Of the 23,723 dentists who "performed" in NHS general dental services in the last year, 19,310 were associates; only 18.6% of dentists held a contract with the NHS, according to figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC). The data also showed that 46% of the workforce were female and amongst the under-45s women were in the majority.
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Retired dentist, Baroness Gardner of Parkes raised the issue of peri-implantitis, which she described as an important and growing health problem in the House of Lords. in replying, Minister of Health Earl Howe said that a working group had been set up to develop ‘clear and consistent’ guidance on treatment planning prior to the placement of implants.
Just over 29.9 million adult and child patients in England saw an NHS dentist in the 24 months to June 2014, according to the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC). However although the total number and percentage of adults seen by June 2014 is higher than in 2006, the percentage of the child population seen has fallen by almost one percentage point.
A brand new Dental School – the UK’s first new dental school and hospital to open in nearly 40 years – has officially opened its doors. Embedded within £78 million Royal London Dental Hospital, it houses the most modern and technologically advanced dental facilities in the UK following more than a decade of planning and work.
Europe’s biggest dental group has seen a surge in sales, fuelled in part by buying up new practices, according to the Sunday Times. Integrated Dental Holdings, owned by the buyout firms Carlyle and Palamon, saw sales jump 17% to £408m in the year to March. It added more than 50 practices, taking its total to 585, the newspaper reported.
The Committee of Postgraduate Dental Deans and Directors (COPDEND) has announced that all new dental graduates who are eligible and need to complete dental foundation training to work in NHS primary dental care have now been offered a training place. 999 available posts have been filled across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with 33 extra places having been funded this year in England.