BOS launches ‘Hold that Smile’ retention campaign

A new approach to retention underpins a campaign launched by the British Orthodontic Society at its annual conference in Manchester.  Backed up by video and animation, the intention is to generate a viral #HoldthatSmile campaign to build awareness that retainers are for life.The first phase aimed at the profession is now public via the BOS website reflecting the important role of teams in general dental practice who prepare and refer patients for their orthodontic treatment.

 Simon Littlewood, the BOS authority on retention, says: “I think we need to focus much more on retention than we have ever done. In the past we used to fit retainers for between just one and two years and the orthodontist would review the retainers. Now, because we are asking patients to wear retainers long term, we need to work collaboratively with our GDP colleagues.”

 Simon said the classic research on relapse was done on the west coast of the US which followed up patients who only wore retainers for one or two years. They found that 10 years later, 70% of those needed retreatment.

The BOS is asking dentists to check patients are looking after retainers long-term as part of ongoing dental care. Simon added: “I think there are some misconceptions with retention. In the past, we used to think that once patients reached a certain age, their teeth would eventually be stable. Now we know that’s not true, there is potential for teeth to keep moving throughout life – it’s almost like a normal ageing phenomenon.”

He continued: “Whether there is a problem with a removable retainer or a bonded retainer, it’s important that something is done about it as soon as possible because, without that retainer, teeth will relapse.”

 “Dentists can prepare their patients before they are sent to the orthodontist by informing them about the orthodontic treatment but also about the need for retention too. There is almost no point in proceeding with orthodontic treatment unless the patient is willing and able to commit to retention long-term.”

“It’s vital that the whole dental team has a role to play in stressing the importance of retention to our patients. That includes orthodontic therapists, hygienists and nurses, to make sure our patients are motivated to commit to wearing retainers for life.”

 Simon concluded: “One of the commonest questions I get is “how long do I wear retainers for?” and my answer is ‘for as long as you want straight teeth.’

The patient-facing aspect of the campaign will be launched later this year. https://www.bos.org.uk/Orthodontic-Retention

BDA blasts ‘Second Rate’ effort to tackle decay among children

Unfunded action on pledge to improve oral health of deprived kids rings hollow says BDA

shDental Association has accused the government of letting down children in England following today’s (Wednesday 20 Sept) launch in Manchester of Starting Well– an unfunded programme to tackle child tooth decay which will operate within just 13 local authorities. Dedicated national efforts have existed in both Wales and Scotland for over a decade.

The scheme – delivery on a 2017 manifesto pledge to improve outcomes for deprived children – has targeted areas with high decay rates, and pre-existing oral health programmes. The BDA has expressed concern this initiative looks like a cynical bid to take credit for the good work of local authorities, without any additional investment from central government.

Dentist leaders say millions of children who need support will miss out as a consequence.The BDA understands that in Ealing children in just three council wards will benefit. The government has resisted calling these 13 schemes ‘pilots’, and stated they have no current plans to develop a national programme.

Tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions among children across the UK. An estimated 160 procedures to extract teeth are performed each day under general anaesthetic in hospitals across England, costing the NHS over £35 million a year.

The BDA has long advocated the Scottish programme Childsmile as a possible model for England, a national effort with both universal and targeted components that has already reduced the bill for dental treatment costs by £5 million a year.

Answering a Parliamentary Question from the Shadow Secretary of State Jon Ashworth MP, Minister Steve Brine MP confirmed last week that the “funding for this scheme would be provided within existing dental spend” and that it was “not currently possible to determine the number of children who will benefit from the programme”.

The BDA’s Chair of General Dental Practice Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen said:

“Tooth decay is the number one reason for hospital admissions across Britain. Sadly while devolved governments have set up dedicated national programmes, England is being offered a second rate option.

“Council leaders have been making progress in the fight against decay without resources or direction. These areas require new investment, not a new logo, and holding a few launch events while failing to offer a single penny of new money does not constitute a national effort.

“Targeting a handful of wards in just thirteen local authorities means millions of children will miss out on this important work. We need to find better ways to encourage those most in need of treatment to attend, and proposals as they stand look unlikely to deliver.

“We welcome any progress to get more children attending, but we need to see rapid expansion towards a national programme on the back of the learnings from Scotland and local pilots.”

Putting the ‘wow’ factor back into dentistry

Nobel Biocare announces outstanding programme for London Symposium 2017

 

Building on the huge success that was the Nobel Biocare Symposium in New York last year, the leading implant product supplier is delighted to introduce an exceptional programme for the London Symposium this November. Following the company’s winning formula of world-class speakers, dynamic and interactive lecture formats, and innovative product exhibitions, the event really does have that ‘wow’ factor!

