 948 9728
(a/h)
International Code: (+27
21)
E-mail :
scdt@telkomsa.net
or admin@denturism.co.za
Website :
http://www.denturism.co.za
Donations :
Thank
you very much for spending time on our website. The
Society is a non-profit
organization run entirely by volunteers and therefore
accept and
appreciate monetary donations. Donations are used to defray expenses incurred towards reaching our goal of establishing Denturism as a
recognized oral health category, as specified in our Constitution, to improve
removable prosthetic services to the public, and towards developing and maintaining public
awareness. Donations may be deposited directly into our bank
account. Please
inform us accordingly so that we can acknowledge the origin of donations and
keep you informed of any developments. Banking
details.
Cheques
may alternatively be made out to The
Society for Clinical Dental Technology
and posted to
us.
Public
Interaction :
If you need
additional information, have any comments about improving our website, or have something to share with other visitors, feel free
to do so in the Visitor's Comments
(that can be browsed online on the Home page) or simply acknowledge your visit as in a guest book. Let
your voice be heard!
Voice your opinion! The views and experiences
of
denture wearers may be accessed on the Consumer
Testimonials
on the Home page.
If
you are a denture wearer and need to share your experience about denture
provision, or have a point of view that you want the planners of Oral
Health Services to hear, your experience
can be added by participating in the DENTURE WEARERS PETITION that
follows thereafter. How has unsatisfactory dentures
affected your health, appearance, self-esteem, wallet and your daily life? Please tell us about your dentures, your experience to obtain them and the
denture services you need. Are you content with Dentists alone being allowed
to provide dentures as a go-between? Please tell us what you think about our initiative to legitimize the
clinical training of denture manufacturers, as direct providers to become
Denturists and the range of services you would prefer them to provide!
While the administrators and
moderators of this website undertake to remove or edit any objectionable
material (obscene, vulgar, abusive, slanderous, hateful, threatening,
sexually-orientated or any other indecency) as quickly as possible, it is
impossible to review every message. All posts made to these consumer-forums
express the views/opinions of the author and not of the administrators,
moderators or webmaster (except for posts made by them) and will therefore not
be held liable.
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Last
Update 28/10/2007 http://www.denturism.co.za
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