Satisfaction with NHS dentistry services was similar to the previous year at 58%, but overall satisfaction with the NHS and social care fell by 3% to 53%. This is according to the British Social Attitudes survey carried out between July and October 2018, which asked a nationally representative sample of 2,926 people about their satisfaction with the NHS overall.
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The latest NASDAL (National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers) Benchmarking Report for 2017-18 shows a decrease of 3% in net profits for a typical dental practice. Whilst income for NHS and private practices has increased, there has been an increase in most expenses – notably Associates’ costs and wages, possibly the cost of Brexit
During a short debate on children’s oral health in the House of Lords, health minister, Baroness Blackwood, said There is a level of concern about recruitment and retention of dentists, and those difficulties needed to be addressed by NHS England. She was replying to an intervention by dentist Lord Colwyn who said that dentists’ morale was so low that every week practices were closing.
Read more: Minister expresses ‘concern’ over recruitment of dentists
Whilst elite athletes appear healthy and free from obvious health issues making them ideal brand ambassadors, high-calorie, low nutritional value foods can cause damage to their teeth and gums. Professor Ian Needleman and Dr Paul Ashley of the Centre for Oral Health and Performance have described their research into athletes’ oral health in a blog in the publication Healthy Stadia.
The Times reports that Lord Prior of Brampton, who chairs NHS England, has described the NHS over which he presides as a dysfunctional system, in an attack on 25 years of ‘flawed health policies’. He said that targets, competition and reliance on inspectors had all led to a disjointed system and demoralised staff, at a conference organised by the think tank, Reform.
Read more: NHS ‘chaotic and dysfunctional’ says head of NHS England
Dental models with the tactile qualities of real mouths will be used to train the next generation of dentists thanks to new research carried out in collaboration with the University of Birmingham. They will allow student dentists to experience and learn how it feels to use probes to check for periodontal disease and ‘meet an unmet need in dental education’.