The Sunday Times has reported that experts from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh have said that patients are paying thousands of pounds for ‘quick-fix cosmetic dentistry’ that does not last.  The college says vulnerable patients are being poorly informed about long-term damage and complications resulting from some of the most popular procedures.

This is a link to the introduction of the article, but you need to subscribe or buy the paper for the full text:

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/article1503308.ece

No comments

Read more: Quest for a celebrity smile is damaging healthy teeth

Lead author Dr Tony Kilcoyne of Haworth, West Yorkshire, had a further letter published in the Daily Telegraph on January 2nd, exactly one year to the day after a similar previous one. Some of the contents of the initial letter and the signatories were criticised in the dental media 2014.

The letter raises concerns that the dental system remains unfit for purpose, reminding the public and politicians that action is needed in the opinion of professionals. Should some proper investigation come about in the future, the profession can point back to this document and explain that professional actions were taken, but was anyone really taking note?

4 comments

Read more: Rotten tooth system letter published

The Professional Standards Authority (PSA), which oversees the work of healthcare regulators, including the GDC, has issued a stinging report as a result of its audit of the initial stages of the fitness to practise process. It said that inadequacies identified in previous years have not been rectified.

No comments

Read more: GDC criticised in new audit

Five dentists have received honours in the 2015 New Year list. They are:

• CBE:   Thomas Raymond (Ray) Watkins – Scotland
• OBE:   Elizabeth Jones – London
• MBE:  Jennifer Elizabeth Gallagher - London
• MBE:  Gillian Davies – Greater Manchester
• BEM:  Shazad Saleem - Manchester

No comments

Read more: Five dentists honoured in New Year list

The British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT) is asking all dentists to make a New Year’s resolution to view the delivery of dentistry as a team effort. The call comes as a study predicts a sharp hike in demand for dental therapists in the next 10 years. But BADT president, Fiona Sandom, warned that in order for this to work the profession needs dentists to be ‘open minded and embrace the changes within dentistry’ by developing a multi-skilled dental team and delegating tasks to other members.

No comments

Read more: BADT asks dentists to be open-minded