New research by the BDA indicates that around six per cent of associates may have no pension provision despite being entitled to access the well-regarded NHS scheme. A BDA survey of its associate members who qualified since 2006 revealed that 14 per cent of dentists had opted out of the NHS pension scheme at some point over the nine year-period examined, though 6 per cent re-joined later.
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A new campaign has been launched by Public Health England encouraging parents to get ‘Sugar Smart’ and take control of their children’s sugar intake. A new app has been launched to help parents see how much sugar there is in everyday food and drink. It works by scanning the barcode of products and revealing the amount of total sugar it contains in cubes and grams.
Read more: 5 year olds eat and drink their body weight in sugar every year
Sara Hurley, chief dental officer for England, has responded to the Daily Telegraph letter signed by Tony Kilcoyne and 400 dentists many of them through GDPUK. She says that the majority of dental care professionals provide an ‘extraordinary service’ and patient satisfaction with quality and care ‘remains high’. She adds that the effects of comments in the letter ‘are not that helpful’ in giving a balanced view of the profession.
Read more: CDO says assertions in Telegraph letter are ‘difficult to substantiate’
The letter from 400 dentists, many of them members of GDPUK, published in the Daily Telegraph and the accompanying article by the paper’s social affairs editor have been taken up elsewhere in the media. It was covered on the BBC news website and articles appeared in the DailyMail and Indpenedent. Most focussed on the claim that dental health standards were falling to ‘Third World’ levels in parts of England.
The International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) have published in the January issue of the Journal of Dental Research articles that explore new evidence on the biological complications of dental implants and the great challenges associated with predictable implant therapy.
Professor Philip Preshaw was the latest eminent scientist to address the annual BDA/BDJ Winter Lecture series. His lecture in December at the British Dental Association central London headquarters, provided an insight into the links between periodontal disease, diabetes and heart disease. The lecture was filmed and will be made available for free to all BDA members via a webcast in the New Year.
Read more: Preshaw stresses links of diabetes to perio disease at BDA