Month: May 2020

Denplan partners with Wright-Cottrell to supply essential PPE

Denplan, part of Simplyhealth, has announced today that they are partnering with Wright-Cottrell, one of the UK’s leading dental distributors, to supply the previously announced £2 million worth of free Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for its Denplan members. All PPE will have full certification and carry the CE mark/BSO mark to reassure members that the equipment received is of the highest quality and fit for purpose.

This announcement comes at a critical time for dental practices across the UK who are starting to receive guidance on when they can reopen their practices. Practices in England learnt on Thursday 28 May that NHS England and the Chief Dental Officer for England have now confirmed any practice that is appropriately prepared can provide patient care from 8 June.

Following Denplan’s announcement on Friday 22 May that they are making a significant investment in PPE, the company will be furthering their close working relationship with Wright-Cottrell in helping dental teams get back to work safely.

Denplan’s investment in PPE is one of a number of key measures that Denplan has made since lockdown to help their members with financial support, health and wellbeing tools, business and clinical advice, and CPD initiatives. It is also a demonstration of Simplyhealth’s long-term investment in the future success of the healthcare profession.

Catherine Rutland, Clinical Director at Denplan, said: “It is great news that practices in the UK have now learnt that they can start preparing to reopen. The need for enhanced PPE will be one of a range of new requirements for clinical practice to be able to reopen safely, at least in the short term. As a company, it is fantastic to be able to continue our support in helping Denplan practice teams get safely and efficiently back to caring for their patients and in particular, provide the essential PPE that they need to do this.”

Denplan are working closely with Wright-Cottrell to establish an efficient ordering process so that their members can access the essential PPE that they will need when clinical dentistry resumes.

Nigal Rutter, National Key Account Manager, at Wright-Cottrell, added: “We have a long-standing relationship with Denplan and many of their member dentists, so we were delighted when Denplan confirmed that we were their chosen supplier to provide PPE for their member practices. Over the years we have supported a range of events for Denplan’s clinical training programme and have sponsored all of Denplan’s charity events for the last two years. We look forward to this next stage in our partnership.”

Denplan are continuing their support for members to help them get back to work confidently by running a three day ‘Back to Work’ virtual conference from Monday 1st to Wednesday 3rd June. The three day event, designed in partnership with Dental Update, offers 12 hours of free CPD, and features 17 lectures on subjects entirely devoted to practising dentistry safely and effectively in the Covid-19 era.

This conference will directly follow the April and May series of Denplan/Dental Update webinars, and the combined total registrations for both lecture programmes is hoped to exceed 100,000 dental professionals.

For more details on the Back to Work conference and how to register visit https://conference.dental-update.co.uk/

Dental services to resume in England from 8 June

In a letter sent to all dental practices in England, chief dental officer Sara Hurley and the director of primary care and system transformation Matt Neligan have confirmed that dental services can resume from 8 June, so long as necessary infection prevention and control requirements are in place and PPE is available.
 
The British Dental Association (BDA) has welcomed news the government has given the green light for the restoration of routine care services in England, but has cautioned that practices will need to move at different rates depending on availability and fitting of PPE, their ability to enact ongoing social distancing measures and time to implement appropriate cross-infection control.  

The BDA notes that this could see varying levels of treatments made available with immediate effect, with individual practitioners exercising their professional judgement on the pace of change. The BDA has also expressed the view that steps should be taken to integrate dentistry into the wider government strategy on PPE supply led by Lord Deighton.

Dentist leaders have also warned the whole business model that the service is based on could change unalterably upon reopening, with social distancing and cross-infection control reducing capacity and potentially access levels by as much as two thirds. The BDA is continuing to press for the NHS contractual framework to reflect the new reality and for additional support for private dentistry, including a business rates holiday – already offered to leisure and retail sectors – to be expanded to dental practices, alongside other support to mitigate against reduced patient numbers.

