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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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.’
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.
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.
A new marketing campaign promoting The BDTA’s re-brand to the British Dental Industry Association (BDIA) to the dental team has launched. Tony Reed, BDIA Executive Director, explained “BDIA encompasses the wider world of dentistry beyond the direct ‘trade’ including banks, insurance companies, publishing companies as well as suppliers of services and technologies to the dental industry amongst its membership”.
Many dental practices across France closed on February 3, as dentists went on strike over pay and conditions. The National Confederation of Dental Trade Unions representing a third of the country’s 37,000 dentists, said its members were protesting against a freeze in state rates for basic dental care, according to a story in the Connexion, ‘France’s English Language Newspaper.’