To be held on 10th and 11th November, the main stage of the Symposium will feature internationally renowned speakers, including those from here in the UK and across the globe. They will share their extensive experience in an array of topics from how to improve the patient journey with innovative protocols, to the benefits of digital dentistry and treatment concepts for the compromised edentulous patient. Delegates can expect to develop their knowledge and skills while also renewing their enthusiasm for excellent implant dentistry.

Among the not-to-be-missed speakers will be:

  • Tomas Albrektsson, Sweden
  • Markus Blazt, USA
  • Ruben Davoo, Spain
  • Andrew Dawood, UK
  • Richard Elliot, UK
  • Wail Girgis, UK
  • Stefan Holst, Switzerland
  • Robin Horton, UK
  • Jennifer Huntley, UK
  • Pascal Kunz, Switzerland
  • Ian Lane, UK
  • Ashley Latter, UK
  • Kevin Lockhead, UK
  • Scott MacLean, USA
  • Paulo Malo, Portugal
  • Guy McLellan, UK
  • Jose Navarro, UK and Spain
  • Paul O’Reilly, Ireland
  • Isabella Rocchietta, UK
  • Riz Syed, UK
  • Susan Tanner, UK

Creating a programme packed full of education, fun and networking opportunities, delegates will have a choice of lectures, smaller break-out sessions, hands-on workshops and business forums designed to facilitate discussion and collaboration. There will also be the chance to discover some of the very latest innovations available from Nobel Biocare, to find out how they work and see how they could benefit patient care.

The inclusive programme will ensure something for everyone, including dentists, dental nurses, dental hygienists, practice managers and dental technicians. Plus, the social event on Friday evening is a must for those wishing to catch up with old friends and new. So why not bring your whole team – after all, the team that learns together, succeeds together.

For more information, please visit nobelbiocare.com/london

Making a real difference to young lives

The First Smiles campaign by the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT) provides the perfect opportunity for professionals across the country to reach out to young people in their communities. 28 dental hygienists and dental therapists got involved this year, visiting local schools and nurseries to spread the word on why good oral health is so important. Among the activities arranged were demonstrations on how to brush, role-playing a visit to the dentist, quizzes and games designed to highlight ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods in terms of the amount of hidden sugars.

Sadly, there are still young people in the UK that don’t have their own toothbrush or have never visited the dentist. The First Smiles campaign is designed to help change this, encouraging dental professionals to help educate children and their parents / guardians, providing the support and guidance they need to instil good habits from the very beginning.

We’ve had some fantastic feedback from dental hygienists and therapists who took part, and here’s what some had to say:

 

Anita Hirani, Queensbury Dental Surgery

It all went really well and we really enjoyed our visit to the nursery. We tried to make it as enjoyable and interactive as possible with role-play. The children were able to come up one-by-one to have a go at brushing the teeth on the model and they absolutely loved it. (Figure 1) They were also pleased to get a toothbrush to take home!

 

Joanne Martin

One session I did was to a lovely group of 2- and 3-year-old children, teaching them how to brush their teeth and gums. I took along Dan the Dinosaur, masks, mirrors, gloves and mouth mirrors – the children loved helping to clean Dan’s dirty teeth! I also wanted them to see what visiting the dentist is like, so everyone had a chance to try on gloves and masks, and hold a mouth mirror to look at their teeth and those of their friends.

The feedback I had from parents was lovely and some of the children that hadn’t been to the dentist before were asking their parents to take them – in fact the children were really enthusiastic and very motivated. Hopefully by doing these sessions with our younger generation, the messages we are always promoting and encouraging are getting out there. This is a fantastic opportunity for our dental profession to get out there and keep our kids smiling. Thank you to Colgate, Dental Directory and CHANGE4LIFE for all the toothbrushes, toothpastes and information leaflets!

 

Lynn Chalinder

We carry out clinics / teaching sessions weekly in an area of severe deprivation and lack of education and care. As you can imagine, the samples went down a storm! For some of the children involved, this was their first and only toothbrush and they had individual attention in how to use them. All in all it went really well.

 

Kate Paddock

The First Smiles day was super and we all had a great time. The kids dressed up in gloves and masks, we talked about looking after our teeth, visiting the dentist and sugars in food. I will definitely do it again. I think it is such a good idea and really important. As a society, I think the more we can educate parents and teachers too, the better – after all, it’s not the 5-year-olds who pack their lunchboxes!

Thank you to all who got involved in this year’s First Smiles campaign and we hope even more will take part next year!

 

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