Have your say!

The Right to Smile campaign was launched this week by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), with an aim to provide information on finding a dentist, dental charges, entitlements to NHS care – and even how to seek redress when things go wrong.

The campaign follows in the wake of the OFT study earlier this year which found that, while the majority of patients are satisfied, they do not always have the information to allow them to make informed decisions about their choice of dentist and treatments.

But, what do you think?

Are patients well-informed or can dentists improve on their communication skills?

Among those backing the campaign is the British Dental Association (BDA) and the Department of Health (DH).

Should they be giving it their full support or do you think, as Dentistry's news correspondent, Michael Watson, suggests, that 'the OFT, instead of blaming the Department of Health for confusion, is blaming the dentist?'

He suggests that the BDA should know that patients’ ‘rights and entitlements’ are a confused mess, adding: 'As it stands, this campaign is a licence for every "I know my rights" patient, every patient compensation lawyer and every jobsworth NHS manager, to put more pressure on stressed dentists.'

Please get involved and comment in our forum or tweet your thoughts @DentistryUK #Righttosmile

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