Sebastian Evans

At the meeting, the key opinion leaders agreed on the following consensus statement for the forthcoming year: ‘Fundamental to an individual's oral health is a high standard of plaque control. This is most effectively achieved and maintained by twice daily mechanical cleaning with a fluoride toothpaste, interdental cleaning as advised by a dental healthcare professional,…

European dental and public health leaders have united to stop caries now. Over one third (38%) of the 4,500 people surveyed across Germany, Greece, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK, believe that sooner or later everyone will develop tooth decay. Nearly three quarters (72%) agreed that they do not believe they do enough to prevent…

Humanitarian Seema Sharma again organised the event for the dental profession and it was very was well supported. The total raised from the evening and the raffle was £1,600. Now a regular event in the dental fundraising calendar, the Jimmy Choo charity event was well supported by the profession and saw the Bond Street Store…

A reduction in the number of undergraduate dental student places at UK institutions was proposed today. The proposal follows the publication of new reports by Health Education England (HEE) and the Centre for Workforce Intelligence (CfWI) estimating an over-supply of between 1000 and 4000 dentists by 2040 if the number of places is not reduced.…

The expected new contract is now being labelled a contract reform at the Department of Health, confirms Barry Cockcroft, chief dental officer. In a recent press briefing he was keen to stress that the next contract will be a reform of the 2006 version, not a new contract as many pundits say.

Patient Plan Direct reintroduce the Big Fee Freeze   In the interest of keeping up the trend of never increasing their dental plan administration fee of just £1 per patient per month, Patient Plan Direct has reintroduced the 'Big Fee Freeze' promotion which promises no fee increases for a minimum of three years for every…

A second report outlining recent findings on the dental contract reform programme will be announced before the end of December. Chief dental officer Barry Cockcroft made the announcement at a recent press briefing. In the first report is available to download through this link https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/229629/2901017_NHS_DentalContractReform_acc.pdf. It showed early findings from the 70 practices in the…

BDA politician John Milne spoke on 6 December at the local dental committees officials’ day. He revealed a tough side both to his character and his dealings with the government. I have, for many years, said we should not underestimate the determination of this Yorkshireman to get his own way. ‘Speak softly, but carry a…

The Autumn Statement has just been delivered (on 5 December 2013) to parliament by the chancellor, George Osborne. This is a precursor to the March 2014 Budget. As in previous years, the Autumn Statement is an opportunity for the chancellor to soften the blow of upcoming fiscal policy and reveal the government’s thinking on the…

Newly appointed Dr Oliver Harman who has joined Oasis Dental Care. In 2010, he became one of only two dentists in the UK to pass the fellowship examination from the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and has been featured regularly on TV as an expert in his field of cosmetic dentistry. On Wednesday 23 October the St John’s…

Ian Tibbetts, 43, has seen the faces of his twin boys for the first time after a pioneering surgery to restore his sight by a leading surgeon. The surgery involved implanting one of his teeth into his eyes. Ian Tibbetts first went blind after an industrial accident damaged his cornea, ripping it in six places,…

Barry Cockcroft CBE, chief dental officer, NHS England, Department of Health, Health Education England clarifies why toothpaste aimed at the 0-3 age group ought to contain no less than 1000 ppm fluoride to be optimally effective in reducing dental caries prevalence. The December issue of Dentistry magazine hits letterboxes next week.  

It’s gone very quiet at the British Dental Association (BDA) recently. I guess they went by the maxim ‘least said, soonest mended’. Say as little as possible and inquisitive people like me will get bored and go away. The Association has a new financial plan, based on lower subscription income, but with lower staff costs.…