Sebastian Evans

Dr Steven Mulligan, a general dental practitioner from South Yorkshire has been awarded more than £164,000 to investigate whether dental filling materials that contain plastics act as environmental pollutants. Steven will lead a two-year research project that is expected to commence in January 2014. The project will be conducted under the supervision of the academic…

A news story from the USA caught my eye last week. It was advice on oral health care during pregnancy. It came from, of all people, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, rather than the dental association. It contains some good stuff and a warning for the US healthcare system. The advice points out…

Supported by COPDEND (The Committee of Postgraduate Dental Deans and Directors), the educational website www.cpdt.co.uk has been a valuable resource for child maltreatment. The website was relaunched in June 2013 following a full update and makeover. Jenny Harris, consultant in Community Paediatric Dentistry in Sheffield, who has led the Department of Health-funded project since its…

After last year’s success, the mini lecture programme returns for another year. 2013’s programme includes a whole host of new and informative lectures, free for every member of the dental team. The lectures will be sponsored by exhibitors, with expert speakers presenting on their specialist areas. This year’s exhibition will be held from 17-19 October…

Researchers at the National Taiwan University have created a mouth sensor which tracks how well you are looking after your teeth, and reports your bad habits straight to the dentist. The new sensor has been created by a team of researchers at the National Taiwan University's Department of Science and Information Engineering and Department of…

On 1 April this year, major changes were made to the civil justice procedures. These aimed to reduce patient’s legal costs that are recovered from defendant dental professionals in compensation claims. If you have been unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of a negligence claim, you’ll know how important it is to have…

Dental professionals are being advised by the Dental Defence Union (DDU) to ensure they clearly communicate with patients, introducing themselves, explaining what to expect from dental treatment and what the cost will be, in line with new ethical standards soon to be introduced. The GDC's recently published ‘Standards for the Dental Team’, which will come…


On 31 July 2013 around 40,000 dental care professionals (DCPs) came to the end of their first five year cycle of continuing professional development (CPD). CPD is a legal requirement and by that date, DCPs needed to have completed 150 hours of CPD or risk losing their registration. They now have until 28 August 2013…

Pluripotent stem cells generated from human urine cells have been used to grow teeth-like structures in a group of mice. The laboratory-based study was published in Cell Regeneration and could illuminate the possibility of using urine as an easier source to obtain stem cells rather than by existing means – such as obtaining a sample…

If you have lots of ideas of how to do this, but aren’t sure what would work or exactly how to go about implementing changes, the Mastermind Coaching Group with 7Connections could hold all the answers. As a member, you will join the dental community already building, which comes together to share concerns, success stories…

The latest business programme from 7Connections has the capacity to accelerate your business growth more than you ever thought possible. Never mind trying to increase your annual sales by five or 10%– how about looking to become a £10 million business?  You might think that is a very ambitious target, but in order to make…

Developing the new 'Standards for the Dental Team' has been a lengthy and in-depth process, but one that we think has produced standards which have patient protection at their heart and provide more clarity on what we expect of dental professionals. The current standards were first published in May 2005. At that time, dental nurses,…

Vitamin D, essential for bone development and naturally produced by your body when exposed to sunlight, may help prevent tooth decay, tooth loss and gum disease. Previous research has suggested that Vitamin D (in other words, the 'sunshine vitamin') could improve gum health1, and a review of 24 studies spanning 60 years revealed vitamin D…

Over a third of Bachelor of Dental Sugery graduates have secured jobs as qualified dentists at practices throughout Devon and Cornwall. Peninsula Dental School graduate, Julia Bernado, was runner-up in the national Dentsply Academy CeramX Case Contest this year following her presentation of her clinical work using composite resin for a patient in Plymouth. The…

The study1 into vegetarian and non-vegetarian eating habits also revealed that vegetarians are less likely to suffer from bleeding gums, tooth loss and potential life-threatening conditions. But vegetarians suffered from more tooth decay and were less likely to visit their dentist, despite knowing the benefits of doing so. The two most common deficiencies among long-term…

A Plymouth-based forensic ondontologist, Simon Crewe, and his wife Liza, a chemotherapy nurse, have recently returned from Guinea, West Africa, after volunteering on board the world's largest charity hospital ship, the Africa Mercy. Run by the international charity Mercy Ships, the Africa Mercy offers free medical care and humanitarian aid to some of the world’s…

As the lovely British summer comes around once again, our minds turn to Pimm's, BBQs, music festivals and camping. Personally, I am not well disposed to spending a wet summers evening in a tent, sleeping on what you can guarantee will be the lumpiest, most uneven patch of earth in the whole of the British…

Since the end of the Celtic Tiger era, dentistry in Ireland has been hit hard by the troubled economy, but help is now at hand. Identex has teamed up with Irish Dentistry, and together we have put together a stunning two-day educational event for dentists and their teams. With speakers from Ireland, America and the…