Month: September 2017

New £500,000 Dental Education Centre opens in Bradford

A unique Northern Dental Education Centre has officially opened at Bradford College by MP, Judith Cummins.

According to Bradford’s local news site, the Telegraph & Argus, the new £500,000 dental training centre was officially opened this morning.

Ms. Cummins cut the ribbon to officially open the centre, which was described as “unique to the north of England”.

The Northern Dental Education Centre – NORDEC – will provide training courses and apprenticeships for aspiring dental nurses, and in-work training for people already working in the sector.

Based at Bradford College’s Advanced Technology Centre, the facility has state-of-the-art equipment including a dental surgery, decontamination room, tutoring rooms, and a room full of ‘phantom heads’ where students can practice working on people’s mouths.

Opening the centre, Judith Cummins said: “I am delighted and proud, this centre puts Bradford at the heart of cutting-edge technology in dentistry.

“The centre will put Bradford on the map nationally as a centre of excellence for dentistry, and the people of Bradford will feel the benefit of the centre and this initiative.

“It is a truly wonderful facility that is the result of hard work between Bradford College, Bradford Council and the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

“In Bradford, a third of children have not seen a dentist for two years, and 190 of our children have been admitted to hospital for tooth extraction in the past eight months.Training here will upskill dental workers and improve dental care and health in our district.”

Roger Marsh, chairman of the LEP, added: “There is truly nothing like this anywhere else in the north of England, it is unique.

“This facility and its future effects will help our young people achieve their full potential, with facilities appropriate for the 21st Century.”

Don’t miss out

View the ‘How to help sensitivity patients live life without limitations’ CPD event

200 dental practitioners came together at The Royal Society of Medicine in London to attend an exclusive Colgate CPD event on ‘How to help sensitivity patients live life without limitations’.

Dr Javid Mustafa, Specialist in Prosthodontics, Honorary Lecturer at the Royal College of Surgeons and a dental practitioner in a busy specialist practice in London, started the evening with looking at the challenges, implications and complexities of treating patients with dentine hypersensitivity. Javid said “Sensitivity is not only a problem for our patients but also for us as clinicians.” Javid shared relevant case studies and went on to present the idea of taking time to consider dentine hypersensitivity, its impact on patients and how through proactive management it can turn out to be a practice builder.  

Dr Fotinos Panagakos, Global Director at Colgate Scientific Affairs thanked Javid for outlining both the challenges and opportunities that dentine hypersensitivity presents for busy clinicians. Fotinos ran though the current understanding of dentine hypersensitivity theories and contributing factors before moving onto a review of traditional and new treatment approaches. This included the clinical evidence supporting Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief™ containing Pro-Argin technology to provide efficacy through effective and acid resistant tubule occlusion, resulting in long-lasting relief from the pain of sensitive teeth, from the first use. Also, the proven quality of life benefit for dentine hypersensitivity sufferers was confirmed by a new unique clinical study carried out vs. a negative control demonstrating a quality of life effect of a toothpaste technology, when measuring dentine hypersensitivity.3 Fotinos finally introduced Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief Repair and Prevent toothpaste as an alternative solution for dentine hypersensitivity patients with gum problems and or gingival recession.    

Don’t miss out on this exclusive CPD event. Visit www.colgatecpd.co.uk/live-life today to view the evenings presentations on line and gain 2 hours verifiable CPD.  

Be totally ready for prevention

View today and gain 2 hours verifiable CPD

Join the hundreds of dental practitioners who came together in Manchester at a Colgate exclusive CPD event. The evening gave an overview on how they can provide clinical leadership to ensure their practices are totally ready for prevention.    

Dr Eric Rooney, Deputy Chief Dental Officer for England shared a review of the learnings and direction of travel of the current dental contract prototypes. By assisting clinicians to understand the development of current contract reform, which reflects the changes in oral health and the increased focus on prevention, Eric highlighted how practices would benefit from clinical leadership in this area.

Dr Rema Hamad, a dental practitioner in Salford shared her experience of ‘Delivering prevention in practice’ both within a pilot setting and within a non-pilot general dental practice. Rema took the audience through how she integrates the best available evidence, uses her clinical judgement and understanding of her individual patient’s values and circumstances to deliver optimal evidence based care.

Don’t miss out on how you and your patients can be being totally ready for prevention. View this exclusive Colgate® CPD event by visiting www.colgatecpd.co.uk/totallyready today to view the evenings presentations on line and gain two hours verifiable CPD.

Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures CPD programme and community engagement award

The Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures CPD programme focuses on children and involves community engagement via a range of settings such as primary schools, nurseries and children’s clubs. This programme encourages greater community engagement and is a great way to promote your practice whilst providing leadership opportunities for all team members to develop additional skills.

Each year an award is presented for the best practice entry as judged by the British Dental Association (BDA) and the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry (BASCD). The 2016 Community Engagement Award was presented to John G Plummer and Associates at the BDA British Dental Conference 2017. The team was represented by Jevneet Kular and Amrisha Ondhia, both associate Dentists at the practice.

Jevneet and Amrisha outlined their practice’s community engagement, sharing that the team had originally set up a ‘Happy Smiles Club’ within the practice to provide oral health education to children and their parents. They quickly realised the positive impact this was having from the feedback they received and realised the potential to expand the Happy Smiles Club beyond their patients’ families into the wider community. Using inspiration from the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Practice Pack and CPD Programme they approached various children’s clubs, schools, nurseries and event organisers within many settings including Brownies and Rainbows. Through this engagement they reached children of all ages, ranging from one-year-olds to young adults.

The practice utilised patient information leaflets, brushing charts, posters, samples for patients and stickers found within the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Practice Pack. They used these materials to support their tooth brushing advice using age appropriate models, and with consent, they used plaque disclosure to demonstrate areas the children may be missing when brushing their teeth. Additionally, they provided information on sugar content in foods and drinks and showed the effects these can have on their teeth.

They used feedback forms to find out what went well and why. All aspects of their community engagement programme proved to be successful from the feedback they received, with 82 per cent of contacts who completed the feedback saying they found it extremely helpful. They have interacted with children of all ages and they tailored the information in an age appropriate way. They also used the opportunity to engage with carers/parents and teachers with many showing interest in learning more about oral health. Another outcome which arose from this community engagement was seeing many children who were previously more anxious about the dentist, returning or attending the practice as new patients and being more relaxed and cooperative according to their parents.

Although they have already extended beyond their practice they would like to expand their community engagement even further. They are considering after school clubs and parent and toddler groups which would allow additional engagement to deliver key oral care messages from ‘Delivering Better Oral Health’ in a fun and interactive way.

The team at John G Plummer and Associates hopes it’s knowledge shared through this community engagement delivered using the inspiration from the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Practice Pack will have played some part in improving oral health in generations to come.

Would you like to get your practice involved in this year’s programme? The 2017 Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures CPD programme is available to download from one September 2017 by visiting www.colgateprofessional.co.uk and clicking on the Bright Smiles, Bright Futures link. Engage with your local community and tell us what you have done for a chance of winning the 2017 Community Engagement Award.

BASCD conference to focus on working with communities

Inequalities in oral health is a repeated concern in many parts of the country. A lot of emphasis has been given to strategies which focus on improving the behaviour of individual patients, and increasingly on large scale media campaigns, policy actions etc as ways to tackle the problem. A key aim of the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry (BASCD’s) Autumn scientific conference is the benefits and challenges of working with communities to improve oral health.

The conference will take place on Thursday 16th November at the Cavendish conference centre in London. Sir Harry Burns a former Chief Medical Officer for Scotland until 2014 and now Professor of Global Public Health at Strathclyde University, will be the keynote speaker. He draws on his clinical experience working with patients in the east end of Glasgow to give an insight into the complex inter-relationships between social and economic status and illness, and has been particularly prominent in advocating for ‘co-producing’ health and using assets which are present, even in deprived areas.

This will be followed by a presentation by Professor Lorna Macpherson from University of Glasgow who will outline what we know about community-level approaches to tackling oral health inequalities, and then we have an example of a community-based programme where an oral health component is embedded within a wider initiative targeting young families, and which uses a model of community volunteers as mentors. The programme also includes a session by Mark Petticrew (a Professor of Public Health Evaluation, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) on methodological challenges in evaluating community interventions, to inform on how to assess and set up scientific evidence in this area, where randomised controlled trials are often not possible. There are also posters and short verbal presentations.

Registration details are available on the BASCD website http://www.bascd.org/

Rebecca Harris, current President of BASCD commented ‘Inequalities in oral health is something which many of us see day to day. The evidence about the existence of inequalities is presented again and again, but there seems to be much less emphasis on what actually works in tackling the problem. Hopefully the programme will be of wide interest to people working in deprived communities, and interested in some different approaches’.

Scan, store or shred?

