The Dental Industry Event of the Year is back! The Digital Symposium 2018 takes place on 27-28 April in London and this year it’s thinking big, it’s thinking holistically and it’s thinking differently.
Recognised as Dental Industry Event of the Year at the Dental Industry Awards 2017 held in association with the BDIA, the Digital Symposium is the ultimate digital experience for dental professionals. Driving innovative solutions in terms of predictive treatment, diagnosis, management, treatment and prevention, the Digital Symposium is an opportunity to witness the transformative power of these emerging technologies first hand and hear from some of the industry’s most influential educational and motivational speakers.
The Medical Futurist confirmed as Keynote speaker
A “geek physician” with a PhD in genomics and an Amazon Top 100 author, Dr Bertalan Mesko, the Medical Futurist, predicts the impact of digital health technologies on the future of healthcare, helping patients, clinicians, regulators and industry organisations make it a reality. He will talk to delegates about a range of digital health technologies, including artificial intelligence, health sensors, 3D printing and how social media can impact public awareness.
The Medical Futurist is joined by an impressive line-up of other speakers including Colin Campbell, Sinead McEnhill, Adam Nulty and Josef Kunkela. For a full list of speakers, visit hsddigitalsymposium.co.uk/speakers-2018
Book before the end of January 2018 to take advantage of our Early Bird and Previous Delegates’ offers.
To book at our discounted prices or to find out more about The Digital Symposium 2018, visit www.hsddigitalsymposium.co.uk/
To find out more about Henry Schein Dental’s range of digital solutions, contact Henry Schein ConnectDental on 0800 028 4870 or visit hsdconnectdental.co.uk.
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Dr Niger Carter OBE, CEO Oral Health Foundation comments

Painted faces, Smurf hats, wigs, dogs and countless blue lips were seen far and wide as the great British public got behind this great cause. Special mention must go to dental practices and healthcare businesses across the country who helped vital mouth cancer messages reach millions of people, potentially saving
many lives through awareness. Mouth cancer cases are increasing year-on-year and the disease now claims more than 1,600 lives annually. With more than 7,500 people being diagnosed each year, raising awareness of mouth cancer is
increasingly important. Events such as Blue Wednesday are imperative if we are to catch more cases early by making people more alert to the major signs, symptoms and causes of this terrible disease.
Thank you to everybody who took part. We’ve created a gallery to showcase your
amazing pictures from Blue Wednesday. To acces the full Blue Wednesday 2017
gallery, see www.mouthcancer.org/bluewednesday.

He’s done it again with his latest self-styled parody of Big Shaq’s smash hit Mans Not Hot.

Making liberal use of his drill, Dr Milad Shadrooh aka The Singing Dentists new video has gone viral.

Calling himself ‘Big Plaq’, the real-life dentist makes reference to the sounds his drill makes – instead of the imitated gunshots in the viral tune.

Dr Shadrooh has racked up a huge following online for his parodies of chart-topping hits, including a cover of Ed Sheeran’s melody ‘A Shape Of You’.

Watch the full video here

David Lauder, DDU dental-legal, adviser offers his expert advice…

Even the most experienced dentists will occasionally come across situations that seem unique and difficult to manage. Dealing with vulnerable patients can present particular dento-legal challenges, such as about whether to
disclose confidential information and what your safeguarding responsibilities are.
The following case study illustrates some of these challenges and illustrates why it is wise to stay familiar with current standards and guidance in these areas.
Case study A 15-year old patient and his mother attended an examination with a newly qualified dentist. During the appointment the dentist noticed scars on the patient’s forearms. When asked, the patient said he had been self-harming and gave the dentist permission to speak to his mother about it. When the dentist did so, the patient’s mother became very upset, saying she sometimes feared for her own safety because the patient’s behaviour was erratic and he sometimes became violent at home. After taking advice from the DDU, the dentist reported the discussions to the safeguarding lead at the practice, who in turn reported the concerns to social services. Social services confirmed that the family were known to them already, but said they would provide extra support for the family due to the violent behaviour of the teenage child.
Confidentiality concerns All GDC registrants must protect the confidentiality of patients’ information and only use it for the purpose for which it was given. In this example, the dentist acted correctly by asking the patient’s permission to discuss his self-harming with his mother.

In general, all patients – including those under 16 who are deemed mature enough
to make decisions about their care – should be asked for permission to share their information. However, in exceptional circumstances you may be justified in discussing confidential information about a patient with others, if doing so is in the best interests of the public or the patient. If you believe a patient is putting their own safety or that of others at serious risk you can break confidentiality, even if a patient declines to give you their consent. You should normally tell the patient that you’re going to do this, unless you think this information is likely to lead to the patient suffering harm. Make sure you clearly record the relevant discussions you have with the patient, and your justification for breaking patient confidentiality, in the clinical notes. Safeguarding Every practice should have a safeguarding policy in place to help protect children and vulnerable adults. There should also be a safeguarding lead within the practice, who is the person responsible for making sure the safeguarding policy is adhered to. If faced with a situation where you have concerns for a vulnerable person, you should notify the practice’s safeguarding lead and check your concern has been
properly actioned. Unfortunately, instances of abuse and neglect are more common than we may think. As health professionals we have an important role to play in safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, and we should be able to recognise potential signs and have the courage to ask questions
when we do. If you have concerns for the safety of your patients or others, raise those concerns with the appropriate person, even if the patient declines to give their permission to do so.