Sebastian Evans

The British Dental Association (BDA) will warn the government this week that the future of NHS dentistry is ‘at risk’ unless ministers scrap the current NHS contracts. Representatives of the BDA have already outlined how the contract changes have seen more than 1000 dentists leave the health service. A further exodus will threaten to bring…

Students attending Scotland’s newest dental school opening in October will get their fees paid by the Scottish government. The £7000 cost to study on the four-year post grad course at Aberdeen’s new £15million dental school will be waived for the 15 students (rising to 20 in subsequent years). Public Health Minister Shona Robison announced the…

Cancer of the salivary gland is higher in people who use their mobile phone frequently, according to a recent study from Israel. But in a conflicting report – the largest and longest-running investigation ever to be carried out into mobile phone usage – it was found that there is no increased risk of any sort…

A revolutionary laser device that detects the early signs of tooth decay could end the need for fillings. The hand-held machine, designed by scientists at Strathclyde University, Glasgow, uses a laser to create an image of a tooth’s mineral content and allows dentists to see if decay has started. Patients whose teeth are found to…

A dental health charity has welcomed a proposal by a government health advisory board to make smokers cough up for a £10 licence before they can light up. No one would be able to buy cigarettes without first buying a permit, under the idea proposed by Health England – and the British Dental Health Foundation…

Dr John Girkin, one of the founders of the Centre for Biophotonics at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, has invented a hand-held machine that uses laser beams to capture detailed pictures of a patient’s teeth. These images can help to reverse the process of decay before permanent damage has been done. As reported by…

A fell walker has been reunited with his set of dentures a year after losing them in the Lake District. David Packer from Manchester had just climbed the Haystacks in January 2007 when he stopped for a chocolate bar. He popped out his dental plate and wrapped it up in a hankerchief, but mistakenly left…

A 40,000-YEAR-OLD tooth has provided scientists with the first direct evidence that Neanderthals moved from place to place during their lifetimes. The team used laser technology to collect microscopic particles of enamel from the tooth. By analysing strontium isotope ratios in the enamel – strontium is a naturally occurring metal ingested into the body through…

The General Dental Council (GDC) has successfully prosecuted Community First for Treatment Ltd which had dental practices in Eastfield Road in Peterborough and Main Ridge in West Boston for the illegal business of dentistry on two occasions in the last two years. Community First for Treatment were convicted in their absence of the two offences…

The immediacy and urgency of a medical emergency can strike terror into us and without proper planning and practise it can be a very stressful event. The drawn-out scenario associated with a lawsuit can also loom, but it is the care of the patient that demands rigorous attention to assessment and treatment of the event.…

Chemical dependency has many faces and takes many forms, including the use of depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens and alcohol. The most commonly abused substances are caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. There are a number of Central Nervous System Stimulants (CNSSs) commonly abused by chemically-dependent individuals, including over-the-counter diet pills, prescribed amphetamines, street amphetamines, methamphetamines and cocaine. Many…

If companies provide workplace flexibility and if employees perceive that flexibility as real, then healthier lifestyle habits are put into action by those employees, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina, USA (Grzywacz J et al, 2007). Lead author Joseph Grzywacz PhD explained that that while workplace flexibility…

We are witnessing an unprecedented time in the evolution of dentistry. It is more possible than ever before for the dentist who is committed to a higher standard of care to attain a more fulfilling practice environment. Your practice environment and the quality of care are a by-product of your systems. You are about to…

Having spent the past 12 years working in dental hygiene at O’Brien & Molloy Periodontics in Dock Rd, Galway, I know the value of effective pain management dentistry. Acupuncture is an effective equivalent to local anaesthetic (LA) for in-chair pain management, but time constraints during dental treatment leaves LA as a more popular method. Primarily…

Consider the concept that something that is urgent should not be your number one priority. (Excepting patients in need of an emergency appointment, of course.) We all need to learn the difference between urgent and important. Important things are those that help you to achieve your goals and to make the most of your time.…

Denmark has announced plans to ban the use of amalgam in dental procedures, echoing a similar move by Norway and Sweden earlier this year. The Danish ban will come into place on 1 April 2008, while the Norwegian and Swedish legislation has been in effect since 1 January. Swedish officials cite both health and environmental…

US dentists are a romantic bunch – last week, one in five dentists admitted to dating a co-worker or employee at their dental practice in a recent survey. Gender played a distinct role in a dentist’s experience with workplace romance. One in four male dentists acknowledged having a romantic relationship with a co-worker, while only…

The British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) has ripped up its stamp of approval of a trainer cup after a battle over money with the manufacturers. The Steadycup – an open-top cup for toddlers – enjoyed the endorsement by the BDHF for over two years when it was acknowledged in 2005 by the panel of dental…

BBC Radio 1’s Dr Mark Hamilton and Belfast’s Big Brother contestant Orlaith McAllister will be ‘glamming it up’ to host the Queen’s University dentistry and medical students annual SWOT (Students Working Overseas Trust) fashion show on Monday 25 February. Organised by the fourth-year dentistry and medical society, the fashion show is the stylish pinnacle in…