Anxious patients four times more likely to experience pain than non-anxious patients, according to a recent survey. Now researchers in Japan believe they are closer to an answer after scanning people's brains while playing them sounds of dental drills and suction instruments. People who were terrified of visits to the dentist showed marked differences in their brain responses compared with those who were more relaxed at the prospect, according to work reported at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego.

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Read more: Scientists unravel reasons for dental fear

The MHRA has issued a medical device alert about counterfeit dental devices. This was produced in response to a reported failure of a dental handpiece which disintegrated whilst being used in a patient's mouth, fortunately without any injuries.  The device had been purchased on-line and subsequent investigation elicited that it was counterfeit. 

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Read more: MHRA warns about counterfeit dental equipment

Dental Protection is delighted that the Department of Health has announced a system of health clearance for healthcare workers living with HIV whose disease is adequately controlled, so that they are able to return to their chosen profession. Kevin Lewis, Dental Director of Dental Protection said; ‘We have been lobbying for a change to the regulations that recognised the latest evidence since 2005.’

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Read more: Clearance for HIV positive dentists

Heart Your Smile, the dental charity with a mission to find innovative ways to promote oral health and regular dental visiting, has devised a Market Index which charts the growth of dental activity and patient uptake across the spectrum of dental care in the UK. This is based on industry figures for sales of dental treatment gloves and dental local anesthetics, providing a proxy for the volume of dental visiting actually taking place.

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Read more: Heart Your Smile has novel market index

Baroness Garner of Parkes, a retired dentist, asked the Government what progress had been made in prevention for children and water fluoridation. Minister, Earl Howe, replied that Public Health England was developing updated guidance on prevention. He also said that the Government expects local authorities to develop plans to improve oral health and which could include water fluoridation.

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Read more: Minister quizzed on prevention and fluoridation