Aubrey Sheiham, professor emeritus of dental public health at University College London died in November at the age of 79. A controversial figure he first made headlines through a paper in the Lancet which concluded that there was little evidence to support the six-monthly dental check-up. He believed that he was vindicated by the NICE guidelines in 2004.
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The dental regulators have said that the system they oversee is placing huge burdens on the profession. Dr Janet Williamson from the Regulation of the Dental Services Programme Board, has said that the bodies need to "think differently" to deliver for patients. Their report, on the future of dental service regulation, outlines steps to rationalise dental regulation, including needed action on data sharing, complaint management, quality improvement and communications.
Junior health minister Ben Gummer MP has told Parlaiment that the Government recognises the need for ‘immediate reform’ of healthcare regulation but did not offer any explicit commitments to give the matter parliamentary time. BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said: “It’s good to see warm words on regulatory reform, but what we really need is a timetable”.
The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) has reported on the findings of its special investigation into concerns about the General Dental Council (GDC) raised with them by a whistleblower, who they did not name. In their report, running to 306 pages, they said that the independence of the GDC’s Investigating Committee were jeopardised by various ‘objectionable practices’ that had not been corrected. The BDA has called on the GDC chair ‘to go’.
The first 'pay what you feel' dentist scheme in England has launched in Dewsbury, which has been chosen as the pilot for international charity Dentaid, who want to help improve the dental care of people in need in the area. Dewsbury Dental Centre will see homeless people, migrants, low wage workers and vulnerable adults who are suffering pain. Patients can pay whatever they can afford.
The oral health of US citizens is not better than the English, and there are consistently wider educational and income oral health inequalities in the US compared with England. This is according to research carried out by a team from Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, and published in the Christmas edition of BMJ.
Food Standards Scotland has issued a report which makes the case for reducing the consumption of discretionary foods and drinks, which are high in calories and low in nutritional value, to make significant and measurable improvements to diet and health. The British Dental Association (BDA) has welcomed this reminder of the urgent need to curb our addiction to sugar which accounts for nearly a third of primary 1 children having tooth decay.
Paul Woodhouse, who describes himself as ‘a plain speaking boy from Teesside unafraid to voice my opinion’ has been elected to the BDA’s governing body, the Principal Executive Committee, as a UK-wide candidate. Other PEC regional constituencies saw sitting members re-elected.
Read more: ‘Plain speaking boy from Teesside’ elected to BDA PEC
The British Dental Association (BDA) has welcomed news the Government will extend the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine to men who have sex with men (MSM) aged 16-40 via genitourinary medicine clinics, but stressed that a real breakthrough will require the vaccine to be extended to all boys.