British Fluoridation Society transforms website into ‘information hub’

The British Fluoridation Society has updated its website – https://bfsweb.org/ – so that it is an accessible and richly populated information hub. Visitors to the website are encouraged to take out free associate membership, a category designed to help build and broaden understanding of this valuable public health measure.

BFS, which was established more than 50 years ago, has always enjoyed the support of doctors, dentists and social justice campaigners. Now, anyone who wants to be kept informed of developments in the field of community water fluoridation (CWF), whether relating to research, international collaborations, possible schemes or the work of the BFS itself, can show their support by joining the Society.

Ray Lowry, Secretary of BFS, said: “We are keen to convert followers into members, so that we are a clearly defined membership organisation, aligned with other groups whether in healthcare, politics or social justice organisations. Having a clearly identifiable support group will help progress the cause of community water fluoridation.”

He added: “It’s never been so important to communicate evidence-based arguments in favour of water fluoridation to the wider public, especially in areas where the local authority wants to move ahead with a water fluoridation scheme.

“A public consultation is an essential precursor to the implementation of a scheme. We are keen that when a consultation is announced, which may happen in the North East next year, there is an identifiable and reliable way for members of the public and the media to access the information they need.”

The BFS is currently a limited company with two categories of membership. Associate members can join for free and have the following benefits:

  • Involvement in the UK’s leading water fluoridation advocacy organization
  • Access to the members area of the website
  • Regular copies of the BFS Bulletin, keeping you in touch with fluoridation issue and events
  • The opportunity to convert to full membership

Full members, who pay a small fee, enjoy all the above as well as a greater degree of involvement in BFS activities, including attendance at the AGM and the right to vote. BFS welcomes both individual and corporate members who can join via the website.

Currently, around six million people in the UK benefit from a fluoridated water supply. Fluoridation reduces admissions of children to hospital for dental extractions by 68% in more deprived areas. The more deprived the children are, the greater the benefit. The oral health of the entire community is better in fluoridated areas than in non-fluoridated areas.

GC Europe launches Safe4Dentistry.com to provide safe and effective treatment options

GC Europe Launches Safe4Dentistry.com, a Resource Centre for Dental Professionals on Mitigating Risks of Aerosols During Treatment.

Recognising how dramatically the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the practice of dentistry, GC has developed a microsite dedicated to providing the latest updates on evolving guidelines for dental professionals. Safe4Dentistry.com is a continually updated resource centre that provides safe and effective minimally invasive dental treatment options and data, including information on how to reduce aerosol production to protect staff and patients during appointments.

The Safe4Dentistry.com site is populated with podcasts, clinical case examples, continuing education (CE) courses, and access to live webinars, recent articles and other resources. Topics include placing minimally invasive low-aerosol fillings, how to approach emergency treatments, ways to keep the dental practice safe and secure, and much more.

Minimally invasive restoration techniques often eliminate the need for high-speed drilling, which creates aerosols that can impact both patients and practitioners. Using glass ionomer and glass hybrid restorative technology systems provides interim and long-term restorative solutions. Featured cases demonstrate how blending glass hybrids and traditional materials and methods can reduce aerosols, such as utilising materials like EQUIA Forte HT glass hybrid restoratives that require no high-speed drilling or extensive tooth preparation.

Implementing the correct protocols is paramount to patient and staff safety but keeping track of the rapidly changing recommendations and guidelines can be daunting. The Safe and Secure Practice section of the microsite contains the latest updates on evolving guidelines by organisations such as WHO, FDI, and many other European associations, step-by-step procedures, and relevant articles and resources for the dental practitioner.

The Additional Resources section contains systematic reviews, additional tutorials, webinars and podcasts. Presenters include Prof. Dr. Ivana Miletić, Prof. Dr. Sevil Gürgan,

Prof. Dr. Sebnem Türkün, Dr. José Ignacio Zalba Elizari, Dr. John Nicholson and many others. Dental professionals can also request online training and in office visits with their local representatives.

GC Europe is committed to the safety and wellbeing of both oral health providers and patients and the quality of its products. To gain user opinions and suggestions, Safe4Dentistry.com also includes tools to collect the opinions of our customers on certain topics.

For more information, please visit http://Safe4Dentistry.com/.

British Dental Association members launch legal action over data breach concerns

Members of the British Dental Association (BDA) who may have had their personal details leaked online are preparing to take legal action against the organisation amidst concerns that more should have been done to protect their data.

Sort codes and account numbers, as well as private e-mails and correspondence are thought to have been stolen by hackers in a digital attack which took place on July 30th.

An investigation is currently underway to determine the full extent of the breach, with the BDA – a trade body representing dentists and dental students across the UK – now reaching out to members that may have been affected.

