Sebastian Evans

What is your problem? Dr LD Pankey began all his interviews and examinations with this question. He knew that no one knows better than the patient why they have come. When it comes to exceeding the expectations of new patients, it’s all about having the right information. What is their problem? Is that the real…

We all grow older chronologically. It is a fact. However, there is a growing gap, in this day and age, between chronological and biological age. Many patients who are chronologically older are physically and psychologically very young in outlook. It is our responsibility to treat all patients with the same due diligence and respect, regardless…

Whatever else you may have thought of him, Ronald Reagan was a leader if ever there was one. People followed him because he knew where he was going. He left a towering legacy from his time in the Oval Office (1981-89), restoring America\’s strength and prosperity following a serious economic crisis as well as peacefully…

Your final year at dental school will probably end up being one of the busiest and most stressful times of your life. Your thoughts will no doubt be occupied by exam revision timetables, making sure you have completed all your quotas and preparing your case presentations. But if all that’s not enough for you to…

Potable tea as a water infusion of young leaves from the tea tree (botanical name Camellia sinensis) is one of nature’s health beverages. Its multi-molecular chemical composition provides a recreational drink with a variety of beneficial effects. Besides nourishing the body, tea may act as a benign cardiovascular and neural stimulant, a coolant, or cariostatic…

One of our most popular New Year resolutions after keeping fit or losing weight is to sort out our finances. But making such resolutions is easy – keeping them is a different matter. A more realistic approach may be to set yourself one financial goal a month over the coming year. This way you should…

The vast majority of patient interactions go well and without dispute, but sooner or later many dentists experience the distress of a solicitor’s letter. This can cause the dentist to suffer acute anxiety as well as question his or her own ability. Such letters are of course designed to do just that, so if you…

Early referral is always the best option in this instance. That said, for a host of reasons, referral may not always be possible (if the patient has been seen late at night, over a holiday, or based in a rural area etc). Unfortunately, many is the tooth that has been started under stressful circumstances in…

For final-year dental students, the arrival of February is announced by the sound of vocational training (VT) application packs falling through their letterboxes. Not only is this a sign that their time at dental school is coming to an end, but also that putting off thoughts of what to do next is no longer an…

Following on from my last article, my second story about being defensive features a long-term dental phobic. The first time we met she was jumpy and restless, but I calmly explained the chronic periodontal problems she presented with, showed her in the mirror what she had to do, and very gently started to scale. We…

In my previous article I argued the case for a number of candidates for the most important instruments in periodontics. My vote was for the ears. Rather strangely, some may think, but I am serious in my choice. I read a figure the other day of 60-70%. This was the dropout rate for recall patients…

One of the most valuable services a dentist can provide for a child patient is adequate treatment of pulp involved primary teeth. It is very important to keep the primary molar tooth as a space maintainer (see Figure 1), as premature extraction of a primary molar tooth usually leads to unnecessary orthodontic treatment when the…

A South African dentist accused of having links to al-Qaeda and the Taliban has denied the allegations. Junaid Ismail Dockrat, a dentist from Johannesburg, and his cousin Moulana Farhad Ahmed Dockrat, a Muslim cleric, were named on the United Nations Security Council’s list of terror suspects after US accusations they were ‘facilitators and terrorist financiers’…

In 1918 Abbot reported the use of a high intensity light that generates a rapid rise in the temperature of hydrogen peroxide, accelerating the chemical bleaching process. This combination continues to be the basic protocol for power bleaching. The main problems associated with power bleaching are: • It can require multiple visits to the surgery…

Some practice owners may remember that back in January 2006 they owned an asset called ‘goodwill’ valued at 40 to 50% of NHS turnover. This asset has now been misappropriated by the PCTs under clause 12 of the new GDS contract and it doesn’t seem to have caused anything like the furore I for one…

Susie Sanderson, chair of the British Dental Association’s executive board, has criticised the speed in which disputed dental contracts are being resolved. Department of Health figures show that 262 disputed NHS dental contracts were resolved between 30 September and 30 November 2006. This compares to 523 in the previous two months. According to the figures,…

The International Academy of Advanced Facial Aesthetics’ (IAAFA) first annual conference will take place on 16-17 March 2007 at the London Marriott Hotel in Regents Park. The theme of the two-day event is Uniting Medical and Dental Professionals in the Field of Facial Aesthetics. It aims to give dental professionals an insight into facial aesthetics…

Exams are an unavoidable aspect of dental school that nobody enjoys. The types of assessment students have to take during their academic career varies wildly according to the year they are in and what school they attend. During the first two years of the course, students usually have to take a mix of short answer,…

On a chilly and crisp November morning, nominees and guests destined for the Dental Defence Union’s (DDU) 2006 Educational Awards made their way to the capital to attend this year’s event at Trinity House in Tower Hill. Overlooking the Tower of London, the venue’s grey exterior lulls visitors into thinking what lies behind the entrance…