Two new members will join the BDA Principal Executive Committee for the 2020-22 triennium. They are Raj Majithia (London) and Laura Cross (Scotland). Re-elected were Alison Lockyer (East Midlands and Central), Victor Chan (South Eastern) and Tony Kilcoyne (UK-wide). They take office on January 1, 2020.
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The Herald (Scotland) reports that a Scottish dentist, who was wrongly pursued for more than £50,000 in ’misclaimed’ treatment fees only for the case against him to be dropped days before it was due to go to court, has accused the Practitioner Services Division of making practitioners sick with "protracted, false, and threatening" investigations.
Read more: Dentist 'put through hell' over false £53,000 misclaiming allegation
A three-year trial from the University of Dundee, comparing three treatment strategies for tooth decay in children’s teeth found no evidence to suggest that conventional fillings are more successful than sealing decay into teeth, or using preventive methods alone. The study, named the FiCTION trial, has recently been reported in ScienceDaily.
Read more: Study finds no evidence to suggest fillings are more successful in treating tooth decay
The Guardian reports that Norway has had a sugar tax since 1922 and more recently has created separate taxes for confectionary and sugary drinks. Norwegians are eating less sugar than at any time in the last 44 years, the health directorate in Oslo has said, announcing that annual consumption per person had fallen by more than 1kg a year since 2000.
As the Coca-Cola trucks start out on their annual tour of UK cities, the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) has warned parents not to allow their children to develop a taste for the drinks that are handed out free of charge at each location. The drinks company website says: “The iconic Coca-Cola Christmas truck tour will be back for 2019, spreading holiday magic across UK.”
Read more: What’s big and red and goes up and down at Christmas?
The NHS is looking to extend a temporary fix for pension tax issues to GPs and dentists, who currently aren’t covered by the government’s pledge to cover any bills arising this year FTAdviser has reported. But the NHS said “we will need to work through the detailed implementation mechanism with GPs and dentists, and their representative bodies.”
Read more: NHS looking for temporary ‘fix’ on pensions for GPs and dentists
A new campaign is calling for a national shift towards “Slow Dentistry”. The Swiss-based movement is claiming that rushed appointments endanger patients and increase infection risks. But BDA Chair Mick Armstrong has said, in a letter to the Sunday Telegraph, the sad fact is that “Fast Dentistry” is the reality for NHS patients across England and Wales.
The Derby Telegraph has reported that Colin Vernall, who was fined £7,000 last year for illegal tooth whitening, is continuing to offer it after a ‘sting’ operation by an undercover reporter, after the paper saw we saw he was still offering the unlicensed service on Facebook. The report contains a full transcript of the interview, which gives some insight into the accused’s thinking.
Read more: Derby man, fined for illegal teeth whitening, caught doing it again
Much media attention across the country has followed the publication of figures from the BDA which indicate that access problems for NHS dental services are now blighting communities across every English region. GDPC Chair Dave Cottam said: “Underfunding, failed contracts and recruitment problems are creating a perfect storm for patients.”
Read more: NHS dentistry ‘a perfect storm for patients’ says BDA