Bad weather can cause a host of problems.  Now that snow and ice are prevalent, NASDAL’s Amanda Maskery is advising employers to get a policy in place to manage situations when employees can’t get to work. Adverse weather conditions may cause major disruptions such as road closures and public transport delays or cancellations preventing staff from getting to work.

General Dental Practitioners in England will receive only 1.5% uplift in their contract values. The Review Body made no recommendation for GDPs in England wales or Northern Ireland, although they recommended that those in Scotland should receive an increase in fees to deliver a 1% rise in net income. The Department of Health has also signalled that it intends to implement changes to the way that dental contracts are managed at the end of the 2013/14 financial year.

A chance encounter whilst on holiday in Burma in March 2012, has led to the foundation of a new UK dental charity thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of practice owners Sharon Bierer and her husband, dentist Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen. Burmadent has been granted charitable status by the Charities Commission in double quick time thanks to the documented evidence that the organisation has already carried out important voluntary work.

Scientists have developed a new method of replacing missing teeth with a bioengineered material generated from a person's own gum cells. Current implant-based methods of whole tooth replacement fail to reproduce a natural root structure and as a consequence of the friction from eating and other jaw movement, loss of jaw bone can occur around the implant.

Health Minister Earl Howe has announced rise in NHS charges in England from April 1, 2013. He said: “Dental charges represent an important contribution to the overall cost of dental services. The exact amount raised will be dependent upon the level and type of primary dental care services commissioned by the NHS Commissioning Board and the proportion of charge-paying patients who attend dentists and the level of treatment they require."