In the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, for the first time the Local Dental Committee Conference 2020 was held virtually, courtesy of Zoom. It was chaired excellently by Leah Farrell, ably assisted by the 2021 chair, Stuart Allan. If there was one message to be taken away from all sides on the day, it was that UDAs were finished and should never be revived.
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NASDAL has released their Goodwill Survey statistics for the quarter ending 31st January 2020. But as Alan Suggett who compiles the goodwill survey, said it doesn’t show what has happened since March 2020 and the advent of the Coronavirus pandemic. In his comment he gives an insight as to what is actually happening now.
White bread and noodles are ranked highly alongside cereals and soft-drinks as the main causes of tooth decay in children, a new study has shown. The study’s lead author Dr Simon Thornley said many people were unaware that “frequently consuming foods such as white bread, rice and noodles could put children at greater risk of dental caries."
Read more: Refined starches linked to tooth decay in children
Although the Government has accepted in full the pay recommendations in the latest Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) report, with a 2.8% pay rise for NHS dentists, backdated to April, the final uplift to contract values for GDPs awaits the result of a consultation on expenses. Increases for associates are not covered in this award, but are a matter for individual practices or corporates.
Read more: Review Body recommends a rise of 2.8% for dentists’ net income
A recent article in the British Dental Journal suggests that there is a link between poor oral health and COVID-19 complications. The authors suggest that the connection between the oral microbiome and such complications should be investigated in the process of better understanding the outcomes of COVID-19 disease.
Read more: Research suggests link between poor oral health and COVID-19 complications
Commenting on the recent Summer Economic Statement delivered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Rishi Sunak, NASDAL’s Charles Linaker says that the most important Covid-19 measure of which dentists need to be aware is a measure announced previously in relation to their 31 July payments on account due under Self-Assessment and the opportunity to defer their second payment on account for tax year 2019/20, due at the end of July, until next 31 January 2021.