The Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) has sworn in five new board members, including two women and its first overseas representative. Mick Horton, Dean of FGDP(UK), said it was a pleasure to welcome the new Board members “with such a diverse range of working backgrounds, it was a privilege to be able to draw upon their knowledge and expertise.”
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The House of Commons Health Select Committee, chaired by Dr Sarah Wollaston MP, will hold a one-off evidence session with the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), which is responsible for overseeing health care regulators including the GDC, on July 5 at 2.30pm.
Lib Dem peer, Floella Benjamin, says too many British children are suffering from tooth decay. She said: “I am aware the Department of Health is keen to address the issue and proposes to pay dentists to keep children’s teeth healthy instead of just dealing with problems as they arise. But 40% of children do not set foot in a dentist’s surgery to take advantage of it.”
Read more: Baroness Benjamin: “We are now facing a major crisis in child dental health”
Citizens Advice has issued a report saying that patients are being forced to pay hundreds of pounds to fix mistakes by dentists. Mick Armstrong, chairman of the British Dental Association, responded saying: "Over 20 million people are seen by a dentist every year, and official surveys consistently show very high rates of patient satisfaction.” Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the Oral Health Foundation, said the Citizens Advice cases were "hugely subjective".
The British Dental Association (BDA) has indicated it will oppose publication of any registrants’ address information in the General Dental Council’s (GDC) public register. The GDC has set up a consultation which provides two options for this change: showing registrant names and GDC number only, or showing registrant names, GDC number and the town in which they are registered.
Read more: BDA opposes publication of addresses in GDC Register
The risk of periodontal disease may be increased with long-term marijuana (cannabis) use, according to a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry. However, the study found no link between long-term use of the drug and greater risk of other physical health problems. The study co-author analysed the data of 1,037 adults from Dunedin New Zealand.
Read more: Link found between marijuana use and periodontal disease
The Annual Conference of Local Dental Committees (LDCs) took place over two days, June 9 and 10 in Manchester. It was hailed a success by many representatives, much down to the Chair, Dr Nick Stolls and the agenda committee. On the evening of June 9 the conference Annual Dinner was held, where the after-dinner speaker was Stephen Hancocks OBE.
The Queen’s Birthday Honours list contained only one award to a member of the dental community. Helen Falcon, who recently retired as postgraduate dean for dental education and training for Thames Valley, was appointed MBE. She was also chair of the UK Committee of Postgraduate Dental Deans and Directors (COPDEND).
Professor Iain Chapple has been announced as the new head of the School of Dentistry at Birmingham University, with effect from 1st July 2016. He is currently Head of Periodontology at the University and a Consultant in Restorative Dentistry at the Birmingham Community Health Trust.