On 18th November 2022 the World Health Organisation (WHO) published its first Global Oral Health Status Report for twenty years. The key takeaways make for disturbing reading.
No commentsRead more: WHO Report Reveals 2.5 Billion People Have Untreated Caries
Weary registrants may not have had time to read all of the recent “Latest Updates from the GDC” email, that landed in their in-boxes recently. There is a lot of content, including a report on a meeting of “a new Dental Leadership Network.”
Read more: When is the GDC not the GDC? When it calls itself the Dental Leadership Network
The vexed question of the status of associates has returned to the spotlight as the British Dental Association (BDA) has unveiled new associate agreements that acknowledge the existence of three tiers of employment status operating in the UK.
Read more: Associate Agreements: Does Yours Need An Urgent Check-Up?
With constant news coverage of the UK’s dental access crisis it would be easy to conclude that this is a particularly British problem. Dentaid, the charity that began by providing assistance in Ukraine and Malawi, now runs programmes in Britain. But it appears that Brexit, the NHS and austerity are not essential requirements for a developed nation to have serious problems with dental services.
Another week, and another parliamentary debate about dentistry. This time in the House of Lords and simply headed in Hansard as “NHS Dental Contract”.
Read more: Lords Dental Debate, Minister Explains - It Isn’t About The Money
The GDC is eager to present itself as a modern and responsive regulator. Lately the council has become a regular commissioner of research. Some, such as its pair of studies into the impact of Covid-19 on the dental profession, might be considered somewhat removed to its core duty of maintaining the registers, and in so doing, protecting the public.
Read more: GDC Wriggle Over Registrant Mental Health And FtP
As dentistry has returned to pre-pandemic activity levels, the number of patients complaining has also recorded an increase.
Read more: “Get Support Early” Advises DDU - Complaints Rising
Governments have for many years liked to re-announce proposals or projects. This is based upon the hope that they will spend the money once, but gain several positive headlines.
Read more: Blink And You Missed It. The "New Dental Contract" Has Arrived
In the competition for a dentist’s attention, pension provision is up against the kaleidoscope of day-to-day practice, maintaining clinical and ethical knowledge, keeping on the right side of regulators, and paying this month’s bills. The complexity of the NHS pension schemes and the intricacies of private pension plans, do not make them any easier to grasp.