Nostalgia Sunday – Israeli dentistry gets a wisdom tooth

May 2, 2010 - 9:54 PM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: coexistence, education, General, health, History and Culture, Medical Breakthroughs, Nostalgia Sunday, Politics, Technology 

The Cabinet today approved the inclusion of dental care for children up to the age of 8, part of what we here call the “Basket of Health Services, our basic subsidized healthcare. The question of who will pay for all-important pediatric dental care — which comes in at about NIS 160 million annually — has been a source of great controversy for some months now. Clearly, the people who opposed it have never taken a good look at the mouths of many an older Israeli.

A few fun facts about dentistry in today’s Israel, courtesy of the Ministry of Health: Israel has one of the highest proportions of dentists to the general population in the world, with some 7,500 dentists currently practicing, and about 300 new ones joining the profession each year. About 85% of all dentists in Israel work in private clinics or in group practice. There are approximately 5,000 independent dental clinics in Israel, alongside approximately 200 operated by the health funds. The pediatric services agreed on today will be provided from the outset by the health funds, private clinics and independent dentists.

This preventative and educational approach is quite a difference from the early days of this country, when oral hygiene was not a high priority. (There is no “History” section in the Israel Dental Association website, and with good reason, too). The Hebrew University – Hadassah School Of Dental Medicine was only founded in 1953 (the hospital had already been in existence since 1912).

A minor connection between the early Zionist movement and dentistry appears in an article from the 2009 Journal of the History of Dentistry. It says, “In 1892 an article on dentistry among the ancient Israelites appeared in the popular dental journal Items of Interest. It was written by Naphthali Herz Imber, an obscure wandering poet and writer who had traveled through most of the world, but achieved immortality for having written the poem Ha Tikva, or The Hope, which became the national anthem of the State of Israel. However, searches through biographies of Imber show no indication that he had any interest or attachment to dentistry.”

A more heroic figure who trained in dentistry was Joseph Trumpeldor. I know, I was surprised to learn that, too. And did you know that dental student and Olympian swimmer Mark Spitz’s first international competition was the 1965 Maccabiah Games?

You might say that dentistry languished during the early years of statehood. Or, you might say, that since dentists were never required to be part of the public healthcare system, they got fat and sassy thanks to their private practices. A lot of people said so, not just me.

There were also immigrants who reinvented themselves as dentists, although they may have been some sort of hygienist, technician or wanna-be in a previous life. In his online essay, Dentistry in Israel, Jerusalem-based dentist Dr. Ari Greenspan writes, “Previous to the large Russian Aliyah of the early ’90s, anyone with a valid dental license from any country could receive an Israeli license to practice… [but] with the influx of hundreds if not thousands of former USSR Olim claiming to be dentists, all dentists making Aliyah must pass a rigorous certification test to receive their Israeli licenses.”

The profession, Greenspan continues, “has improved dramatically over the past decade. In fact, in many ways, dentistry in Israel today is on par with or superior to the care available in the US and UK… In recent years, all of the dental materials that US dentists use, have become widely available in Israel, but we have the added advantage of access to European and Asian products that never make their way to the States.”

I can personally vouch for the high level of care and professionalism at my HMO-run dental clinic.

Israel’s academic institutions have also played catch-up over the decades. There are some surprising developments from oral microbiologist Dr. Mel Rosenberg, a self-described “smell-ologist” whose research into halitosis has led to the invention of a new mouthwash, as well as 100-plus scientific articles, editorials, and books.

Dental Volunteers for Israel is another amazing enterprise. For over 30 years, DVI’s volunteer dentists have provided free treatment to thousands of needy children at a state-of-the-art clinic in Jerusalem. Take a look at the video and you’ll agree: we have come a long way. And today’s decision marks a major step in creating a healthier future generation.

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Nostalgia Sunday – Personal care

March 23, 2009 - 5:45 PM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Nostalgia Sunday, Pop Culture 

The exciting news of the day is that Khloe Kardashian, small screen reality TV star and major B-list demi-celeb, has received the VelaShape treatment for cellulite reduction and body contouring through circumferential reduction. In the latest episode of the E! show Keeping up with the Kardashians, which aired yesterday in the US, Khloe prepares her body for an upcoming photo shoot for a charity ad campaign with a visit to Dr. Shalini Kapoor-Grover of REVIVE: Beverly Hills Medical Institute to receive VelaShape treatments on her stomach.

As VelaShape was developed by Israel’s Syneron Medical, this exposure should be a major point of national pride. It’s also a milestone — for better or worse — for the industrial achievements of a country that 60 years ago was famous for having eschewed female frippery in favor of equality of the sexes and the Socialist ideal. War and restrictions on imports also played a part in limiting the quantity and quality of products a woman could lavish on herself.

Imagine if instead of body sculpting and skin rejuvenation devices, all Khloe had to work with was a set of locally made pantyhose and a tube of Yad Chen cream (still found today in the same attractive packaging).

pantyhose_yadchen

Or, instead of one of Lumenis‘ or Syneron‘s dental lasers to whiten her teeth, a dab of Tayadent – dentifrice available in its traditional angular plastic bottle – only now 20% bigger!

taya_toothpaste

VelaShape, the company states, “is clinically proven to take inches off the thighs, a celebrity beauty secret that has been embraced by not only Khloe but also her sister, Kim Kardashian”. How well would they have done with a simple bar of Neca 7 or bottle of Dermapon “soapless” soap?, (yes, still available today at your local SuperPharm or NeoPharm).

dermapons

If things are to be judged by these ads (and please, check out the crazy handclaps in this Neca Sheva jingle) — probably just great!

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