The British Dental Association (BDA) has condemned the NHS orthodontic procurement exercise launched this week for the orthodontic agreements across the whole of Southern England which are set to expire on 31 March 2019, saying “for many not bidding may be better option.”
No comments
Amazon in the USA has been growing its medical supply business - selling gloves, syringes and other health-care sundries to dentists, doctors and hospitals - in an early sign of its efforts to enter the health care industry. But Reuters reports that Henry Schein Inc and Patterson Cos Inc have bigger things to worry about than Amazon potentially disrupting the niche dental-equipment market they dominate in the US.
The Faculty of General Dental Practice’s Selection Criteria for Dental Radiography, the leading text on indications for radiographic investigation in dentistry, has been updated following the implementation of revised regulations on the use of ionising radiation. The changes are reflected in both the free online version of the guidance and the printed book (available at www.fgdp.org.uk/shop).
Drinking diet drinks or fruit tea between meals can leave people up to 11 times more likely to suffer from tooth erosion, research published in the BDJ has found. Although it is well known that an acidic diet is associated with erosive tooth wear, the new study has shown the impact of the way in which acidic food and drinks are consumed.
The GDC has opened a consultation, which runs until May 15, on a new way on setting their fees. The GDC stresses that this is a consultation about the mechanisms for setting fee levels rather than about the level of fees themselves. Details are how to respond can be found on the GDC website www.gdc-uk.org
The BDA and other primary care leaders have told Government to act now to stop flawed implementation of EU data regulations heaping unnecessary additional burdens on high street health providers. In a joint letter, the groups have called on Minister for Digital and Culture Margot James to drop plans to require all NHS providers to appoint a Data Protection Officer.
Read more: Botched new Data Protection Act could slap £2k bill on small NHS providers
NHS Digital has published its NHS Dental Statistics for the second quarter of 2017/18. They show a 1.3% reduction in courses of treatment compared with the previous year. 22.1 million adults were seen (50.9%) and 6.9 million (58%) of the child population.
An experiment by researchers in Spain has shown that exposing human gingival cells to compounds found in red wine appeared to protect against microbes that cause plaque and cavities. The authors suggested the molecules should be tested as “preventative therapies” for various oral diseases. Here in the UK, Prof Walmsley urges caution.
The Government is to restrict lawyers by capping the costs that they can recover in clinical negligence cases, following a consultation exercise on their proposals. Ministers will establish a working group to establish how the cap, which would apply to all cases worth less than £25,000, will work in practice, to report in the autumn.
Read more: Government to cap lawyers fees in negligence cases