BDA Chair Mick Armstrong commented: “A return of high street dentistry we will be welcome news to millions of patients left with few options during lockdown, but key questions remain. It is right to allow practices to decide themselves when they are ready to open. Dentists will be keen to start providing care as soon as safely possible, but we will need everyone to be patient as practices get up and running. Dentist can open their doors but won’t be able to provide a full range of care without the necessary kit. Longer term practices can only stay afloat with ongoing support, while social distancing continues and the costs of providing care are sky high. Opening the floodgates risks raising false expectations, unless government is willing to step up and help.”

Gabriela Pueyo, General Manager of Bupa Dental Care, which has been operating a number of Urgent Dental Centres across the UK on behalf of the NHS, said: “We are delighted that we can begin to re-open our 400+ dental practices in England from Monday 8th June  after the government announcement today. This is a vital move to prevent long term damage to our patients oral health and dentistry as a whole. We are busy preparing practices, including introducing a new Patient Charter and additional measures to continue keeping patients and staff safe.”

The letter confirming the reopening of dental practices on 8 June begins with a thank you to all for contributions during the peak pandemic period and the commitment to supporting the national response. It states that the goal for patients and professionals is to resume the safe and effective provision of the full range of care in all practices, as rapidly as is practicable and that NHS England has been working with the British Dental Association, wider professional representative groups and the dental industry to reach this consensus on the commencement of reopening services.

It also touches on financial and contractual arrangements and offers advice for the sequencing and scheduling of patients. The letter can be read in full here.

A prompt to prepare from OCDO England

The Office of the Chief Dental Officer (OCDO) England has issued a ‘promot to prepare’, offering considerations applicable for safely reopening primary dental care settings. 

While the risk of Covid-19 transmission to staff and patients arising from clinical proximity and the unique aerosol generating procedures involved in dentistry remains a key factor in the temporary suspension of routine dentistry, dental care cannot be postponed indefinitely. Therefore, a sustained reduction in Covid-19 transmission risk will provide an opportunity to safely resume some elements of dental care. 

In preparing for the resumption of routine dental care, practices may wish to consider patient priorities, practice pace, proximity and levels of protection required for the safe delivery of dental care. The prompt to prepare considerations released have been produced by dental practitioners for use in primary care settings to provide guidance, which is due to be published by recognised professional bodies. Dental teams are advised to ensure that they regularly update their knowledge and understanding of the published Covid-19 Public Health England guidance and its application in a dental setting. 

The guidance is laid out in what has been termed a ‘Consideration Pathway’. Practice considerations outlined cover patient flow and practice floorplans, communal areas, supplied and equipment. To ensure safety of staff, training, screening, work schedules and guidance on health and wellbeing is considered. Factors explored for patient care include communication, care plans, and travel to and from the practice. 

“In preparing for the activation of the broader public health conditions that both herald and safeguard our ability to resume routine dental care, ‘prompt to prepare’ offers considerations applicable to primary dental care settings,’ explained Sara Hurley, chief dental officer for England. “There will be inevitable changes with regards to pace, proximity and levels of protection that are required for effective risk management and the safe delivery of dental care. This is the time to review and make the appropriate adjustments to protocols, procedures and practice infrastructure for the safe and effective resumption of routine dental care. Further guidance will follow, these will cover urgent dental care and alternative (non-AGP) evidence-based care planning.” 

Back to business

To say that 2020 hasn’t been the year we all thought it would be, is an understatement. Family and friends have been separated, businesses disrupted and daily life as we know it changed substantially.

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. As we look forward to the relaxing and lifting of restrictions that have been placed on the UK, we can start to prepare for the gradual return to ‘normal’. What exactly that looks like we are yet to find out, but there are still plenty of things you can to do to prepare for getting back to business.

Get all the checks out the way

It is easy to lose track of when things like software licences, insurance policies, indemnities, equipment maintenance packages and the like run out. Why not take this time to go through the paperwork and make a note of when all your contracts conclude? It might not be the most interesting of jobs, but once it’s done for the year you don’t have to worry about it again for a while. In a similar vein, it can help to review all the data in your practice management software. Identifying open treatment plans, as well as patients who haven’t returned to the practice in 12 months can help you to better target your future marketing activities when the time comes.

