According to a recent study has shown that poor oral health and hygiene are major risk factors for pneumonia among the elderly (those 85 years of age or older). Lead researcher was Toshimitsu Iinuma, of the Nihon University School of Dentistry, Japan and it has been published by the International and American Associations for Dental Research.
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Healthcare regulators, including the General Dental Council (GDC) have pledged to do more to put openness and honesty at the heart of healthcare. Leaders of eight of the UK professional healthcare regulators have published a joint statement, setting out their commitment to a duty of candour for healthcare professionals.
NHS England have announced today [Friday October 31st] that Chief Dental Officer, Barry Cockcroft CBE, has decided to step down in early 2015.
NHS England’s National Medical Director, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, said: “Barry has made a huge contribution to dental health during his time as Chief Dental Officer, especially with the production in 2007 of the first ever guide to evidence based prevention in primary care, Delivering Better Oral Health, which is still in print. His leadership and commitment over many years has significantly improved dental services for patients.”
So that an orderly transition can take place, the recruitment of a new chief dental officer has already started.
Meeting on October 30, the General Dental Council (GDC) decided to impose an Annual Retention Fee (ARF) for 2015 of £890 for dentists and £116 for dental care professionals. An email notifying registrants was sent the same afternoon.
Mick Armstrong, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Principal Executive Committee, said:
"The GDC steered well clear of the only tough choice in front of it: to acknowledge mistakes had been made, and to go to back the drawing board in 2015. We are not surprised by that decision, and it means the regulator will finally have to defend its shabby consultation in court."
The chief executive of the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS), Professor Gordon Dickson, is to retire at the end of the year. During his more than ten years at the helm of MDDUS, the company has seen progress and growth with a fund of over half a billion pounds now being managed for its 40,000 members across the UK.
The British Dental Association (BDA) has announced this morning [October 30th 2014] that its application for ‘rolled-up’ judicial review proceedings against the dental regulator has been granted.
News comes on the day members of the General Dental Council (GDC) will gather to decide on the future of the disputed Annual Retention Fee (ARF).
The review is now confirmed to take place at some point between 1-16 December 2014. These fast-tracked proceedings should enable resolution of the case before dentists are legally required to pay their professional fees on 31 December 2014.