The Department of Health has announced extra £30 million funding for NHS dentistry. Lord Howe, Health Minister, said: “Since May 2010 more than a million new patients are seeing an NHS dentist. We want to make sure that this progress continues and that dentists give the highest standards of care as well as treating more patients. That’s why we have invested this extra £30 million in funding.”

Fears over infection control at a Northumberland dental practice have led to 28 patients being recalled for checks and blood tests. The dentist practised at Genix Healthcare Dental Clinic in Alnwick. Patients are being offered a precautionary blood test for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV in keeping with best clinical practice, the dentist implicated is not practising for the time being.

The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) has responded angrily to the BDA statement on its Alison Lockyer report, describing it as 'misleading'. Harry Cayton, Chief Executive of the PSA, said, 'I find it astonishing that the BDA should choose to ignore the conclusions of our report and to misrepresent its content in this way. I urge people to read the report for themselves and not to rely on partial interpretations of it.'