The General Dental Council (GDC), is urging patients to check their dental professional is registered. It has produced a logo that dental professionals can use on their website and on other materials visible to patients, for example on practice leaflets. The logo highlights the requirement for dental professionals to be registered with the GDC and also that there are standards that they must meet.
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Heidi Marshall, a partner in Dodd and Co and a NASDAL member has warned dentists that if they have children and their partner is earning significantly less than them and claiming Child Benefit, they could be affected by the changes to the benefit system introduced earlier this year. Any family which has one earner bringing in £50,000 or more will find that they are expected to pay back some or all of the child benefit paid to them between January and April 5, 2013.
Gaps remain in dental professionals’ understanding of the complexities surrounding direct access the BDA has said. The new arrangements which were implemented in May by the GDC have left dental professionals with a number of questions that require clarification, a recent meeting of dental stakeholders said.
Read more: Clarification needed on implementing direct access
A sharp increase in claims against dentists is a result of a growing compensation culture in our society, according to UK-wide dental defence organisation MDDUS. “This rise in claims may be related to the harsh economic climate of recent years but is being manifested in increasing claim rates and consequent legal costs,” says MDDUS Head of Dental Division Aubrey Craig.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found that one third of over 900 GP practices they inspected had problems with some essential standards. Ten practices were found to have major problems and in at least two cases the GPs in charge are no longer running the practice. Two GP partners referred each other to the GMC. Neither is still working in the practice.
The study by R. S. Levine reports that the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes will impact on oral health, especially periodontitis. It reviews recent research suggesting a three-way metabolic relationship between obesity, diabetes and periodontal disease; and suggests periodontitis may adversely affect glycaemic control in diabetics but can be improved by periodontal treatment.
Read more: BDJ publishes research on obesity, diabetes and perio disease