Get your CPD up-to-date

Part of these checks should include a review of your CPD and training to date. In light of the downtime many of us have had and may continue to have a for a little longer, this is an opportunity to update and tweak your Personal Development Plan (PDP) according to your new situation. This might mean changing dates for any training courses you had planned to attend that were postponed, or looking to add new learning opportunities that you feel would be more beneficial for you now and in the immediate future.

Communicate

With various online platforms at our disposal, it has been possible to keep in contact with patients and colleagues even throughout social distancing. As we look towards getting back to business, these channels can be used to re-engage with patients and to inform them of what services might become available at what times. Practices can start getting their diaries booked up to ensure that patients receive the routine care or dental treatment that they may now be overdue. This also helps to make sure that more professionals can come back to work in the practice as soon as possible.

Of course, for this to happen effectively, it is just as important to communicate with the professional team. They need to be kept up-to-date with progress at the practice and it can help for colleagues to stay in contact so they can share experiences and support each other. In addition, virtual huddles or group meetings can provide individuals with an opportunity to ask any questions or air any concerns they may have about returning to work. Further still, don’t forget to get back in touch with your referring practices to let them know what treatments you can offer and how you can work together as business gets up and running.

Re-connect with industry

Collaboration with industry representatives will also aid your return to work. Many of your regular product and service suppliers will be able to provide additional support, so it’s worth contacting your local rep to see what they can do. For example, they may be offering training opportunities or webinars hosted by KOLs that could benefit you or your colleagues. Alternatively, they might have some fresh ideas or innovative solutions to some of the challenges you still face, so just a quick phone call could prove advantageous.

Kick start your business restart

For more ideas like these to help you prepare yourself, your team and your business for getting back to normal, the British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show 2020 is a must-attend event. It will deliver two-days of education tailored to each member of the dental team, with theatres for dentists, practice owners, dental hygienists and therapists, dental nurses and practice managers. Lectures will cover both clinical and business topics, with an array of leading lights taking to the podium to share their extensive expertise and offer practical information and guidance. There will also be plenty of opportunities to interact with some of the biggest names in the profession, with live discussions and moderated debates taking place across the programme. Plus, the trade exhibition provides further opportunities to engage with colleagues from all corners of the industry, ensuring you discover all the support available to you as you go back to work.

 

The British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show 2020 – 11th and 12th September–Hall 5, Birmingham NEC, co-located with DTS.

For more information, visit www.thedentistryshow.co.uk, call 020 7348 5270 or email dentistry@closerstillmedia.com

Henry Schein Dental helps dentists safely return to providing care

Henry Schein Dental UK has compiled a variety of measures that focus on the critical steps necessary to help dentists safely restart their practice and to ensure the health and wellness of patients and the dental team. The practice recovery programme aims to help dental teams prepare for the resumption of practice and offers a curated set of solutions ranging from practice safety and preparation, new protocol implementation, and patient communications.

In addition to the company’s comprehensive solutions portfolio, Henry Schein has created a checklist for how to plan your business bounce back, which can be found on the Henry Schein website. There is also a Covid-19 Resource and Education Centre that provides access to practical information as well as helpful webinars.

“At Henry Schein we are committed to helping our customers emerge strong from this difficult situation. We are here to help in fulfillment of our brand promise: Rely on Us. Our team is dedicated to working with dental practitioners to help establish a re-opening process and provide access to a wide range of products, services, and solutions to run an efficient practice while delivering quality patient”, said Patrick Allen, Managing Director of Henry Schein in the UK.

A key solutions offered as part of the new programme is the recently launched teledentistry offering, designed by MedPod, Inc. This clinical decision tool allows dentists to provide critical patient communication and monitoring as the COVID-19 outbreak continues. The cloud-based software platform gives providers the ability to conduct remote consultations for patients so that they can continue to operate their practice, while delivering virtual care to patients who may not have access to a physical office visit, or choose not to visit a clinical setting as a safety precaution.