Our practice is 19 years old and storage is an issue. We are fully computerised and ceased using paper record cards and film X-rays years ago. Since then, we have had an archiving system in place that has worked well, but storage is becoming an issue. Our practice project this year is to audit and improve our Information Governance (IG) procedures. We held an IG meeting within the practice to discuss our action plan for improvement. We decided that our first IG task should be to tackle our record-card storage problem. We researched the Data Protection Act 1998, Health and Social Care Act 2008, GDC Standards for Dental Professionals, BDA and the NHS code of Practice. I then contacted a data retention company called Restore, to discuss the options available to us – storage, scanning or shredding. I found this really helpful as the company explained how all the procedures worked and reassured me that it was normal practice for health organisations to archive or delete data. We found them to be extremely professional and helpful. We had another IG meeting to discuss the length for which we’d keep data and the alternative options of storage or destruction. When it came to deciding the first issue, we chose to follow the NHS code of Practice, The BDA recommendation, and our indemnity provider’s advice: After the last point of contact
• 11 years (adults)
• To the age of 25 years (children)
It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but, again with the help and advice of our indemnity provider, we decided to shred patient data rather than store it any longer than we needed to. Storage and scanning are still covered by the retention of personal data guidelines, so were not a possible solution for us. Planning
After looking at our work diary and rotas we selected a free weekend, made a date for a Monday-morning shredding session and booked in the shredding lorry. We were advised by our indemnity provider to catalogue each patient’s name, reference number, and date of the last visit of all records we destroyed. This list will be stored on our private encrypted hard drive in case of any record requests from patients. When all the archive boxes were collected into one place, the magnitude of the job struck home: there were so many archive boxes of records and panoramic X-rays to catalogue. The bosses agreed to pay us overtime and promised a takeaway lunch for all staff who pitched in to go though and catalogue all the files. A fun Saturday was had by all. We checked old record cards and X- rays and there were some surprises (and not just spiders) unearthed. With the shredding lorry due to arrive in just a day, though, the pressure was on – but, despite our hard work, the pile of cards didn’t seem to be getting any smaller. Shredding day I didn’t sleep the night before Shred Monday, with fear of failure and the haunting vision of archive boxes on my mind. Thanks to a 7am start and the
overwhelming team-work approach from all the practice staff (plus the lorry driver efficiently informing us that he was going
to be slightly late), though, we did it! The shredding lorry arrived, and within a couple of minutes, all our hard work disappeared into the most enormous shredder I have ever seen. It was all over so quickly – but we did get a lovely Certificate of Destruction to show off, and of course, the knowledge that it was a job successfully completed!

Increasing numbers of Scots turning to private dental care


Increasing numbers of Scots are turning to expensive ­private dental clinics due to confusion around the current system that has seen people turn up at their local GP practice with a toothache.

Doctors and A&E departments are starting to bear the brunt of desperate patients suffering dental problems. New research has found that the two key reasons for people seeking private dental care are difficulty with securing appointments and confusion about what services the NHS currently offers.

According to a national newspaper, The Scotsman, the findings by toothache brand Orajel found patients take advantage of the NHS instead of going private for potentially expensive treatments in order to save themselves a hefty bill.

This has led to 50 per cent of adults in Scotland being forced into private health care or turning to non-dental ­public health services. More than a quarter of health care patients 26 per cent are unaware that key NHS services relating to oral hygiene even exist, with 8 per cent of people turning to their GP and 5 per cent turning up at A&E with dental problems. Dr. Roger Henderson, a GP, and medical columnist said: “We often receive patients­suffering from dental problems such as a toothache and gum disease because they are not familiar with the UK’s dental system and how they can best access their local dental services.

“As a result, they can often ignore dental problems that then worsen over time. “I strongly advise people to make sure they are on the best and most affordable service for them by speaking with their dentist and finding out the best plan available for them – either privately or on the NHS – and treat any problems locally until they can get an appointment, rather than visiting their GP or A&E.” Cabinet Secretary for Health Shona Robison was quick to challenge the findings.

She said: “We do not agree with the findings of this survey. In Scotland, there are now over 4.9 million people registered with an NHS dentist, a record high figure. “We’ve seen an unprecedented increase in the numbers of dentists providing NHS dental services, up 35 per cent under this government. This means more people than ever before are being seen as NHS patients.

“We have also seen substantial improvement in the oral health of children with 75 per cent of children in primary 7 having ‘no obvious decay experience’ in 2015 with the equivalent figure in 2007 at 59 per cent.”

