In an article for Politicshome, Neil Carmichael, Chair of the Association of Dental Groups said they were launching a national campaign calling on ministers to take urgent action to address the crisis in UK dentistry, which is worsening by the day. He said that all of the signs point to a “worrying picture with lockdown having led to fewer patients being seen and some of the most vulnerable groups being hit hardest.”
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In a widely forecast move, health secretary, Matt Hancock has abolished Public Health England, admitting that the UK was not adequately prepared for the Covid-19. In its place he has created a new National Institute for Health Protection to fight pandemics. The move leaves open the question of what happens to other public health responsibilities, such as strategies to improve oral health.
Read more: Public Health England axed, but where does it leave oral health strategy?
BADT and BSDHT Presidents have taken the unprecedented action of writing to all Council members of the GDC ensuring awareness is raised, and demanding the "daughter test" is applied. Of great concern are the risks to patient safety by allowing untested foreign national dentists treat UK patients as therapists.
Read more: Dental therapists demand action from Council of GDC
Paleogenomics, which studies DNA in remnants of ancient teeth, has been looking at how humanity’s first encounter with disease is thousands of years older than originally thought. The growing evidence suggests that the first epidemics forced change onto societies. “In the case of covid-19 we see similar processes, but we are watching it unfold in real time,” said Anne Stone, professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University.
By Paul Felton
Safety concerns are growing among dental professionals as it’s been revealed that there has been a substantial increase in the rate at which the General Dental Council is registering overseas dentists as dental therapists and dental hygienists, without carrying out a practical examination of their clinical skills.
Read more: Safety Concerns Grow At Increased GDC Registrations
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued interim guidance on ‘Considerations for the provision of essential oral health services in the context of COVID-19’, developed under the lead of Dr Benoit Varenne, Dental Officer, Oral Health Programme, at WHO headquarters. It was the subject of a rather sensational article in the Daily Mail. GDPUK feels this is not aimed at UK, where very high standards of PPE and disinfection are in place, but most likely aimed at other areas of the world.
Read more: COVID-19: Update: WHO issues guidance on dentistry