dentistry

Good oral health may help heart attack recovery

New research has shown that continued good oral health has been found to help the cardiovascular system recover, once someone has had a heart attack.

It was discovered that the bacteria that causes gum disease can impair the healing and repair of arteries, due to the bacteria’s enzyme that might stop the body’s immune cells from repairing the arteries.

Looking after their oral health after such a circumstance can prevent further cardiovascular issues in the future.

With cardiovascular disease being the leading cause of death in the UK, the Oral Health Foundation say that these deaths could be prevented with simple lifestyle changes. It is calling on people to understand the links between oral health and cardiovascular disease in order to reduce their chances of potentially fatal illnesses.

Dr Nigel Carter OBE , CEO of the Oral Health Foundation, said: “This is incredibly interesting research which could offer hope to the future of millions of people affected by cardiovascular disease.

“There has been evidence for some time that gum disease increases the risk of cardiovascular disease but to now understand that preventing gum disease can also prevent further problems for victims of a heart attack opens up many interesting avenues for ongoing treatment.

“Preventing gum disease is relatively simple, you need to ensure you brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and all clean in between your teeth with an interdental brush or floss at least one a day.

“Combined with regular visits to a dentist you can prevent gum disease from progressing and affecting you in further ways.

“This study certainly suggests that good oral health could significantly improve the outcome of patients who have a heart attack and we eagerly welcome more research into this.”

New managing director for bredent subsidiary in the UK

bredent UK has appointed a new managing director, who comes from the dental industry.

Stephen Denman, an ex-dental technician who has spent the last 10 years leading sales teams across Europe, developing business strategies plus supporting country commercial organisations for Dentsply Sirona, will take up the position on 1 May 2018.

Stephen said: “I have always held bredent and its products in high regard, first as a customer then as a market peer and am very much looking forward to joining bredent UK. The bredent family is full of talented and enthusiastic individuals who will continue to deliver the excellent service and support customers have come to expect over the years, as well as providing some of the most innovative solutions in the dental field.”

Stephen will replace the current managing director of bredent UK Ltd, Maja Thompson, who co-founded the business in 2004. Maja Thompson has decided to explore new opportunities – a decision fully supported by the bredent family.

The company supplies the dental market with products from the German manufacturer bredent and bredent medical GmbH Co.KG located in Senden, south Germany. The bredent group is a family owned company and has been supplying the dental market for more than 40 years.

Financial solvency – tests fundamentally flawed

The Financial Capability & Capacity (FC&C) tests that are required when tendering or retendering for contracts with NHSE (NHS England) under the “Dynamic Purchasing System” are ‘fundamentally flawed’. That is according to NASDAL (The National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers) and Alan Suggett, specialist dental accountant and partner in UNW LLP.

“The solvency tests are flawed in their application to unincorporated businesses and most owner managed limited companies,” said Suggett. “NHSE don’t (want to?) understand this and their stance is that they are just standard accounting tests that are easily calculated so where is the problem? The problem is that from our initial testing, around 90 per cent of dental practices would fail the tests! As dental practices are regarded as one of the least risky sectors for business lending this is clearly ridiculous.

“The tests are appropriate for larger entities such as the larger corporate groups. However, it would be a cynic that might suggest this is by design rather than accident. As the tests are of a technical accounting nature, it seems that nobody involved (dentists and NHS employees including public sector accountants) understands the issues – they are only apparent to accountants who act for owner managed dental practices.”

Suggett continued: “NASDAL are working with the BDA to persuade NHSE that a cashflow forecast, supported if necessary by proof of deficit funding, is sufficient evidence of financial viability.”

Dental Directory appoints new Managing Director

Dental Directory, one of the largest full-service suppliers of dental materials and equipment in the country, has announced the appointment of Paul Adams as its new Managing Director.

Mark Stephenson, who has been Managing Director of Dental Directory since January 2015, has stepped down from his role to pursue other opportunities, and leaves the business this month. Paul Adams has been appointed as his replacement and will start in his role on 30 April.

Paul has more than 20 years’ experience in the consumer products, retail, technology, financial cash management and healthcare sectors, including the manufacture and supply of pharmaceutical and medical device products.

He has strong operations experience, having been Chief Operating Officer of Talaris Ltd, the cash management company, then owned by private equity house, Carlyle, the current co-owner of IDH Group. In 2012, he became CEO of Talaris, taking the business through a successful sale to Glory Ltd later that year, where he continued as Chief Executive. Most recently, Paul was CEO of Redeem Group Ltd.

Tom Riall, IDH Group CEO, said: “I would like to thank Mark Stephenson for all he has done at the helm of Dental Directory: the business today is unrecognisable from the one he took on three years ago with a great leadership team in place, a hugely increased scope of service offerings, and extended geographic reach. Paul has a strong operations background and will bring his extensive experience to help build on our past success and drive further high-performance across Dental Directory.”