Robot dentist completes first ever operation without human input

A robot has carried out a dental operation in China without help from humans for the first time, carrying out implant surgery on a patient.

Although the medical staff was present during the one-hour surgery in Xian, Shaanxi province, they did not play an active role.

According to The Independent, two new teeth, created by 3D printing, were successfully implanted into a woman’s mouth, the South China Morning Post reported.

The robot was developed by Beihang University in Beijing and the Fourth Military Medical University’s Stomatological Hospital.

Dr. Zhao Yimin, who works at the hospital, told the newspaper the robot was designed to carry out dental procedures and avoid mistakes made by human error.

It followed a set of pre-programmed commands to fit the implants into the patient’s mouth but was able to make adjustments as the woman moved.

The robot was built to help deal with China’s shortage of qualified dentists. Hong Kong and Singapore are also facing a shortage of dentists, experts have warned.

Asthma found to increase the likelihood of gum disease by a fifth

Asthma sufferers have been found to be at a much higher risk of developing gum disease, according to the findings of an innovative new piece of research.
The study, which looked at a selection of 21 papers published between 1979 and 20171, analysed the relationship between asthma and oral health, with the most recent results from 2017 confirming that people with asthma were almost one-fifth (18.8 per cent) more likely to suffer from periodontitis.
In response, leading charity, the Oral Health Foundation is encouraging asthma sufferers to ensure they pay close attention to their oral health in order reduce their risk of developing gum disease.
Speaking on this important new research, Dr. Nigel Carter OBE, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation said: “We have known for some time that there are close links between oral health and systemic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. This new study is hugely significant as it could help many millions of asthma sufferers from having to deal with further significant health problems.
“The good news is that avoiding gum disease can be as simple as brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, using interdental brushes daily and regular visits to the dentist. While gum disease can be treated very effectively, the best approach is certainly prevention and making sure we do not fall foul of it at all.
“When not caught and treated early enough gum disease can lead to tooth loss and further oral health complications.
“We are encouraging anybody who suffers from asthma to be especially alert to the early signs of gum disease; which include red inflamed gums, bleeding when brushing your teeth and persistent bad breath, and ensure that you visit your dentist as soon as possible to get checked out and avoid any further problems.
“We welcome more research on this topic, as a greater understanding could be a game-changer in stopping asthma suffers also developing gum disease.”
The findings, published in the journal of ‘Journal of Periodontology’, illustrate a close link between the two diseases and suggest that there is huge potential for millions of more people to develop gum disease in the UK, gum disease is already one of the biggest non-communicable diseases (NCD) globally.
According to Asthma UK, 5.4 million people in the UK are currently receiving treatment for asthma3. The UK has some of the highest rates of asthma across Europe.
Anybody wishing to find out more about their oral health, or suffering asthma and feel they may have symptoms of gum disease, can contact the Oral Health Foundation’s Dental Helpline.

The Dentistry Show and BDA announce major new collaboration

The British Dental Association (BDA) and CloserStill Media have announced a major new collaboration, that will see the British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show launched in May next year.
The new collaboration of the BDA’s British Dental Conference and Exhibition, and CloserStill Media’s The Dentistry Show will take place on 18-19 May 2018 at the Birmingham NEC and will be the undisputed leader in dental events.
The BDA Conference & Exhibition has been running for over 100 years and is the BDA’s annual flagship event for its members and the wider dental profession. The Dentistry Show will have been running for 11 years in 2018. The new event will now become the key date in all dental professionals’ diaries with over 10,800 visitors attending the two-day event.
The new event will be free of charge and open to all.
BDA Chief Executive Peter Ward said:
“We’re committed to offering our members and this profession the biggest and best event in the dental calendar. This collaboration with our friends at CloserStill Media will take our landmark event to the next level.
“Our British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show is now the one date every dentist needs in their diary. And we’ve opened the doors to the whole profession, to give them all access to the latest innovation, education and quality CPD.
“Our members are our number one priority. On top of one unmissable national conference, we are working to ensure they have access to more exclusive events in more locations across the UK.”
Alex Harden, Event Director of The Dentistry Show said: “This is an exciting investment for us all. Between us, the team now running The Dentistry Show and The BDA Conference have been responsible for running some of the UK’s fastest growing events over the last two decades. Our combined experience, sector knowledge and significant commercial and marketing resources will be focused on delivering for both exhibitors and the audiences for these powerful brands.”