GDPUK members have contributed most of the costs incurred by a Scottish dentist who abandoned a defamation case against a patient, but had to pay the latter’s legal expenses of £10,500. Dentist Keith Watson had lodged the defamation action against Andrew McIntosh, relating to claims that led to him being exonerated by the GDC . When Mr Watson abandoned the case the court ordered him to pay £10,050 in expenses to Mr McIntosh.
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John Drummond, a former president of the British Dental Association, wrote in a letter to the BDJ that it was ‘desperate; that 10% of recently qualified dentists cannot get jobs. He said that in Scotland are heading for significant unemployment and underemployment and opening a new dental school in Aberdeen ‘has simply compounded the problem.’
The US Supreme Court has ruled by a 6-3 majority that North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners cannot restrict teeth-whitening work to dentists. The Court ruled that agreed the Federal Trade Commission can charge the Board with ‘anti-competitive and unfair’ actions in seeking to stop tooth whitening by beauty salons in shopping malls.
Read more: US Supreme Court opens door to non-dentist whitening
The TV programme called Junk Food Kids - who's to blame was partially shot in Leeds Dental Institute and coincides with a co-ordinated offensive to tackle both obesity and dental decay in children and young people by the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD). A new position statement from BSPD highlights the diet and lifestyle factors common to the two conditions which are both alarmingly prevalent among Under 16s.
Alison Murray has taken over as Chair of the British Orthodontic Society with a pressing agenda. She wants to drive forward the Society’s remit to raise standards in orthodontic education, helping support the aims of the Society, which include promoting the study and practice of orthodontics, maintaining and improving professional standards and encouraging research in the specialty.
Read more: The strength of BOS is its inclusiveness, says new Chair
Greater Manchester and NHS England have announced plans around the future of health and social care with a signed memorandum agreeing to bring together health and social care budgets – a combined sum of £6bn. NHS England claims that the plan ‘puts local people in the driving seat for deciding on health and care services. It is not thought to affect dentistry however.
Read more: Manchester and NHS England agree plans to merge health and social care budgets