The Journal of the American Dental Association has published research which shows that fewer than 1% of dentists nationwide were estimated to be COVID-19 positive as of June, according to an American Dental Association Science & Research Institute and Health Policy Institute study.
No commentsRead more: ADA study finds COVID-19 rate among dentists less than 1%
NHS contracts will be raised by 2.5 per cent in England. The uplift will be paid in November and backdated to 1 April. Foundation Dentist salaries will be updated by 2.8 per cent, as will Educational Supervisors’ grants. In addition the BDA says that discussions are on-going between the BDA and NHS England about how the contractual provisions might change.
Read more: NHS contracts in England to increase by 2.5%: discussions continue over contract changes
Cochrane Oral Health has carried out a systematic review to identify the best time interval to have between dental check‐ups. They concluded that in adults, there was little to no difference between six‐monthly and risk‐based check‐ups in tooth decay, gum disease and quality of life after four years; and probably little to no difference in how many people had moderate‐to‐extensive tooth decay.
Read more: Cochrane concludes less gain from 6-month dental check-ups
The second edition of Guidance Notes for Dental Practitioners on the Safe use of X-ray Equipment sets standards of good practice for the safe use of X-ray equipment in dental practice, and is endorsed by the College of General Dentistry. It is freely available on the FGDP website, where hard copies are also available to purchase. FGDP members based in the UK will shortly be receiving a complimentary hard copy.
Read more: FGDP(UK) and PHE publish revised guidance on radiation protection
Food companies have cut sugar by only 3% despite the Government’s voluntary target of a 20% reduction in many products by the end of the year, The Times has reported. Between 2015 and last year there was little or no reduction in many food and drink categories, including chocolate and sweets, Public Health England (PHE) says in a report. Sugar levels in puddings, meanwhile, rose by 2%.
Read more: Food companies are failing to reduce sugar content says PHE
The Commons Health and Social Care Committee is calling for urgent action to assess and tackle a backlog of appointments and an unknown patient demand for all health services, including dentistry. They said a compelling case had been made for the nationwide routine testing of all NHS staff and they are yet to understand why it cannot be introduced.