Software of Excellence, a Henry Schein One brand, has created a new online event called the ‘Bounceback Virtual Dental Festival’ to be held on 26 – 27 May 2020. Currently, more than 2,500 dental professionals have registered the two-day event packed full of useful advice, information, and online networking, delivered by experts from across the industry, helping create a community through which dentists and practice owners can access ‘real-life’, practical support. Henry Schein Dental as well as the Henry Schein, Inc. affiliate MediHoldings will support the event. Proposed topics will include the adjustment to the ‘new normal’, managing teams and HR challenges, how to financially survive the pandemic, the importance of patient communication, making your practice a safer place, self and team empowerment, and implementing contactless arrivals and departures. Software of Excellence also offers regular COVID-19 related webinars to support dental customers on business related topics.

OPTIM™ 1 wipes now launching in Europe

OPTIM™ 1 wipes have a contact time of ONE minute for complete confidence that disinfection has been achieved.

They have been tested and passed for all major dental chair upholstery for added protection.

Clean and disinfect in a single step. Other benefits are: a safe and non-toxic formula, compatible on all surfaces and environmentally friendly. Alcohol-free, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide is the active ingredient, which simply breaks down into water and oxygen.

With correct use, it will protect the team and patients against a range of pathogens, including COVID-19 (coronavirus).

OPTIM™ 1 is available from SciCan, recently acquired by COLTENE.

 

For information about OPTIM™ 1, visit:

https://www.scican.com/eu/products/cleaners-disinfectants/optim-1/

www.coltene.com, email info.uk@coltene.com or call 01444 235486.

Up your infection control

In light of recent and ongoing events, you need to ensure that your infection control routines are exceptional.

Make this easy and stress-free by purchasing the Steri-7 Xtra range of disinfectants from Initial Medical.

The range includes a wide array of products such as hand washes, surface cleansers and more, meaning that you can take a multi-pronged approach to infection control. Steri-7 kills up to 99.9999% of a broad range of pathogens within seconds of contact and has been tested against feline coronavirus; a surrogate of coronavirus*. Steri-7 surface sanitisers utilise specially formulated micro emulsion technology that applies an active Barrier which can persist and kill for hours afterward. Our supplier’s Laboratory testing showed the barrier killing microbes (including pathogens) 72 hours after application. So long as the barrier is not wiped away, our treatment provides residual protection and biosecurity reassurance between cleans.

Find out more today.

*Source: Steri-7

 

For further information please visit www.initial.co.uk/medical or Tel: 0870 850 4045

 

-Ends-

About Initial Medical 

Initial Medical is an expert in healthcare waste management, providing a complete collection, disposal and recycling service for hazardous and non-hazardous waste and offensive waste produced by healthcare providers, and other businesses and organisations within the UK. 

The safe management of healthcare waste is vital to ensure your activities are not a risk to human health.  Initial Medical’s healthcare waste services ensure that all of your waste is stringently handled in compliance with legislation and in accordance with Safe Management of Healthcare Waste best practice guidelines, providing you with the peace of mind that you are adhering to current legislation. 

For further information please visit www.initial.co.uk/medical or Tel: 0870 850 4045 

Media enquiries:

For more information, please contact:

erica@ekcommunications.net

Prioritise children’s safety

The beginning of June is Child Safety Week. While this awareness week is usually associated with keeping children safe from physical harm, that doesn’t mean that we, as dental professionals, can’t encourage them to stay safe in other ways and keep their teeth protected!

Children are high risk when it comes to a number of oral health conditions. There’s been no lack of coverage surrounding the high levels of tooth decay experienced by the younger age group in the UK, and this is something that dental hygienists and dental therapists are well placed to advise about and help prevent.

What about contacting a local school and hosting a session about diet? This way you can encourage better understanding about how diet affects teeth and teach children about sugars, acidic foods and other concerns which they may not know anything about. It’s worth delving into some of the lesser known facts here – it’s unlikely that most children will be aware that smoothies are much worse for their teeth than solid fruit, for example. If you make this information memorable, children will tell their parents about it when they get home, reiterating the information they’ve learned and hopefully making a difference.

What about exploring some of the other risks that children may experience regarding their teeth? Did you know that dental trauma incidents occur far more frequently in children, and in fact, make up 5% of the total injuries incurred by people under the age of 18?[i] If you think about it this makes sense – childhood games involve a lot of running and potential for trips and collisions. Children are also more likely to regularly play ball sports and other physical activities as part of break times or physical education lessons than those who have left schooling for higher education/work.

