Planetary health education in medical curricula in the Republic of Ireland.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization considers climate change an urgent global health challenge requiring prioritised action. A recent global survey reported that only 15% of medical schools have incorporated climate change and health into the curriculum. OBJECTIVES: This research study was carried out from November 2020 and April 2021 using the Planetary Health Report Card (PHRC) initiative to assess the current level of planetary health teaching in medical schools in the Republic of Ireland. PHRC is a student-led international public initiative, which aims to compare medical schools using a planetary health report card. The assessment was submitted as a final report to the Irish Medical Council and to the medical schools involved. RESULTS: Very few learning outcomes in Irish medical curricula directly address or include the concept of planetary health. Inclusion of specific topics remains reliant on individual lecturer interest. While most universities have excellent research centres which cover specific aspects of planetary health, the links between these institutes and medical schools have not been created. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, there are promising examples of planetary health themes throughout the current Irish medical curricula, however, these remain poorly implemented or embedded within the curricula. Medical schools should incorporate education on planetary health to ensure graduates are equipped as to become medical leaders practising in a changing world.

Selective removal of dental caries with a diode-pumped Er:YAG laser.

Selective removal of caries lesions with high precision is best accomplished using lasers operating at high pulse repetition rates utilizing small spot sizes. Conventional flash-lamp pumped Er:YAG lasers are poorly suited for this purpose, but new diode-pumped Er:YAG lasers have become available operating at high pulse repetition rates. The purpose of this study was to measure the ablation rate and selectivity of sound and demineralized enamel and dentin for a 30 W diode-pumped Er:YAG laser operating with a pulse duration of 20-30-µs and evaluate it's potential for the selective removal of natural occlusal lesions on extracted teeth. Microradiography was used to determine the mineral content of the demineralized enamel and dentin of 300-µm thick sections with natural caries lesions prior to laser ablation. The ablation rate was calculated for varying mineral content. In addition, near-IR reflectance measurements at 1500-1700-nm were used to guide the laser for the selective ablation of natural occlusal caries lesions on extracted teeth.