The Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) has given a qualified welcome to the changes initiated by the General Dental Council (GDC) over the past year. The report acknowledges that improvements have been made to its processes, especially in its fitness to practise function. But the CHRE sees little evidence of improved outcomes.

Speaking at the Westminster Health forum, Safeer Butt, who runs two new contract pilots, said that his associates were having to work longer hours for less pay,  He said that in a fixed-cost system, someone had to take a pay cut.  Despite this John Milne, chair of the BDA's General Dental Practice Committee continues to view the pilots ‘in a positive light'.

A Kent dental practice has told its NHS patients they must join a payment plan or find another dentist. Integrated Dental Holdings (IDH) in Thanet, said it would provide NHS treatment until the end of August. When the company took over Associated Dental Practices the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) ruled that they had too much of the local market share.

New research shows that six out of every ten people aged 55 and over in the UK regret not looking after their teeth in earlier life, with people living in the North East of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland the most likely to regret their past oral hygiene. The findings have been published by the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF).

A Birmingham dentist conned the NHS out of £1.4 million by making thousands of false claims for treating patients, including dozens for people who were dead, a jury has heard. Dr Joyce Trail, who is standing trial alongside her sister and daughter, is alleged to have used the proceeds of the scam to fund a globe-trotting and free-spending lifestyle. They deny the charges. The trial is expected to last about 5 weeks.