Paul Adams, incoming Managing Director of Dental Directory, said: “I’m delighted to be joining IDH Group at such an exciting time. Dental Directory has a fantastic reputation as one of the largest full-service suppliers of dental materials and equipment in the country and I am looking forward to building on its past success, continuing to put our customers first and supporting UK dentistry.”

Prima Dental wins Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade

UK precision dental instrument manufacturer, Prima Dental, has won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade in recognition of its outstanding growth in overseas sales over the last three years.

A long-established market leader in carbide and steel dental burs in the UK, Prima Dental also exports precision dental products to 90 countries around the world. From its production facilities in Gloucester, Prima Dental engineers 30 million micron-accurate carbon, diamond and steel dental burs a year. It has also applied its dentistry expertise and invested £1m in the launch of a new trading division earlier this year called Prima Digital, capitalising on the rapidly-growing global digital dentistry market.

This is the second Queen’s Award for Prima Dental, as the company also won the accolade in 2014. Since then the company has continued to expand, building a permanent presence in key global markets including a subsidiary company in India and joint venture companies in Brazil and China.

Richard Muller, managing director at the 215-strong Gloucester manufacturer, commented: “We are thrilled and honoured to be recognised with another Queen’s Award for Enterprise. This is an amazing accolade and is testament to our dedicated and skilled team who are all instrumental in our growth and success.

“The Queen’s Award comes at a hugely exciting time for Prima as we are witnessing strong growth in overseas trade for our precision dental instruments, as well as new opportunities opening up in digital dentistry. Applying our precision engineering expertise and knowledge of materials, we have just launched the highest quality tool for the digital market and we believe our digital division will be a huge part of our future business.”

With 40 years’ continuous experience in dental engineering, UK manufacturing and export, Richard Muller, 61, has orchestrated the firm’s growth. Richard took the helm at Prima Dental in 1998 and under his stewardship the company has grown to become the world’s fastest-growing bur manufacturer. Last year Richard was awarded a coveted British Dental Industry Association Award in recognition of innovation in his field and his significant contribution to the dental sector.

Today Prima employs 215 staff at its production facility in Gloucester and is set to grow to 250 staff by 2020. It is currently on a recruitment drive to fulfil its planned expansion.

Prima Dental’s growth strategy is based entirely on growing international trade, which accounts for 88 per cent of its turnover. It has invested over £8.5m in the last five years in new plant and equipment in the UK in addition to a new £3m factory and Research and Innovation Centre, adjacent to its existing plant, which has doubled its manufacturing capacity. The company has also grown its talent base and created new strategic roles to facilitate growth including Head of Operations, Head of Research and Innovation, Supply Chain Manager and Continuous Improvement Manager.

The Queen’s Award is the UK’s most prestigious business award, designed to recognise outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the fields of international trade, innovation, sustainable development and promoting opportunity through social mobility. A Queen’s Award is valid for five years and winners are entitled to fly The Queen’s Award flag and use the emblem on packaging, stationary, advertising and websites.

Prima Dental can expect an invitation to attend a royal reception at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Her Majesty The Queen. An award presentation ceremony will also take place by the Lord-Lieutenant of the County, Dame Janet Trotter at Prima’s production facility at Waterwells Business Park.

Dental Directory’s digital guru is appointed to committee of international experts

Richard Esgate, digital and laboratory specialist at Dental Directory, has been appointed to the International Digital Dental Academy (IDDA).

Esgate was selected from thousands of dental professionals to join the IDDA’s Dental Technicians Committee.

Founded by Dr Adam Nulty, Dr Chris Lefkaditis and Dr Patrik Zachrisson, the IDDA is made up of lecturers and trainers who specialise in the field of digital dentistry and aims to provide the very best expertise to its members.

Esgate, as a committee member, will now be available to share his experience with members through its training tools.

He said: “I was selected by the IDDA as one of only 30 professionals worldwide to join the committee. It’s quite an honour. Dental professionals from around the world can go to the IDDA and ask for advice on any aspect of digital dentistry, from what equipment to buy and how they can develop their offering through to general advice.

“It’s a great way to dispel the myths surrounding digital dentistry – there are quite a few – and offer peer to peer support. There are no sales pitches involved.”

Dr Adam Nulty, implant dental surgeon and one of the founders of the IDDA, said: “Before being asked to be a committee member for the IDDA, Richard has continually impressed us with his open, honest and fact-based advice he shares in person and on social media. He has an excellent knowledge of the materials and tools within digital dentistry and he will no doubt be eager to help formulate guidelines, protocols and general advice to dentists, technicians and auxiliaries alike.

“Beyond his knowledge, Richard is a genuinely nice and approachable person, an important personal strength needed to communicate well with those who are nervous about purchasing equipment that is generally quite an investment. Members of the IDDA will have Richard amongst those they can contact for advice and we are pleased to have him on board.”

