The end of dental fillings was forecast once again after scientists in China discovered how to regrow tooth enamel. Previous attempts to recreate the outer layer of teeth have proved elusive. Commenting on the claims, Prof Damien Walmsley, said: “This is exciting but it’s still a very long way off.”
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BDA PEC Chair, Mick Armstrong, was a signatory to a letter to the prime minister, from the heads of 17 royal colleges and health charities across the UK saying that clinicians were "unable to reassure patients" their health and care will not be affected by a no-deal Brexit. They went on to say they have "significant concerns about shortages of medical supplies".
Read more: BDA joins royal colleges in issuing no-deal Brexit warning
Statistics from NHS Digital showed that just 50.2% of adults had seen a dentist in the past two years – a drop from 52.5% less than a year ago. Only 44% of Londoners had a check-up in the previous 24 months. This compares with a figure of 55.7% for those living in the North West. There was also a significant rise in the amount patients’ charges which totalled £855 million in 2018-19, up from £813 million the previous year.
Read more: Fewer people seeing an NHS dentist, but it is costing them more
The BDA has warned that patient access problems risk being here to stay, as a new report from NHS Digital shows sustained pressure on pay for NHS dentists across Britain. Associates in England and Wales, who make up 85% of the workforce, have seen their incomes drop from £67,800 in 2008/9 to £59,700 in 2017/18, a 36% fall to less than £47,000 when factoring in inflation.
Read more: NHS dentists’ incomes fell by 36% in real terms over past ten years
New research reveals that more than a quarter (28%) of British adults turn to sugar when put under stress. With half of workers reporting feeling stressed in their jobs the Oral Health Foundation is calling on employers to do more to help combat stress and offer more support to their employees to maintain good oral health. According to the charity’s research, those in work can be significantly (up to 28%) more likely to binge on sugar than those out of work.
Read more: OHF calls for stress-free working environments to end sugar binges
Glasgow dental hospital workers’ have voiced their fury as NHS bosses have banned water coolers over health risks, according to a report in the Daily Record. Employees say the only safe drinking water is now on the second floor. Staff at the hospital have accused NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde of leaving them ‘hot and bothered’ because of the water cooler ban.