The Irish News has published an article by Lucy Stock, a Belfast dentist, which reveals that teens who spend more time on computers are significantly more likely to neglect their oral health. It claims that computer addicted teens are are up to 25% more likely to have bleeding gums and almost twice as likely to miss school due to dental pain.
No commentsRead more: Teenagers’ oral health worse in long term computer users
Sarah Woolaston MP who chairs the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee has launched an inquiry into NHS dental services. The Committee has invited evidence from the public, organisations and others with relevant expertise. Submissions don’t need to address all the areas covered in the terms of reference to be accepted. The deadline for submissions is Friday 13 September 2019.
Read more: Health Select Committee to investigate NHS dentistry
USA teledentistry giant SmileDirectClub has opened for business in Britain to bring ‘affordable and accessible’ clear aligner therapy to the UK. It will open nine SmileShops in London, Manchester, and Birmingham, with the first opening in Hammersmith, Oxford Circus and Tower Bridge in London, and Crossway in Birmingham.
South Lakes Lib-Dem MP has secured a commitment from the Government to roll out a new NHS dental contract to Cumbria to address a serious shortage of NHS dentists in the county. Junior minister, Seema Kennedy MP, told MPs that the new contract should attract people to and keep people in the dental profession and ensure better access to dentistry in places such as Cumbria and across the country.
Read more: NHS dentistry in Cumbria at ‘breaking point’ says local MP
The Green Paper says that the Government needs to do much better on oral health, with tooth decay being the most common reason for hospital admission for children aged 5 to 9 years old – ‘yet it is largely preventable’. They will consult on rolling out a school toothbrushing scheme in more pre-school settings and primary schools in England and explore ways of removing the funding barriers to fluoridating water.
Read more: Government pledges to ‘do much better’ on oral health
Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, kept his post in the most radical cabinet reshuffle of modern times, by Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. Although he did not receive the promotion which he may have expected, he tweeted that he was ‘delighted’ to stay put. Three new MPs join his team at Health, Chris Skidmore, Jo Churchill (dental brief) and Nadine Dorries.