Dentists around the UK have celebrated a drop of nearly a quarter in the General Dental Council’s (GDC’s) Annual Retention Fee (ARF) for dentists, following its recent consultation on its three-year strategic plan.
The new rate of £680 is broadly in line with where the ARF would have been had it only increased in line with inflation since 2014, when fee levels leapt from £576 to £890.
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The new Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals has opened. All Eastman Dental Hospital services are now based at the new facility and the hospital site on Gray’s Inn Road is closed to patients. The £100 million hospital is one of the biggest specialist centres in Europe for dental, ear, nose, throat, hearing and balance services.
Read more: Eastman Dental Hospital moves to new £100 million building
The British Dental Association (BDA) has urged parents to be on alert, as new research has revealed that 9 of the 14 teething products licensed for use in the UK contain sucrose, alcohol and/or lidocaine, all of which have potential harmful side effects. There is little evidence that the products are actually effective in reducing teething pain.
Read more: BDA warns of teething products that could put infants’ health at risk
Medical News Today reports on a study linking periodontal disease with hypertension. A new review now argues that the more severe the form of gum disease, the higher the risk of hypertension. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as 47.2% of people aged 30 years and older have some form of periodontal disease, and about 32% of all adults in the United States have hypertension.
Read more: Severe gum disease linked to 49% higher risk of hypertension
But not dental charges. The move would bring England into line with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where they are free.Currently, prescriptions cost £9 per item in England. But there was no mention in shadow minister, Jonathan Ashworth’s speech of dental charges or indeed NHS dentistry.
Read more: Labour promises to scrap prescription charges in England if it wins power
In an excoriating report the Public Accounts Committee says that confusing rules for claiming free prescriptions and dental treatment need changing. Chair Meg Hillier MP said: “Patients find it very confusing to understand whether or not they can claim free prescriptions or dental treatment because of a convoluted system that causes patients, in some cases, distress.”
Read more: Committee says rules for free dental treatment need to change