Guest editorial

PowerPoint Generation

Özcan [1], in an editorial, designed the term "; PowerPoint Generation"; to refer to the current tendency of the courses towards showing several before/after cases and artistic photographs of the face, but little technical and scientific information.

This new generation has mostly valued the use of PowerPoint presentations exhibiting beautiful teeth in photogenic patients. If the professor is articulated, tells some jokes, starts and finishes the presentation with some popular song and pretty animations, he/she is successful.

For sure, this can be seen in Brazilian Orthodontics, our action field, in which, currently, almost every one is a Professor. However, to practice Orthodontics based on evidences is out of date. ";In"; is to use last generation brackets, which some patients have asked at dental offices, because ";the treatment is faster";, or ";it does not require extractions";, or ";it cures sleep apnea because it expands the upper arch";, as I heard from a guru of a given technique, sometime ago, at a conference of the American Association of Orthodontics.

Other aspect raising attention is the lack of caution of some publishers regarding to the publishing of books. We have seen books which is more likely a photo book, with many embellished photos and little scientific deepness. It gives the impression that the publishing houses need to launch new titles, regardless if they are good or not. The authors have used these books as the basis for a career ministering updating courses.

This generation needs to be aware of the importance of the constant learning and self-learning and mainly to learn to evaluate where the information coming from. The information needs to come from reliable sources, in which the papers are evaluated by efficient reviewers or randomized clinical tests, or systematic reviews. Additionally, it requires a critical view, that is, to ask more, to ask how that spectacular case will be after 10 years. Will it be stable? Can that treatment approach be applied to other patients?

PowerPoint generation needs to understand that to be a good clinician, it is necessary to provide the patients with the highest treatment pattern. For this purpose, it is necessary to conciliate science and technology. We must warn this generation not to mix science with entertainment.

Reference

1. Özcan M. The PowerPoint generation. J Adhes Dent. 2010;12(2):87.         [ Links ]

Alexandre Moro
Dr., Titular Professor of the Discipline of Orthodontics Master Course in Dentistry,
Positivo University