Robert P. Scholz, DDS, interviews Gerald S. Samson, DDS, and Jason B. Cope, DDS, PhD, about how they provide Web-based CE

Robert P. Scholz, DDS

Gerald S. Samson, DDS

Jason B. Cope, DDS

Whether due to personal development aspirations or state dental board requirements, all orthodontists must continue their dental education every year. Continuing education (CE) has traditionally come from lectures, interactive courses, hands-on participation, and in-office courses. More recently, CE has become available via Internet-based individual learning or Webinar-based group learning.

Robert P. Scholz, DDS, sat down with Gerald S. Samson, DDS, and Jason B. Cope, DDS, PhD, to discuss their live interactive courses and their recent move into online delivery of CE, including the stories behind their development. Some questions were directed to Samson, some to Cope, and some to both.

Scholz: When I started practice many years ago, I had three opportunities to continue learning: reading, meetings, and a study club or two. Today, there are so many additional resources it is difficult to choose which ones to use. What would you recommend?

Samson: The individual person knows their best learning environment. Some prefer the classroom or study group with live feedback and camaraderie. Others are more solitary, preferring journals and textbooks. I’ve discovered that the online consumer of education prefers face-to-face contact with the presenter. Of less appeal is the “fly on the wall” Internet experience, where the person logging in feels more like just another face amid the great unwashed. The gnathosCE.com Web site, therefore, offers a more engaging, personalized format where I’m speaking one-on-one to the viewer.

Cope: I agree. Everyone is different and learns best in different environments. The traditional didactic method works for some, but doesn’t provide ample opportunity for interaction and better comprehension of the material for others. Moreover, the travel associated with many CE courses is a deterrent for some. Both of these factors have paved the way for online CE wherein participants can gain new knowledge from the comfort of their own home or office, either singly or in a group, and with the possibility of immediate feedback in many circumstances. Like Gerry, my streaming videos at CopestheticCE.com also feature a split screen so that I am speaking directly to viewers as they are watching the Keynote presentation on the opposite screen. I also offer clinical case reports and technique videos that are high-quality Keynote presentations full of my traditional write-on-screen annotations and voice-over.

Scholz: Gerry, I have heard you speak a number of times and am impressed by your clever use of the English language and your frequent injection of humor. Why did you decide to depart from the mainstream style?

Samson: Often, I’m asked to explain orthodontic mechanics and troubleshooting—what to do when “straight wire” isn’t working. We’ve all had that frustrating experience, and it’s never pleasant to stumble. The price that we pay when caring for patients is that if only one case per day isn’t going according to plan—just one—it’s upsetting. At the start of a lecture, that daunting thought is on the top of my mind. When things aren’t flying clinically, it’s depressing, and the solutions for orthodontic mechanical problems are not concepts that are intuitive or simple to understand. All of that sounds like the formula for a poorly received presentation to me. The salve that I use is to engage the audience, make them feel really smart by offering cool, simplified clinical solutions, and refocus their attention by playing unexpected, unpredictable snippets of classic rhythm and blues music.

Scholz: How did you conceive the idea of presenting distance education on your respective Web sites?

Samson: The best visual demonstrations of applied mechanics for tooth movements (moments, couples, moments of couples, moments of forces, and Newton’s Third Law of Equilibrium) that I found was the use of “Big Teeth.” These are giant teeth that I’d haul to lectures in large “tooth cases”—very cumbersome and inconvenient. Setting up these props took a lot of time. It occurred to me to make Big Tooth movies and imbed those in my PowerPoint presentations. This was an ideal solution. At the various universities, I became aware that many instructors were placing lectures online and encouraging self-study habits. At about the same time, one of my close friends, a fine general dentist, bent my ear toward the new techno-world of Internet dental education. That was it. The game was on.

Samson’s Web site includes five educational videos that cover orthodontic mechanics, troubleshooting, and staff training.

