An audit by the Professional Standards Authority has found that the decisions made by the General Dental Council (GDC) at the initial stages of its Fitness to Practise (FTP) process afford protection to the public. However the report also highlights key areas for further improvement. These relate to record-keeping, timeliness and customer service.
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Professor Don Berwick’s Review called for patient safety to be at the heart of NHS care. The Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) welcomes the Review’s recommendations to achieve this central aim. Fiona Erasmus, FGDP Director, says, “The Review highlights the need to support NHS practitioners in developing the skills and confidence to ensure best practice in quality control, quality improvement and quality planning.’
The BDTA has now officially become the British Dental Industry Association, reflecting the increasing diversity of its membership and its ongoing commitment to actively driving quality standards throughout the industry. The Association represents over 80% of the UK dental industry making it the principal voice for manufacturers and suppliers of dental products and technologies.
Tony Kilcoyne’s ‘Big Lie’ letter has been published in the Daily Telegraph, together with an article in its News section, headlined: 'NHS provision on the brink of crisis, ministers are told'. In a response Barry Cockcroft CDO NHS England is quoted as saying that "there is no credible evidence to support the suggestion that there is a 'growing disaster' in NHS dentistry."
Dental surgeon Jochemus Venter has been jailed for 18 months at Cardiff Crown Court for submitting fraudulent claims to NHS Dental Services for the provision of dental treatments totalling £47,947. The false claims were made from April 2006 to July 2010, while working at a dental practice in Llandrindod Wells, Wales. He pleaded guilty previously to eight charges of false accounting.
NHS England said it only received two days’ notice of closure, due to bankruptcy of George House Dental Practice in Bodmin, Cornwall. It has left 2,300 patients seeking a new dentist. NHS England said practices having difficulties should give them three months' notice, but that officials had no idea of George House's problems. The practice said it could not comment on its closure.
A proposed reduction in the number of places to study dentistry at UK institutions must be considered very carefully to ensure that it does not harm patient care, the British Dental Association (BDA) has warned. Judith Husband said “If workforce planning is to be meaningful, it is also vital that dental students graduating from UK institutions are able to develop careers in the NHS. Matching the available number of foundation training places to the number of dentists being trained is vital to achieving this.”
Read more: BDA warns over reduction in dental student numbers
A new study by Swiss researchers looked at the cost-effectiveness of implant-supported single crowns (ISCs) compared to fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) when restoring a single missing tooth (Journal of Dental Research, December 2013, Vol. 92:12, pp. 183S-188S). The information can help clinicians guide patient decision-making they believe.
The European Parliament has rejected proposals contained in the proposed revision of the Medical Devices Regulations that could have had a negative impact on a large range of dental products and procedures. Edmund Proffitt, BDTA Policy and Public Affairs Director, commented, “The industry can breathe a sigh of relief as MEP’s have seen sense.” and agreed to key amendments in the new Medical Devices Regulations.”
Read more: Europe sees sense on nanomaterials and dental implants