Our dental news feed will be regularly updated to help you stay informed and keep up-to-date with everything that's happening in the industry.
Jason Wong has been appointed as chief dental officer (CDO) for England by NHS England and the department of health and social care.
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Alex Cole-Hamilton, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, accused the Scottish government on April 14, 2024, of leaving NHS dentistry “to rot”. It follows research by his party, which revealed that the number of dentists providing NHS…
The government is looking into ‘non-van solutions’ to the dental access crisis despite pledging a fleet of mobile clinics in the NHS dental recovery plan. In a document on the government website, it reports ‘limited availability’…
The British Dental Association has greeted the u-turn from Government on NHS Practitioner Health coverage for hospital dentists and doctors, but stressed that answers are needed on how news of the cancellation was sprung on…
The GDC has provided an update to address recent concerns about the level of detail that is put into the public domain when the Interim Orders Committee (IOC) considers serious concerns. Read more
The General Dental Council (GDC) has said it will appeal a recent High Court decision that ruled the GDC had acted ‘wrong and unjust’. Read more
Calls have been made for the General Dental Council (GDC) to take action to reduce the amount of time taken to process fitness to practise decisions. This comes as a report shows the regulator failed to meet standards for timeliness in both fitness to practise cases and registration processing. Read more
The collapse of the remote orthodontic giant shows how companies working in a regulatory black hole can leave patients - and potentially clinicians stepping into the breach - and at risk. Read more
The government could ban unlicensed providers of non-surgical cosmetic treatments in England following the launch of a new consultation. At present, healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses and dentists carrying out non-surgical cosmetic procedures, such as Botox, have to be trained and insured to do them as part of the… Read more
The GDC has pledged to review any ‘top-up’ fee cases that have been ‘put in doubt’ by the Williams case whereby a dental professional was suspended or erased. Read more
In light of the GDC versus Williams case, Neel Kothari argues why the profession needs to properly scrutinise its regulatory obligations. Read more
The GDC has failed to meet its legal requirement to provide the number of dentists who have been erased for providing ‘top up’ fees in recent years. Read more
John Makin advises practices to tread cautiously before making any changes based on the recent top-up fees judgement. Read more
The GDC will no longer release its report on the cause of death of registrants who have died during an active fitness to practise investigation in the first half of this year. Stefan Czerniawski, executive director of strategy, said while the GDC has made ‘considerable progress’, it will not be… Read more
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The BDA Dentistry Show returned to the NEC in Birmingham after a two year hiatus. Amongst all of the stands vying for the visitors attention were a couple of organisations who need fear no competition. Read more
The BDA has slammed moves by government to effectively return to normal working arrangements for NHS dentists in England. The move comes with no meaningful changes to the pandemic restrictions dental teams work to and with infection rates now at an all-time high. Read more
The ‘transparency’ of the General Dental Council has once again been called into question after the regulator revealed the results of an internal review into its response to a Freedom of Information Request. The original FOI request came from GDP Dr Dominic O’Hooley, who was seeking information about the GDC’s tendering process when… Read more
Dentists are calling for a permanent VAT exemption on personal protective equipment (PPE) to help healthcare settings fight COVID-19. Kicked off by James Goolnik, a petition has been launched calling on the government to scrap VAT on PPE, including gloves, masks and aprons. Earlier this year, a temporary exemption was… Read more
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Saturday evening, we are seeking urgent clarification as to the position of dental services during the four week period of additional restrictions from 5 November. Based on the Government guidance so far published our interpretation is that dental practices will continue to operate as at present.… Read more
In a letter released 12th October, Tom Ferris CDO Scotland announced that, as of Sunday 1st November dental contractors will be able to provide a full range of dental treatments to NHS patients. This announcement follows the recent publication of the Scottish Dental Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP) ‘Review of Aerosol Generating… Read more
All four of the UK’s chief dental officers have accepted recommendations cutting fallow time to potentially 10 minutes. Put together by the working group SDCEP, a pragmatic guide with mitigation factors has been endorsed and incorporated into the latest revision of England’s SOPs. When the correct mitigation and air changes… Read more
Vaughan Gething MS has confirmed the Welsh government considers dentists as critical workers, allowing them to continue working during lockdown. In a letter to the Independent Dental Association Wales (IDAW), the Minister for Health and Social Services points out dentists and their teams were not specifically named on the critical… Read more
'A benchmark of 15 to 30 minutes’ – this is the new fallow time recommendation endorsed by the Faculty of General Dental Practice UK. In its updated guidance, the FGDP(UK) and the College of General Dentistry amended its fallow time advice. This follows the publication of a review on AGPs by the… Read more
Bill Moyes, who has been Chair of the GDC for the past eight years, will stand down from the role in September 2021, , having completed two 4-year terms in the post. The Council is looking for a head-hunter to search for a replacement. The Chair’s job involves 2 days… Read more
A collaborative group of dental bodies have published a report to investigate the validity of the claim “there will be a dearth of dental practices on the high street in 18 months’ time.” Read more
The Association of Dental Groups (ADG) is calling on ministers to take urgent action on the crisis in UK dentistry. The full impact that lockdown has had on the nation’s teeth is yet to be seen. The fear is that people are consuming more sugary treats, fizzy drinks and alcohol. Read more
Two hygiene and therapy bodies are lobbying the GDC about the overseas registering of dentists as hygienists and therapists. BADT and BSDHT Presidents have taken the unprecedented action of writing to all Council members of the GDC ensuring awareness is raised, and demanding the "daughter test" is applied. Read more
PHE is to be replaced by a new agency that will specifically deal with protecting the UK from pandemics. It's been claimed that a new body would be modelled on Germany's Robert Koch Institute. The move comes as ministers are said to be unhappy with PHE's response to COVID-19. Read more
IDA Wales is open to all dental practitioners in Wales who provide any form or quantity of independently funded/private dental treatment. The group aims to provide 'a strong voice for the non-NHS aspects of dental provision' and is already gaining ‘seats at the table’ positions with HIW and the CDO Wales. Read more
The BAPD has called for the resignation of the Chief Dental Officer (CDO) Sara Hurley in response to a letter she sent to MPs. They say the letter's content bears ‘scant resemblance’ to the state of dentistry since COVID-19 struck and have asked for clarification. Read more
Jason Wong MBE has been appointed as the new Deputy Chief Dental Officer (CDO). The appointment follows the retirement of Janet Clarke last year. Dr Wong, a partner at Maltings Dental Practice, will share the role with fellow existing Deputy CDO Eric Rooney. Read more