Sebastian Evans

The Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) has announced the election of Ian Wood as its new vice dean. Ian has worked in general dental practice since he qualified in 1979, and is the owner of a five-surgery practice in Manchester. He was elected to the FGDP (UK) board in 2000 and has held several…

Indications for RCT can be grouped into three categories; vital inflamed pulps, necrotic pulps and re-treatment. Endodontic diagnosis is straightforward enough, most of the time, but occasionally a diagnosis can prove elusive. This article was written to help the general practitioner diagnose vital inflamed cases efficiently with an eye toward predictable clinical management. Specific methods…

Illegally high levels of hydrogen peroxide have been found in many DIY tooth-whitening kits, following tests by the Trading Standards Institute (TSI). Levels of the bleaching agent were higher than the legal limit in 18 of the 20 products tested, some of which cost as little as £14. In one case the legal limit was…

There are two things that dentists are generally noted for: saying ‘open wide’ and asking questions when their patients are unable to answer. Why is this, I wonder? I spend most of my time asking patients to close their mouths because without my saying anything they open as wide as they can (bless their hearts),…

This year sees the launch of our inaugural Website Awards\. Read on to see how your practice can have its online efforts officially rewarded by entering the Dentistry\.co\.uk Website Awards 2007. Producing and developing a quality practice website has never been more important in today’s dental industry. A website can go a long way towards…

Simon Gambold has been elected as the next president of the British Dental Trade Association (BDTA). The announcement was made following the association’s annual general meeting at its annual conference in Liverpool last week. Almost 100 people from BDTA-member companies attended the two-day event, which took place at the Radisson SAS hotel, to listen to…

Local health boards in Wales are believed to have underspent money intended to improve access to NHS dentistry by almost £22m. The news comes as patients are struggling to register for NHS care in the country. Areas of West and North Wales are experiencing a huge shortage of NHS dentists as existing practices are full…

The Dental Defence Union (DDU) has responded to the government’s proposals to reform the NHS complaints procedure by saying the new system must be fair to those who are complained about, as well as complainants. Responding to the Department of Health’s proposals, titled Making Experiences Count – the proposed new arrangements for handling health and…

Associated Dental Practices (ADP) has made an £84.9m offer for Oasis Healthcare, trumping a previous £76.9m bid for the company. Britain’s largest dental firm had initially been offered £76.9m from private equity company Duke Street Capital last week. But now ADP, itself the UK’s third biggest dental firm which currently owns more than 18% of…

Following public consultation, the GDC has agreed that all dental care professionals (DCPs) will be required to complete and record 150 hours of continuing professional development every five years, a third of which should be verifiable. This requirement is expected to be introduced from July 2008 when registration will become compulsory for dental nurses and…

More than 13,000 new NHS dentist places are being made available over the next year to patients across East Yorkshire. The news follows an investment of nearly £1m by Hull Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) into NHS dental services. John Hinchliffe, adviser in dental public health for the trust, said he expects high demand for…

Dr Brian Schottlander said he was honoured to open the recent World Symposium on Private Dental Technology & Denturism at the Ricoh Centre in Coventry. Dr Schottlander said it gave him particular pleasure that the practice of clinical dental technology is now legal in the UK, and that those who practise it can now be…

In the last article we considered four areas where behavioural change would benefit patients and practitioners through a win-win approach to preventive care. This philosophy can of course be applied to all areas of healthcare. These were: 1. Initial attendance. 2. Uptake of care (case acceptance). 3. Compliance with preventive strategies on a long-term basis.…

When dentists think about continuing education, they may think of the typical one-day clinical seminar with a speaker presenting information using a slide show. The speaker may share with them information selected to both impress and educate them. Frequently, the information is valuable, which helps dentists and staff alike to enhance their clinical skills. The…

Summer is fast approaching and for dental students this marks the end of exam fever and the start of a well-deserved holiday. For many fourth year dental students across the UK, summer is also an opportunity to undertake an elective and often proves to be one of the most memorable experiences of your undergraduate career.…

Dentists have been encouraged to take action where they suspect one of their patients may be a victim of forced marriage. New guidelines aimed at frontline practitioners offer advice on how to recognise warning signs and what to do if a patient discloses that they have been, or are about to be, forced to marry.…

The General Dental Council (GDC) has agreed the composition of the 12 registrant members of a new-look, smaller, fully appointed Council, expected to be in place by 2008. The make-up will consist of eight dentists and four dental care professionals. In making this decision, the Council was keen to ensure that the GDC of the…

The British Dental Trade Association, organiser of the Dental Showcase, is encouraging all members of the dental team to reserve their tickets for the event in advance. Registering in advance saves visitors the £10 on-the-day registration fee, introduced to cover the cost of employing registration operatives over the three-day event. Early registration is increasingly important…

The Dental Implant Clinic, based in Bath, has announced that it will be increasing the number of ‘Live Skills’ Dental Implant courses it offers in 2008 to meet growing demand. The practice’s success has been built off the back of its unique approach and its conversion rate, which has seen all of its student dentists…