Homepage Improvements: Enhancing the Linkroll

Through careful examination of the World Wide Web, I find that the most superlative pages feature links to other websites of high caliber. I applied this principle to my own blog in an effort to add depth. As done in a previous post, I judged each website by the standard Webby Awards criteria and each blog by the IMSA philosophy on aptitude. These pages are now present in my linkroll to the right. One of the first pages I found was that of the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics which contains vital information about the profession of dentistry ranging from the number of dentists in the US, to the average salary, to probable future statistics. What the government site lacks in aesthetics, it makes up for in hard to find, distinct information. Another government resource is the United States National Library of Medicine page about cosmetic dentistry. Though it features a simple design, it is easy to navigate, and has a plethora of topics and links allowing for a more comprehensive explanation of the subject. While avoiding generic names for websites is usually a good idea, one of similar caliber to the previous was Dentistry.com. It is deficient in design and utilizes the hyperlink too much, but features a consistently updated forum filled with many interesting discussions and facts. A blog that is kept very current and is insightful to those interested in dentistry is The Endo Blog. Written by professionals, without the public in mind, it can be difficult to understand without some prior dental knowledge, but those with enough will view it as interesting and informative as well as educational. Typical discussions are about rare dental cases, and new developments in the field.

For those interested in recent news and articles, the Evidence-Based Dentistry Journal(The most recent cover is the displayed image) on Nature.com is another excellent site. It does not engage the observer, but does feature free articles from the journal and allows online viewing. The same can be said about the University of Southern California Dental School’s video archive. While only offering videos of different dental procedures and containing no external links or attractive decor, it is the only site I found that has this element of dentistry available to the public. The Dental Phobia Treatment Center homepage is also very public oriented. It addresses the issue of dental phobia honestly and methodically, which makes up for the under-utilization of online technologies. A blog with a similar issue is entitled Going Dental. While the articles are informative to read, the absence of additional features and consistent posting makes visiting the website frequently, unnecessary. On the other hand, a blog frequently updated is available on About.com and is know as Dental Care. The page has many advanced options, and the posts are well done, but the author is not a dental professional, even though she is very educated on the subject. The final item added was a link to Animated-Teeth.com. Though the color scheme and advertisements make it hard to navigate, with ample bonus material, and simple explanations of complex dental procedures (which I believe is key to understanding and appreciating dentistry), the site is top-notch. With the addition of all these new resources to my linkroll, I hope that my blog is now more of an asset to those curious about the world of dentistry.

Forming a Strong Foundation: Applying Dental Techniques to the Blogosphere

In an effort to make my blog a more valuable resource to those interested in dentistry, I decided to search the World Wide Web and see what kind of websites I could find that would help expose readers to the massive amount of information there is concerning dentistry on the internet. Since a simple search will result in thousands of websites (many of which are haphazard and out-dated), I chose only the best ones, which I evaluated based on the Webby Awards criteria for internet excellence. However, my search was not limited to simply websites, I also explored any blogs related to dentistry that I could find and judged them based on the IMSA standards for blog proficiency. The result was a wonderful collection of websites (now present in my linkroll to the right) that give this blog breadth and depth of content. The first website I discovered was the homepage of the British Dental Association, and while lacking in the interactivity and visual design aspects (as it was merely articles and had an odd layout), I believe it is a great website because its content is made up of resources to educate both dentists and patients and is very informative, which accomplishes the overall goal. The next site I chose to link to, was the American College of Dentists website. While it is no where near aesthetically pleasing and simply offers information in text-based format, no other place on the internet is there such an in depth look at the ethical and leadership goals that dentists strive for in their work. This site was one of the first that I found in which most of its resources were for dentists themselves. I quickly discovered that this was also the case for the many websites, such as the homepage of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. While a typical, well-designed website overall, what makes this a great source is its section dedicated to the public that contains a plethora of links to answer questions and educate people concerning implants. Another site that is rich in links and information is that of the World Dental Federation, or FDI. This international organization has a site dedicated to education all people on the standards and goals for maintaining oral health. It is the most vast website I found containing this information and while not overly spectacular it is easy to navigate and helpful. Continuing on this theme of public friendly sites, another great website is the Academy of General Dentistry’s. It contains many links for dentists and the public alike, but is especially interactive in that it provides ways for users to subscribe to a news feed, enter a general discussion with others, and even listen to various pod casts. From this website, I was introduced to a well-maintained dental blog, entitled The Daily Grind. The author, a dentist in Florida, gives great information, and crafts well supported arguments based on his personal experience. It is a great site for an insiders look at dentistry from a dental professional. Similar to this blog, I also discovered another blog entitled DMDstudent.com, which is written by a current dental student, and is a great place for people in my situation who want to learn more about going through dental school. With consistent updates and strong links (as well as similar aesthetics to my blog), this is definitely a great source for those interested in dentistry. Another great website for this is Dental Town. Do not let the silly name mislead, the website is very interactive (through links, web casts, etc.) and provides up-to-date articles and relevant discussions on current dental news. After successfully finding these eight websites, I decided to change my search.

Turning my search from general dentistry to dental technology I stumbled upon some wonderful resources. The first was on the subject of the new CEREC technology. (CEREC is essentially is machine that takes a digital impression of the mouth before and after a crown preparation, and then uses that information to create a replacement crown, so that a patient can have a crown cemented the same day it is prepared. A CEREC machine is pictured in the graphic above) The CEREC website was clearly designed by a professional company as its functionality, abilities, and resources are all excellent. This helps to create a site that is far and away the best resource for CEREC on the web. However, this was still not the best site I discovered throughout my search. This honor goes to the British Dental Association’s 3D mouth website. By use of flash media, the site illustrates various dental conditions, procedures, as well as anatomy, all while being user-friendly and easily understood. This site makes me excited to learn about dentistry, which is something that none of the other sites accomplished so completely. With the addition of these sites to my link roll, I do believe that my blog has become a more informative, and comprehensive website concerning dentistry.