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Leading dental figures say dentistry ‘desperately needs’ more advice on what teams can do in practice to secure a future for the profession.

Speaking at the Westminster Health Forum Policy Conference this morning, an expert panel put forward ideas on the next steps for dentistry in response to the pandemic.

Dr Ian Mills, the dean of the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP(UK)), headed up a discussion on practice priorities as they work through the obstacles of lockdown and COVID-19.

Summarising the response of the profession, he said the capacity of urgent dental care centres (UDCs) fell below the ‘needs and demands’ of the population.

He also emphasised that in some cases there was an ‘inappropriate prescribing’ of antimicrobials to patients.

‘Fallow time the greatest barrier’

Speaking about the risk of COVID-19 in the practice, he said: ‘Clearly there’s still a risk of transmission…but we appreciate these risks better … Read the rest

Vaughan Gething MS has confirmed the Welsh government considers dentists as critical workers, allowing them to continue working during lockdown.

In a letter to the Independent Dental Association Wales (IDAW), the Minister for Health and Social Services points out dentists and their teams were not specifically named on the critical workers list. And that this might impact dental professionals accessing education and childcare provision for children.

However, he points out the list does include ‘support and specialist staff to maintain the health and social care sector’. The letter concludes the government doesn’t plan to change from the current amber phase of recovery for dentistry.

‘The IDAW is glad the Welsh government finally acknowledges our essential role as critical workers,’ Helen Rimmer from IDAW says.

‘This will allow our teams to continue to travel to work during the fire-break lockdown.

‘The CDO of Wales, Dr Colette Bridgman, and Public Health Wales … Read the rest

Here’s the shortlist for the Oral Health Awards 2020. Are you one of our finalists?

Best Hygienist

Catherine Mawson – Greenwich Dental Health
Claire Berry – Yorkshire Dental Suite
Gemma O’Callaghan – 10 Dental
Janet Holden – The Waterside Dental Clinic
Leanne Barwick – Bupa Dental Care Fleet
Melanie Pomphrett – Hello Dental
Renate Cusumano – Bow Lane Dental Group
Sejal Patel – Dental Beauty Northfields

Best Therapist

Amy Hills – Kingswood Parks Dental Clinic
Camilla Bevan – Platinum Dental Care
Chelsea King – The Lindfield Dental Surgery
Eamon Dehdashti – TwentyOneDental
Emily Fry – Happy Kids Dental
Emily Hatfield – West Heath Dental Practice
Hawa Azhar – Haverhill Dental and Cosmetic Centre
Rachel Hanson – Enhance Dental
Nida Malik – VIDA
Sammi-Peony Dovey – Dentistry @ Oceana Boulevard

Best Recently- Qualified Hygienist

Leanne Barwick – Bupa Dental Care Fleet
Meranda Gomez-Adams – K Dental Studios

Best Recently-Qualified Therapist

Amber … Read the rest

Shiraz Khan explains why it’s so important to hold onto the hobbies we go into dental school with so we can remain healthy both in body and mind.

Please introduce yourself

Hi, my name is Dr Shiraz Khan.

What do you get up to in your spare time away from dentistry?

In my spare time I love to dance competitively.

I have been doing this for approximately 12 years and really enjoy this time away from dentistry as an alternative passion.

Are you a foodie? Why and what particular food do you go for?

In terms of being a foodie, yes I am. But I like all sorts of food.

I have to say probably a favourite is Mexican.

Are you into any sport? If so what sport and why did you get into it in the first place?

I love sport. Sport has been a big part of who … Read the rest

Missed out on this week’s dental news? No problem, here’s what happened over the past seven days…

Suffering with an eating disorder – one dentist’s experience

How many people working in the dental profession suffer with an eating disorder? Clinicians are trained to look for the signs and symptoms, but do we ever stop to reflect on the profession itself? This week dentist Robert Chaffe bravely came forward to give us his story about suffering with anorexia. With the demands from what can be a very stressful profession and the extra toll COVID has played, we shouldn’t forget to concentrate on taking care of ourselves. Only when dentists and dental professionals are well can they look after their patients.

COVID-19 rate among dentists less than 1%

Speaking of which, a first-of-its-kind analysis found that less than 1% of dentists are COVID-19 positive. This is down to exceptional cross … Read the rest