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Dorte Bregaard’s ‘alternative healing’ methods are dangerous for dentistry and anybody who believes in them, Neel Kothari says. Some of you may have come across the insane beliefs of Dorte Bregaard, a self proclaimed alternative healer and, in her own words, a dentist since 1985. For those unfamiliar, Dorte believes that dental disease is caused…
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Is the £108,066 spent on legal fees for the Desmond D’Mello case really a good use of registrants money, Neel Kothari asks. By now many of you will have heard of the infamous Desmond D’Mello, whose practice in Nottingham was the subject of the largest ever patient recall in NHS history. D’Mello single handedly completed the…
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Realistically, dentists should come to a consensus over how to provide a good service rather than voting to go on strike, Neel Kothari says. Rather impressively 98% of 37,000 junior doctors have voted in favour of strike action according to the British Medical Association (BMA). If plans materialise, the 1 December, 8 December and 16…
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Neel Kothari questions what constitutes confidential information. As far back as the late fifth century BC, Hippocrates stated: ‘Whatever, in connection with my professional practice or not in connection with it, I see or hear in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning that…
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Neel Kothari questions whether there should be an ethical limit to the number of UDAs handed out to dentists. The difficulty with defining ethical dentistry is that when asked, nobody ever feels that they are acting unethically. A clear set of rules over what is available within NHS dentistry would certainly help, but the actual…
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Neel Kothari reveals the stark difference in UDAs claimed between NHS dentists. Over the past few years many within the profession have come to realise that some dentists have done extremely well out of the 2006 contract, whereas others have struggled. The concerns raised by numerous dentists about the contract have been tempered by others…
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The introduction of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to the dental profession was not without controversy. The administrative burden placed upon the profession seemed excessive and was compounded by hefty fees. Paying for self-regulation has always been a significant part of being in a profession; however, with the growing role of the Government in regulatory…
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Neel Kothari continues his interview with the chair of the BDA’s (British Dental Association’s) principal executive committee, Mick Armstrong. Neel Kothari: Many people feel the NHS dental offer is misleading when it claims to provide everything that is clinically necessary. Should the GDC clamp down on this sort of behaviour? Mick Armstrong: I think there is…
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Neel Kothari interviews the chair of the BDA’s principal executive committee Mick Armstrong. Neel Kothari (NK): If dentistry is ‘under attack’, can the BDA actually help? Mick Armstrong (MA): You’re a practitioner, Neel, do you think it’s under attack? NK: Yes, I think it is. I don’t think there’s a plot against the profession, but…
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Neel Kothari comments on the whistle-blowing culture within the NHS. Recently, Sir Robert Francis QC (Queen’s Counsel), who led two major inquiries into failures at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, launched a call for NHS staff to share their experiences of blowing the whistle on incidents of poor patient care. Sir Robert said: ‘We need…