All of these activities bring risks of dental injuries with them – so how about talking to children about the importance of mouthguards during sport or what to do if they do hurt their teeth after a fall? This advice is invaluable and will hopefully encourage these individuals to play with more care and to exercise good protective habits when engaging in potentially dangerous activities.

If you want to do it differently, what about inviting a small group of children to your practice with their parents? This way you can make the information more memorable by showing them some of the equipment in your practice and explaining what your job role is – it won’t necessarily be suitable for bigger groups, but it’s a good way to get your points across.

A great opportunity to impart this wisdom is by taking part in the BSDHT’s First Smiles initiative. This event encourages you to host sessions like these in local schools and children’s clubs. Supported by Oral-B, when you sign up you will receive useful educational resources including free goody bags with tooth-brushing charts, stickers and other fun items that children can take home afterwards.

Taking place every year, you can sign up to take part in First Smiles and find out more about the initiative here: http://www.bsdht.org.uk/firstsmiles

Whatever topics you decide to cover when you talk to children, it’s a good opportunity to help these individuals to understand that looking after their oral health is part of their safety too!

 

For more information about the BSDHT, please visit www.bsdht.org.uk

call 01788 575050 or email enquiries@bsdht.org.uk

 

[i] International Association of Dental Traumatology. Dental Trauma Guidelines. Link: https://www.iadt-dentaltrauma.org/1-9%20%20iadt%20guidelines%20combined%20-%20lr%20-%2011-5-2013.pdf [Last accessed March 20].

Free online guide launched for teachers to support students preparing for BMAT

A free online guide has been released by Cambridge Assessment to help teachers support students who need to take the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) to get a place to study Medicine or Dentistry in the UK.

The guide is designed to highlight further information and free support materials that are available for BMAT. Teachers using the guide can share the information with their students who need to take the test to study at certain UK universities or medical schools. The experts behind the guide say it comes at a time when teacher support is more important than ever as the teaching sector faces severe restrictions due to Covid-19.

The online guide has been developed by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing, the same experts who develop BMAT. It includes information on where to find free online BMAT preparation materials, answers to frequently asked questions from students, information on the test format and guidance on BMAT test sessions.

Andy Chamberlain, Head of Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing said: “BMAT plays a highly significant role in ensuring students with the highest potential get selected for healthcare related courses and the test has become a key part of the recruitment toolkit for universities. For this reason it’s essential that teachers get the support they need to make sure students are confident on the test day. We’ve designed the guide so it’s really comprehensive and gives teachers the information they need to pass on to their students. It comes at a time when teacher support is more important than ever and by using the guide, teachers will be able to help their students take the next steps towards university.”

BMAT is used by universities around the world to select applicants for medical, dental and biomedical courses. It tests key skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and application of scientific knowledge that are crucial for success on an academically demanding, science-based degree.

BMAT is designed so that students can prepare for the test on their own, and Admissions Testing also provides comprehensive free resources so that students can do so. However, many teachers would like to help support their students and this guide provides a quick resource for teachers to share the right information about BMAT.

Chamberlain added: “We already provide lots of free resources to help students prepare for BMAT, but this new guide is designed to give teachers a helping hand in supporting their students. Our research has shown that costly preparation courses are unnecessary which is why the guide shows teachers where to find all of our free materials.”

For all of your endodontic needs

Endodontic cases can be complicated, time-consuming and intimidating for patients and professionals alike.

That’s why, when you are faced with a difficult case it’s a good idea to refer to EndoCare.

Our team of professionals are all fully trained in all of the latest methods and approaches in the field, meaning that we will always try our utmost to save the tooth and deliver as pain-free treatment as possible. Furthermore, with our calm approach to patient care we are an ideal choice for any patients suffering from dental anxiety or phobia.

Once we have performed the surgery, we will always return the patient to your care with all of the relevant details and follow-up information – It’s the EndoCare guarantee!

So, when you need a helping hand, give EndoCare a call and see how we can help.

 

For further information please call EndoCare on 020 7224 0999

Or visit www.endocare.co.uk