Sebastian Evans

It is performance review time in your practice. You are faced with a dilemma that has happened before and you know it is about to happen again. In walks a team member – call her Erin. She has been with your practice for six years. Erin is dependable and does an adequate job. She is…

A dentist who was struck off the register after some of his patients ‘suffered unnecessary pain and discomfort’ has applied for his ban to be lifted. Robert Hossack had run practices in Clare, Suffolk, and Witham, Essex, before he was banned by the General Dental Council (GDC) in October 2004, when he was found guilty…

A new directory on the NHS website has been launched in a bid to help people find a dentist. The online service aims to make it easier for people to find their nearest surgery accepting new patients. All they need do is key in their postcode. By logging on to the NHS Choices website, clicking…

A review of cosmetic dentistry in the last decade clearly demonstrates that emphasis has been placed on dentists’ technical skills at the expense of (creating) a natural look. As a result, a ‘manufactured look’ has become the signature of today’s cosmetic dentistry. Testimony to this can be seen in our daily lives. Why should we…

A dentist who used dental records to identify victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks was sentenced to five years’ probation for forging painkiller prescriptions for his girlfriend. Jeffrey Burkes, 59, who pleaded guilty in November to criminal sale of a prescription for a controlled substance, was also ordered to do 150 hours of community service…

Norfolk is to get a cash boost of £700,000 to provide more NHS dentists in towns that need them most. Norfolk Primary Care Trust carried out a review of dental services across the county and agreed to spend the money on providing more NHS dentists, first off in Dereham and North Walsham – identified as…

A London dentist is giving patients check-ups over the Internet – and believes that ultimately the technology could mean people getting a check-up in the comfort of their own home. At the moment, patients still have to go to Dr Jerry Watson’s clinic to be filmed. This is carried out while patients have a £50…

Congratulations to Dr Shane Byrne of Ardee, County Louth, the winner of Irish Dentist’s K Club experience. Dr Byrne’s name was the first drawn out of the hat from those who filled in the Irish Dentist readership survey. The team at Irish Dentist would like to extend its thanks to all of you who took…

On 12 December 2007 the Minister for Health Promotion and Food Safety, Pat The Cope Gallagher TD, launched the report on the Evaluation of the Specialist Certificate in Health Promotion (Oral Health). The Specialist Certificate is a 12-month part-time course provided by the National University of Ireland, Galway, and the Dental Health Foundation. The course…

Scientists in the US have discovered a connection between the incidence of oral cancer and race and ethnicity. The investigation is part of an epidemiologic study of oral cancer in California by researchers at the University of Southern California School of Dentistry in Los Angeles. Using data from the California Cancer Registry, they examined the…

Community First for Treatment has been accused by the UK dental regulator, the General Dental Council (GDC), of the illegal business of dentistry on two occasions in the last two years. The charges against the company concern dental practices in Eastfield Road in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and Main Ridge in West Boston, Lincolnshire. The company was…

A drunk driver who blamed his dentist for his alcohol reading has been banned. Barry Squire, from Ifield, claimed he was unsteady and slurring after smashing into a car because his dentist had given him 12 injections of anaesthetic before having his tooth pulled out. The 45-year-old man, who pleaded not guilty to driving a…

The NHS is being given guidelines for the use of conscious sedation for patients with an innate fear of the dentist. The conscious sedation of anxious patients during treatment is outlined in The Guidelines for the Appointment of DwSIs in Conscious Sedation, put together by the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) (FGDP UK) and…

NHS dentistry is in a crisis – and only the government can resolve it. That’s according to the British Dental Association (BDA) who is calling on ministers to act upon the news that seven million people have not seen an NHS dentist for almost two years because they cannot find a practice that will accept…

The Dental Practitioners Association (DPA) has accused Chief Dental Officer Barry Cockcroft of being ‘in denial’ over the damning figures revealing that seven million patients have not seen an NHS dentist in almost two years. Lack of access to the NHS was top of the list in the poll of 1800 people in England and…

The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) has issued its second warning in 18 months about bisphosphonates, a class of drugs used to combat bone thinning. A release from the IMB stated: ‘Osteonecrosis of the jaw continues to be reported as a suspected adverse drug reaction associated with bisphosphonates and the number of reports appear to be…

Q. My private practice is very successful. I have 2000 loyal patients but because many of them have been with the practice for over ten years, the vast majority of them are now dentally healthy. Should I embark on a new advertising campaign to attract new patients? A. Advertising is often the first thought to…