Professor Jonathan Shepherd’s paper “Alcohol misuse: screening and treatment in primary dental care" advises dentists to screen their patients for alcohol abuse . He said: “The dental team has a responsibility to promote overall health and not just dental health. Dentists and the Government must work together to develop and deliver screening and treatment by intervening early.”

Surprise has been expressed from many about some of those who have put themselves forward for election to the BDA’s new Principal Executive Committee (PEC). Names such as Susie Sanderson, Alison Lockyer and Paul Langmaid, who many assumed had no aspirations for high office at the BDA. Another surprise is that there were no nominations for the North West.

Welsh Lib Dems leader Kirsty Williams AM has said that only 37% of dentists in Wales are accepting new NHS patients. She said in the Welsh Assembly: “said: “Although the new dental contract was supposed to improve access to NHS dentists for all, the worrying truth is that NHS dentistry in Wales is still far from a universal public service.”

The Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley has agreed a national uplift for GDS contracts and PDS agreements in England of 0.5%. This is in line with the Government’s policy of no increase to net GDP pay this year. The rise is largely to fund pay increases for practice staff earning less than £21,000 a year, again in line with the Government's public sector pay policy.