The Probe - Proudly serving the dental profession for over 60 years

Decontamination: a safer future

Course Dates: 31st December 2017 - 1st February 2020
Enrollment Dates: Enroll Anytime
Who can Enroll: Anyone
Course Language: English
Price: FREE
Not available

About the Course

Upon completing this CPD course, the participant will:

Be aware of current guidelines surrounding best practice using decontamination equipment

Have explored the benefits of using accredited detergent and accessories

Discovered the benefits of using a dedicated handpiece maintenance system

Instructors

anna.lambert

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  • Course Categories





    • FGDP(UK) & CGDent to update Covid-19 guidance following SDCEP AGP review

    Course Dates: Open-ended
    Enrollment Dates: Enroll Anytime
    Who can Enroll:
    Price: FREE

    About the Course

    The Faculty of General Dental Practice UK and College of General Dentistry have welcomed the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme’s review of the mitigation of aerosol-generating procedures, and will be issuing updated COVID-19 guidance shortly in view of its recommendations.

    The SDCEP document, published today, represents the agreed positions of a working group comprising dental professionals from across primary care, secondary care, academia and public health, in addition to expert opinion from subject specialists in particle physics, aerobiology and clinical virology. The consensus report was compiled following a review of the currently-available evidence on the generation and mitigation of aerosols in dental practice, and the associated risk of coronavirus transmission.

    Among the key positions, and in contrast to those adopted to date in official protocols, the report divides dental procedures into three categories of aerosol generation potential according to the instruments used, with fallow periods recommended only for the highest risk procedures, and suggests the determination of fallow time using a multifactorial approach with a ‘benchmark’ of 15-30 minutes.

    The FGDP-CGDent guidance, published in June, also set out a more nuanced approach to considering the generation of aerosols in dental practice, and while allowing for potential adjustment of fallow time, accepted a 60 minute period following procedures carrying a higher risk of exposure to potentially-infective aerosols.

    Ian Mills, Dean of FGDP(UK), Trustee of CGDent and a member of the SDCEP’s review group, said: “SDCEP’s review of dental AGPs has been extremely thorough, and followed a rigorous and methodical approach. Its publication is potentially a very significant moment in the recovery of dental practices in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and I commend the SDCEP Team for the hard work and dedication they have shown in producing this report.

    “We welcome in particular the more refined stratification of the transmission risk inherent in types of dental procedure; the allowance for fallow time to be calculated from the cessation of the procedure; and the sophisticated approach to calculating fallow time, which considers both procedural and environmental mitigation factors such as high-volume suction, the use of rubber dam and provision of adequate air ventilation.

    “These approaches align exceptionally well with our own guidance and we feel it is important that current standard operating procedures are reviewed in light of SDCEP’s recommendations. Adoption of these measures will enable the increased delivery of patient care to tackle the backlog of unmet need, and avoid further deterioration in dental access and oral health inequality. A reduction in fallow time will also support the viability of practices, while the maintenance of universal precautions will continue to keep both patients and members of the dental team safe.

    “We aim to update our guidance as soon as possible, and are currently working with partners to develop an online Fallow Time Calculation Tool to support its implementation.”

    SDCEP’s Mitigation of Aerosol Generating Procedures in Dentistry – A Rapid Review is available at https://www.sdcep.org.uk/published-guidance/covid-19-practice-recovery/rapid-review-of-agps.

    The current FGDP-CGDent guidance, Implications of COVID-19 for the safe management of general dental practice – a practical guide, is available at https://www.fgdp.org.uk/implications-covid-19-safe-management-general-dental-practice-practical-guide and https://cgdent.uk/standards-guidance.

    Dentsply Sirona announces Let’s Talk Digital events

    Course Dates: Open-ended
    Enrollment Dates: Enroll Anytime
    Who can Enroll:
    Price: FREE

    About the Course

    As dentistry goes through the pandemic, many dental professionals find themselves wondering what the future is going to look like; and crucially what they should be doing to adapt.

    The Covid-19 pandemic has ushered in a new era of digital possibilities. Contactless, widely accessible and constantly evolving to meet every challenge, it has been video calling, online shopping and on-demand entertainment services that have kept us connected, sustained and entertained.

    Dentsply Sirona recognises this and are more convinced than ever that digital is also the answer for dentistry. The company has long championed the innovation in digital dentistry and knows that digital workflows can help both dental practices and laboratories run profitable and future proofed businesses.

    Now the Dentsply Sirona team has joined forces with a number of leading dental professionals, who have experienced the transformational effects of digital dentistry first-hand, to bring you a series of five, ‘Let’s Talk Digital’ online events.

    The free-of-charge online evenings (7 to 8.30pm) will run during October and November 2020, starting with dentist Nik Sisodia and laboratory owner Steve Campbell, who will talk candidly about their own digital transformation. Find out more and register in the links below.

    To find out more about Dentsply Sirona’s extensive range of digital solutions please visit www.dentsplysirona.com. 

    You can visit the online Dentsply Sirona Academy for a wide range of education resources, video tutorials, courses and CPD webinars at dentsplysirona.com/ukeducation.

    Government announces Job Support Scheme to replace furlough from 1 November

    Course Dates: Open-ended
    Enrollment Dates: Enroll Anytime
    Who can Enroll:
    Price: FREE

    About the Course

    The government’s furlough scheme, brought in at the start of lockdown, has been a lifeline to many businesses and saved the livelihoods of millions. The furlough scheme comes to an end on 31 October and the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has revealed that the new Job Support Scheme will replace it.

    The Job Support Scheme will initially run for six months from 1 November until 1 May 2021. It is designed to top up the salaries of staff that businesses are unable to bring back into full-time work. Employees must work at least one-third of their regular contracted hours to be eligible. The government and employer will each pay one-third of the remaining wages to the staff member, meaning the employee takes home at least 77% of their pay. While at the height of the furlough scheme, the government paid 80% of workers’ wages, under the new scheme it will pay a maximum of 22%.

    The Job Support Scheme is available to small and medium-sized businesses (often defined as organisations with 250 employees or fewer). Large businesses are also eligible so long as they can prove their revenue has fallen as a result of the pandemic.

    Employees must have been on the firm’s payroll since 23 September and they can be moved on and off the scheme, or work different hours. Each working arrangement must cover at least seven days.
    Workers cannot be made redundant or put on notice while a Jobs Support Scheme grant is being claimed on their behalf and, as with the furlough scheme, employers will be reimbursed by the government after the work has been done.

    In addition, to further minimise unemployment, the UK government will also give firms:

    • £1,000 for every furloughed employee kept on until at least the end of January
    • £1,500 for every unemployed 16-24 year-old given a ”high quality” six-month work placement
    • £2,000 for each under-25 apprentice taken on until the end of January, or £1,500 for over-25s

    Michael Copeland, senior area manager at Practice Plan parent company Wesleyan, the specialist financial mutual for dentists, commented on what the new scheme might mean for dental practices: “The Chancellor’s new measures will be welcome news for dental practitioners, many of whom are struggling to recover from impact of  lockdown. The Job Support Scheme announced today could help practices avoid redundancies and protect vital patient care services. It could also provide a further incentive for practices to bring back furloughed staff– supporting the profession’s efforts to resume a wider range of services.

    “Extensions to the repayment terms of Bounce Back Loans and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans will also help practices as they can keep essential cash in their business for longer. Together, steps like these will support the sector’s ongoing recovery – so essential to the wider wellbeing of the nation.”