The Health and Social Care Information Centre has published data which show that there were 14,445 cases among children aged under five, being admitted to hospital for extractions under general anaesthetic in 2014/2015. Among those aged six to 10, there were a further 19,336 cases. Overall in 2014/15, there were 33,781 cases. This is up from 32,741 in 2013/14 and 31,275 in 2012/13. There were also 30,761 cases in 2011/12.

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Read more: GAs for dental extractions in children on increase

During a House of Lords debate on ‘the ability of the NHS to meet present and future demands, retired dentist Lord Colwyn raised the problem of caries in children and subsequent hospital admission for extractions. He urged Ministers to consider ‘investing in a national oral health programme’ such as is present in Scotland and Wales, as well as looking at options to end ‘Britain’s addiction to sugar’

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Read more: Lord Colwyn urges Government to take action over child decay

Dental Protection has appointed Raj Rattan MBE as its new Dental Director, to succeed Kevin Lewis, who will step down this summer. Raj has over 30 years’ experience in dental practice and has been associated with Dental Protection for over 20 years, first as a dentolegal adviser and more recently as a senior dentolegal consultant. Speaking on his appointment, Raj said: “It is a huge privilege to be given the opportunity to lead a very talented team who are dedicated to dentistry.”

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Read more: Raj Rattan to head Dental Protection

Long waiting lists for children and young people needing orthodontic treatment are unacceptable and may reflect underfunding of services, said Guy Deeming, Chairman of the British Orthodontic Society’s Orthodontic Specialists Group, speaking on the BBC last week. In East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, there are long waits for children to get the treatment they need and some are having to travel out of the area.

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Read more: Long waiting lists unacceptable, says BOS

A class-action lawsuit has been taken out against Benco Dental in the USA which accuses the dental supplies distributor of conspiring to impede competitors in an illegal effort to boost the price of its own sales. The lawsuit accuses Benco of conspiring with Patterson Companies and Henry Schein in a scheme to inflate prices of dental supplies above competitive levels by pressuring dental associations not to deal with newer, cheaper distributors.

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Read more: US dental supply companies accused of anti-competitive practices