Esgate brings to the IDDA more than 17 years of experience working within digital dentistry, a HND in Dental Technology and time served as a CAD CAM dental technician a Dental Directory’s facility PDS Dental Laboratory before joining the dental supplier in 2016 as a specialist advising customers.

Esgate added: “Digital dentistry is still considered cutting edge even though the technology has been around over 30 years.

“My role at Dental Directory, and now as a committee member of the IDDA is to breakdown some of hesitation dental professionals have about digital dentistry and show just how valuable it can be to their practices and their patients.”

Devolution, evolution and revolution? Dentists to debate the issues at LDCs’ conference

The looming crisis in recruiting NHS dentists and the need for a level playing field for all dentists competing for NHS contracts, are among the topical issues that will be debated at this year’s annual conference of Local Dental Committees (LDCs) in Belfast on 7-8 June.

Some of the 200 delegates in attendance will also be calling on the government to commit a portion of the tax raised from sugary drinks to be spent on oral health schemes for children, and to improve funding of community dental services.

There will be a timely discussion on whether devolution improves dental care or takes the ‘N’ out of the NHS. This will include presentations from Michael Donaldson (responsible for commissioning health service dentistry in Northern Ireland) and Ben Squires (with similar responsibility for Greater Manchester). Ben will share his experience of DevoManc and where commissioning dentistry fits in the health and social care framework.

A Question Time debate will explore the benefits of devolved commissioning of dental care, and ask whether, in fact, this creates more barriers to healthcare. The panel will include all the chief dental officers in the UK: Sara Hurley (England), Colette Bridgeman (Wales), Margie Taylor (Scotland) and Simon Reid (Northern Ireland).

Professor Stephen Fayle, consultant in paediatric dentistry (Leeds Dental Institute), will discuss the importance of prevention for everyone, while general dental practitioner Claudia Peace will share her experience as an associate in a prototype practice in Wiltshire.

John Milne, the Care Quality Commission’s senior national dental adviser, will provide an update on developments around the Practitioners Advice and Support Scheme, which is also the subject of several motions.

Joe Hendron, Chair of the 2018 LDCs Annual Conference, said: “Since we’re having our annual conference in Belfast, it seems fitting to look at the impact of devolution on dentistry.

“This is no longer confined to countries, as the government continues to push its traditional responsibilities out to the regions, look at DevoManc.

“Is this a way of taking the ‘national’ out of our health service and blaming the ‘outposts’ if they’re poorly funded by central government, or genuinely the best way of addressing local differences?

“Whatever the answers, I am looking forward to hearing the debates and the first-hand accounts of our expert speakers in dental commissioning.”

Peter Dyer re-elected as BDA Chair of hospital dentists

Peter Dyer, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, has been re-elected as the Chair of the British Dental Association’s Central Committee for Hospital Dental Services (CCHDS) for the 2018/2020 triennium, having first being elected in 2015.

Peter was appointed consultant in oral and maxillofacial surgery to the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust in 1998 with a special interest in trauma and orthognathics. He has worked as the medical director for the Trust and is the responsible officer for overseeing the appraisal and revalidation of medical staff.

He was closely involved in the development of the new dental school at the University of Central Lancashire and also with the new medical school at Lancaster University. He co-edited the Handbook of Immediate Care and has contributed chapters about dento-facial trauma in a number of textbooks. As hospital dentists are employed on the same terms of service as doctors, Peter led the BDA’s response to the junior doctors’ contract dispute and was determined to secure a contract that is both safe for patients and practitioners alike.

In recognition of his major contribution to dentistry, the BDA and in reducing artificial barriers between primary and secondary care, Peter was appointed as the union’s president whose term expires next month.

Thanking CCHDS members for electing him to the office of chair, Peter said: “The profession is currently facing significant challenges, not least the new trainee contract needs to be implemented fairly, and ditto any changes to the consultant contract.

“It’s frustrating too that the long-recognised need to create a no-blame culture in hospitals, akin to the airline industry, has been undermined by the questionable handling by all those involved in the Bawa Garba case.

“How long more do we have to wait for a culture that promotes learning from mistakes rather than penalising individuals for systemic failures that place patients at risk? Let us hope that this sad case will be a tipping point and we will start to see a paradigm shift in attitudes and behaviours of regulators.

“It’s also unclear how hospital dental departments will be affected when the latest model for commissioning services – Integrated Care Systems [formerly called the Sustainability and Transformation Plans] – comes into play.

“Health Education England’s proposals to radically change the way dentists are trained have not only set alarm bells ringing in the dental community, they also fail to consider the knock-on effects to hospital dental services and the patients we serve.

“Our committee will also be working hard to address the anomalous routes for entry to the GDC’s specialist register for clinicians who have not undertaken formal training. The regulator’s current process is not as transparent as the GMC’s for the medical and surgical specialties.”

The Vice-Chair, Pete Brotherton, was also re-elected, having been elected himself in 2015.