Missed out on this week’s dental news? No problem, here’s what happened over the past seven days…
GDC keeps ARF the same for 2019 – Ian Brack explains why
The GDC has decided to keep its ARF at the same level for 2019.
Ian Brack gives the answers to some burning questions.
Matt Hancock announced as new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The news caused the British Dental Association (BDA) to quickly remind Mr Hancock of the clarity it sought recently over the place of primary care and prevention within the NHS.
Children in England consuming more than a year’s worth of sugar in under six months
Children aged four-10 years old are consuming 13 cubes of sugar on average every day, more than double the five-to-six recommended daily allowance.
PHE says this means children have already consumed a year’s worth of sugar in under six months.
Sugary soft drinks are the main source of free sugars in children’s diets, the figures show.
More than a million Brits feel they’ve been harmed by avoidable healthcare mistakes
That number could rise to 3 million, if avoidable ‘near misses’ are also included.
That’s according to a new study from the University of Manchester, which found that errors included having the wrong tooth extracted.
It warns dental professionals that these mistakes could have a lasting impact on the trust patients place in healthcare services.
Homeless forced to pull out their own teeth
That’s according to research from Groundswell, which also found 70% had lost teeth since becoming homeless and almost a third (30%) are currently experiencing dental pain.
The statistics were brought up in Parliament recently after Labour’s Stella Creasy told Ministers that many homeless people had hit a ‘brick wall’ when trying to access dental treatment.
Despite difficulties accessing treatment, participants valued their oral health and believed dentists were there to help.
However, only 23% had been to the dentist in the last six months, with 58% not clear on what their rights are to NHS dentistry.
Drop in dental cafe opens in the north west
First ever ‘drop in’ dental cafe opens its doors in south Liverpool after heavy investment.
The Dental Cafe has been designed to help increase accessibility to the dentist by getting rid of the waiting list.
It plays on the idea of being a cafe with short, tall, grande and venti treatment options available.
A select range of treatments are offered at the cafe, including boutique whitening, all clearly priced at the start.
Last chance to have your say on working in dentistry
The survey offers both NHS and private dentists the chance to share their experience of working within the profession.
Dentists from across both sectors are being sought to share how happy they feel about things such as remuneration, job satisfaction, and the time they have to manage patient expectations.
