The Faculty of Dental Surgery has launched its action paper calling for a clear government public health strategy to tackle poor rates of oral health across the country. Professor Nigel Hunt, Dean, Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons said: “It is unacceptable that one-third of five year olds suffer from tooth decay in England.”
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Dentists must be allowed to get on and do their jobs without the shadow of oppressive regulation and the current culture of fear must be addressed, so that the best patient care can continue to be provided, BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said at the Westminster Health Forum. He told the Government: “Trust us, and accept and recognise, even celebrate, the good work we do.”
The FGDP(UK) is concerned that the Which? report on access to NHS dental services does not provide a balanced view with regard to the constraints on many dental practices in the delivery of NHS care. The Dean, Mick Horton, said: “The report does not discuss the significant challenges experienced by many practices in providing the care that they would wish to as a result of unsatisfactory contracting arrangements with local commissioning bodies.”
The National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers (NASDAL) has responded to Chancellor George Osborne’s latest Budget. They say that the package of changes to taxation and pensions are most likely to impact owners of incorporated dental practices as well as top-earning dentists.
Richard Birkin, national director for BDA Wales, claimed NHS dentists' ability to take on new patients are limited by the ‘target-driven’ contract they have with NHS commissioners. He was responding to a report that just two out of 48 general dental practices in Cardiff are accepting new NHS patients. BDA Wales said the problem lay with capped dental budgets for treatment.
Read more: BDA Wales speaks out on target-driven contracting
The General Dental Council (GDC) is reminding dental care professionals (DCPs) to pay their annual retention fee (ARF) to by 31 July 2015. The ARF is £116 for dental nurses, dental technicians, dental therapists, dental hygienists, clinical dental technicians and orthodontic therapists, a reduction from last year's fee of £120.