NHS England says its new 10-year plan could save up to 500,000 lives by focusing on prevention and early detection. GPs, mental health and community care will get the biggest funding increases to shift the focus away from hospitals. But it has come in for criticism from the BDA who said that dentistry had been ‘overlooked’ in the Long-Term Plan.

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Read more: NHS10-year plan leaves dentistry on the rocks

A paper published in BMC Oral Health has found that the average number of caries procedures per child under six in Juneau, Alaska, has jumped from 1.55 to 2.52 per year since the city voted to stop adding fluoride to the water supply in 2007. Medicaid records before and after fluoridation ceased show that there has been a significant upsurge in the number of procedures taking place, just as predicted.

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Read more: Alaskan city will rethink decision to abandon water fluoridation

The BDA has slammed news that the government will proceed with £85 million of cuts to public health grants, which have disproportionately hit oral health services. BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said: "It’s utterly perverse that wholly preventable conditions are now going effectively unchecked. Starving local authorities of needed resources is hopelessly short-sighted, and is only piling pressure on NHS services.”

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Read more: BDA: Savage public health cuts are perverse

A report from the Care Quality Commission looks at NHS safety culture and the need for transformation. They have been working with NHS Improvement to look at issues in NHS trusts that contribute to ‘Never Events’ taking place. They visited 18 NHS trusts and carried out one-to-one interviews, visited different services and reviewed policies and procedures.

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Read more: CQC opening its door to change

The indomitable Claire Stevens – aka the Toothfairy – has been appointed CBE – Commander of the Order of the British Empire– in the 2019 New Year’s Honours List in recognition of her tireless commitment to improving children’s oral health. As their official spokesperson and immediate past President, the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) are proud beyond measure. There were no other 'dental' names on the list.

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Read more: Advocate for children’s oral health appointed CBE