The Oral Health Foundation launched this year’s Mouth Cancer Action Month at the House of Commons. More than 75 people from across 40 organisations were in attendance and heard from a range of speakers reemphasising the need for greater nationwide support for mouth cancer awareness.
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Group Captain Mark Richardson, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of General Dental Practice UK, has been appointed Queen’s Honorary Dental Surgeon (QHDS). On his new appointments, Group Captain Richardson commented: “I feel very honoured and humbled to have been appointed QHDS, and to have been chosen to be the Chief Dental Officer of the RAF. This represents the pinnacle of my military career.”
Tackling antimicrobial resistance needs to be firmly established as a ’top five policy priority’ for the Government in order to help prevent the virtual loss of worldwide modern medicine say the Health and Social Care Committee in its report. Its chair, Dr Sarah Wollaston MP, says: "In six months we want to see tangible progress on implementing practical policies.”
Read more: Committee warns about dangers of antibiotic resistance
The Times reports that exposure to air pollution has been linked to a raised risk of developing oral cancer in the first study of its kind. Higher levels of small particles in air pollution were linked to a 43% greater chance of having the disease diagnosed, it found. Campaigners said that the study, published online in the Journal of Investigative Medicine, underlined the urgent need to tackle air pollution.
A Dental Protection survey of over 1,100 dentist members reveals that nine out of ten (89%) are increasingly fearful of being sued by patients. Of those, three quarters (74%) feel that the fear of being sued impacts on the way they practise. Raj Rattan, Dental Director at Dental Protection said: “It is worrying that three out of four full time GDPs fear being sued by patients and understandably this will undoubtedly impact on the way they practise and add to already high stress levels”.
Property adviser, Christie & Co has published its report on the UK dental market, ‘The Dental Industry 2018: Staffing, Brexit and the Dentist Shortage.’ This provides an overview of the dental market and presents research on the sector’s dentist shortage and key staffing challenges, emerging workforce trends, and regional differences in relation to supply and NHS dentists’ pay rates.
Nine in ten dental practices are offering safe, effective, caring and responsive care and treatment, the CQC says in its latest State of Care assessment. Inspections by them found practices were giving patients evidence-based advice on improving oral health and where practice teams have used innovative ways to target children and prevent dental disease.
Read more: CQC says dental practices are offering safe and effective treatment
In reply to a Parliamentary Question from Bernard Jenkin MP for Harwich and North Essex, health minister Stephen Barclay disclosed that, in the five calendar years 2013/17, a total of 19 suicide deaths of dentists in England and 3 in Wales were recorded. This compares with 83 doctors in England and 6 in Wales.
The CDO England has issued a reminder to dental health care professionals on the need to conserve supplies of EpiPen for ‘patients who truly need them’. In answer to a Parliamentary Question, junior minister Steve Brine MP admitted that Mylan, the supplier of Epipens, had experienced ‘ongoing supply issues’ for the product.
Read more: CDO England issues advice for EpiPens in dental practices