Cope: My intro was a bit different. I have been lucky enough to be on the forefront of two emerging technologies. The first was distraction osteogenesis, the second was temporary anchorage devices [TADs]. Both led to editing and publishing the definitive textbooks in the field: Craniofacial Distraction Osteogenesis, published by Mosby; and OrthoTADs: The Clinical Guide and Atlas, published by UnderDog Media (UnderDogMedia.us). Invitations to speak on those subjects followed soon thereafter.

In 2007 and 2008, I was on the road for 74 weekends. Needless to say, that amount of travel takes a toll. American Airlines loved me, but my practice and personal life suffered. It occurred to me that most people spent more on travel and expenses than they did for the tuition to the course itself. With the economic downturn and the cost-saving measures that ensued, it became readily apparent that many people would either delay travel plans for education or seek less expensive methods altogether. That prompted me to begin looking for a way to provide educational tools in a manner than benefitted everyone involved.

It took about a year to get the Web site set up and then shoot and edit the initial video offerings, and we launched in the late spring of 2010.

Scholz: What topics are you addressing on your Web sites?

Samson: The first four movies address orthodontic mechanics and troubleshooting. The fifth movie is titled The Exceptional Employee and targets the staff. Each movie is between 90 and 120 minutes. In order to make viewing more convenient, these are divided into 20- to 25-minute chapters. Future online textbook movies will include Class II mechanics, Class III mechanics, asymmetric mechanics, and risk management. As well, I’ll have invited guest lecture presentations by various experts, including orthodontist and recognized legal authority Larry Jerrold, DDS, JD, who covers Being Informed About Informed Consent.

Cope: My introductory topics covered TADs. I created four presentations on TAD diagnosis and treatment planning, various attachment mechanics, sterilization, and success/failure. We will soon be adding videos on soft-tissue lasers, self-ligation, and lingual mechanics. The videos are 60 to 120 minutes long and divided into 20- to 25-minute chapters; each video is accompanied by a downloadable manual. We also have clinical case reports on various case types; the most popular one is about using a TAD as a temporary lateral incisor implant. Finally, we have clinical technique videos, the first of which covers lower retainer indirect bonding.

Scholz: I’m curious. How much time does it take to complete a 2-hour movie and have it available online?

Samson and Cope: Shooting a 2-hour movie takes about 4 hours. Then, add 8 hours for the producer and me to edit and chapter the film. The editor then needs about 10 more hours to format and refine each movie. I’d say it takes me another 3 hours to write the quizzes and manuals. That totals about 15 hours of my time plus another 10 hours of the editor’s time. I must say that the entire creative process is fascinating, fun, and the time peels by quickly.

Scholz: Will viewers qualify for official ADA CERP CE credit hours?

Samson and Cope: Yes, both (g)nathos and CopestheticCE are ADA CERP-recognized providers. In order to gain credits, viewers must complete an electronic quiz. The viewer simply takes the test, clicks the “send” button, and receives instant CERP credit hours verification via e-mail. The verification remains associated with the viewer’s account, so they can log in at any time to download another copy.

Scholz: Tell me about the formats you’re using.

Samson: In order to be effective and engaging, I’ve invested heavily in the best production and high-definition streaming video. These are stored in massive servers. In addition, all online textbook movies have instruction manuals. These are in PDF format, so it’s simple to instantly download and print. Having attended a few of my “live” mechanics presentations, you’re aware that a hands-on participation format is common. The same is true with the (g)nathos online learning center. Viewers are meant to download the manuals and follow along with me, participating with the hands-on mechanics explanations. Particularly when learning orthodontic mechanics, it’s easy for the viewer’s mind to drift. With the online movie format, it’s simple to replay and restudy until the concepts and clinical applications have been learned.

Cope: The bottom line for me was that the final product had to be the absolute best-quality online orthodontic video available—quality over quantity. I’ve seen several of the commercial CE Web sites, and it’s obvious that quantity was more important than quality, which is fine. I’d just rather be associated with quality, and I believe ours is second to none. Log on and take a look around.

Gerry and I use the same production house, so the look and feel of our videos is similar, albeit our presentation styles may be just a wee bit different—he, of course, being much too serious. All videos are streamed in real time, so the end result is dependent on the end user’s Internet speed. The servers automatically detect the speed and adjust the quality of the video accordingly.