Hundreds of site users have since expressed their concern over the breach, and several members have now instructed law firm Simpson Millar to begin investigations and to start legal proceedings.   

Robert Godfrey, Head of Professional Negligence at Simpson Millar solicitors – who is also handling hundreds of data breach claims for hacked easyJet customers – said the data breach was ‘deeply concerning’.

He has been approached by site users and believes anyone affected by the breach could have a valid claim for damages against the BDA for the distress caused by the ordeal.

He said: “We have had members of the BDA site contact us who are quite rightly very concerned. We are actively investigating potential claims on behalf of people directly affected by this serious breach. This is a clear violation of GDPR and data protection rules.

“I am confident any person whose details have been accessed could have a valid claim. It is clear there has been of breach of the residents’ right to privacy and the BDA is ultimately responsible. There is a clear entitlement to compensation for any upset, injury and cost of support and disruption to their lives.

“Many will be anxious and fear they will be targeted at home or work in the future.

“There is no doubt that the affected people are going to need support in this difficult time both from their family and friends. There are around 35,000 dentists in the UK, so this breach can be expected to have had a significant impact on a large number of people.

“The BDA are a professional body who have a very clear duty of care to ensure that the members of their site, who hand over their confidential information to them have their data secure and protected, are not exposed such as has happened in this breach.”

Mr Godfrey added: “We would strongly suggest that those who are contacted by the BDA should seek legal advice about their options as a result of this breach.” 

 

Those seeking advice are urged to contact Mr Godfrey of Simpson Millar on 0800 260 5010.

BDA servers illegally hacked

The British Dental Association (BDA) has alerted its members to a cyber security breach, which took place last week, as its IT systems were hacked last week. The association has warned that hackers may have gained access to members’ user names, contact information, transaction history, bank details (including account numbers and sort codes), correspondence history, and case notes.

The BDA website, telephone line, and network all remain down for the time being, while investigations and restoration efforts are carried out. Members thought to be affected are being contacted.

The BDA is warning its members to remain alert and to be wary of any contact from parties claiming to be from a bank, utilities provider or the BDA itself. The association reminds its members that genuine callers will never request card or bank details.

For the time being, the BDA can still be contacted via the following email addresses:

The library’s online catalogue and ebooks also remain available: https://bda.247lib.com/bdalib/

 

Dental charity’s new website gives new opportunities to campaign for better oral health

The Oral Health Foundation has re-launched its website, with the focus on giving its supporters more opportunities to be actively involved in raising awareness of important causes.

The new online platform not only allows visitors to support all the charity’s campaigns and activities, such as National Smile Month (which is now underway for 2018), but also gives many more chance to participate in them.

The website (www.dentalhealth.org) also houses its own dedicated fundraising platform, which means that individuals and groups can create and share their own fundraising efforts and raise money for a series of charitable causes related to oral health.  

Dr Nigel Carter OBE, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation, is excited by the possibilities brought by the new website.

Dr Carter said: “For more than 45 years’ we have worked with people and organisations who are passionate about raising awareness of oral health. This new website is all about providing these supporters with a platform which will make campaigning for oral health issues easier and more effective.

“Our new home also allows you to take a more in-depth look at who we are and what we do. Our charitable activities and the causes we support sometimes go under the radar, so we are delighted to be better able to share our successes with our supporters, the ones who make it all possible.”

As part of the launch, the charity’s patient-facing information, which was accessed by more than three million visitors last year, has been adapted to make it simpler for people to find what they need.

The Oral Health Foundation has also delivered a multi-language portal, which allows users to access all their oral health information across nine other world languages.

“It has been a remarkable project and one that we hope can have a real and tangible effect on the general public’s knowledge about oral health.

“More than 600,000 words have been translated by native-language speakers to ensure patients from as many countries as possible have access to trusted oral health information. These can also be used by health professionals for non-English speaking patients, with confidence and reassurance about the quality of information.”  

Visitors can also read about the latest oral health news, take interest in a series of new blogs and read the charity’s digital magazine.

The Oral Health Foundation’s Dental Helpline will also be available for those seeking answers to their oral health questions. The free advice line is staffed by fully trained and qualified dental experts and has been a useful tool for health professionals looking to point patients in the right direction in between appointments.

The charity is also excited to announce the launch of a brand-new online shop, which makes it easier for dental teams and oral health educators to find and purchase all the products they for oral health promotion.

Director of Educational Resources at the charity, Amanda Oakey, said: “Oral health promoters and professionals see such a wide range of people throughout the course of their careers and all these people require different needs.

“That’s why we spend a great deal of time producing high quality information and oral hygiene products to health professionals for their patients and local community.

“Our new online shop features our entire catalogue of more than 500 products and is incredible easy-to-use. I urge anybody involved in promoting oral health to go online and take a look.”

The redesigned website is live now at www.dentalhealth.org.