I use two presentation styles: split screen, where I am on one screen and the presentation is on the other; and single screen, where I simply record my voice over the presentation. Traditional lectures are split-screen, and clinical cases tend to be single screen. A downloadable PDF course manual is available for each video lecture.

In addition to the above, I am frequently asked to consult on TADs cases by e-mail. I ran this past my attorney, and he strongly suggested that I set up a HIPAA-compliant system online to do this instead of responding to e-mail requests without complete diagnostic records, a prospect that he felt unreasonably increased my liability on patients I was not actually treating. So online consults are now available on the site as well. I have also posted more than 55 downloads, ranging from my consent form, to various techniques I have lectured on, to all of the currently available TAD user manuals and all of my published articles. These are all posted in the downloads section and are accessible free of charge.

Scholz: Are the Web sites being used much? Is it mainly US-based or worldwide? Give me some numbers.

Cope’s site features four presentations on TADs: diagnosis and treatment planning, various attachment mechanics, sterilization, and success/failure.

Samson: The site has been fully active for more than 2 years, and we’ve had thousands of visitors from every continent. Worldwide, I’ve had interest from no less than 35 leading universities. As you’d expect, essentially all of these schools are caught in the vortex of budget cuts and the students are strapped for funds. Fortunately, many of the leading companies support qualified orthodontic education. Although I’m encouraging corporate sponsorship, I intend to stay away from selling or endorsing a specific product. Perhaps I’m being naive, but with adequate corporate investment I’m hoping to offer the information free of charge to everyone. However, to date there’s been less corporate interest than anticipated.

For educational institutions where I hold university faculty appointments, I frequently give free access codes to the residents. This is supported without obligation by Pickron Orthodontic Care Centers, located in Georgia. Log on to gnathosCE.com, and you’ll find out quickly where the corporate sponsorship situation stands.

Cope: We’ve been up for about a year and had great interest from around the world. Interestingly, I’ve found that it has led to an increase in my in-office course attendance. People who haven’t seen my presentations before have watched the videos online, liked what they saw, and decided to attend one of my courses in Dallas, which I limit to 14 attendees. I’ve had attendees from as far as Iran and Australia. You can also register for those in-office courses on the site.

Scholz: How much time do you spend practicing versus lecturing? Do you enjoy one more than the other?

Samson: The blend of teaching and private practice maintains excellent appeal. For the past 5 or 6 years, I’ve directed the practice as a support vehicle for teaching. I see patients about 6 days per month, personally shooting all digital photos, formatting all digital presentations, and creating all of the course manuals. You can appreciate the amount of time that requires.

September through April is “lecture season,” with three presentations each month. In addition to the international schedule, there’s are a combination of state, regional, national, and university meetings. The live (g)nathos courses are limited to 22 attendees and are held at the (g)nathos “home room” just north of Atlanta in Marietta, Ga.

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Cope: I also have a blend of both. For the past several years, I have practiced 3 days a week, and spent 3 additional days working on lecture material or on the road lecturing. I’m in the process of slowing down the travel a bit (the Web site has helped to facilitate that) and am increasing the practice to 4 days a week later this fall. For me, I need to be juggling several different things at once, so I’m sure that I will continue to do both on some level for years to come.

Scholz: Gentlemen, thanks for your time for the chat. I am sure the readers of this article will now understand that there are at least two more excellent alternatives to reading, attending meetings, and attending study club gatherings. I commend you for your contribution to our specialty.


Jason B. Cope, DDS, PhD, is in private practice in Dallas. He is an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Orthodontics at St Louis University. He has a financial interest in products mentioned here. He can be reached at

Gerald S. Samson, DDS, is in private practice in Marietta, Ga. He is an adjunct professor in the Departments of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He is an associate professor in the Department of Orthodontics at Case Western University, Saint Louis University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. He is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at University of Tennessee, Memphis and at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has a financial interest in products mentioned here.

Robert P. Scholz, DDS, is the associate editor of “Techno Bytes” in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. He is an adjunct professor in the Department of Orthodontics at both the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and Temple University.