Friday 9 September 2022
A tribute to our Royal Patron, Her Majesty the Queen
The British Dental Association, on behalf of the UK's 42,000 dentists, extends our sincere condolences to the Royal Family on the passing of our Royal Patron, Her Majesty The Queen.
Her Majesty followed in her father's footsteps as patron of the Association, and honoured us by opening our headquarters in 1967, noting then:
"When you have found out how to prevent all dental disease and have persuaded everyone to do what they should do to bring about this happy state of affairs, the need for dentists would be largely eliminated.
"As long as the need for dentistry exists so long there will be a need for the British Dental Association"
His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, had also served as an honorary member and our past president, and along with Her Majesty was a firm believer in the role dentists play in improving the health of the nation.
Both her Majesty's and the Duke's words continue to guide and inspire this profession.
Thursday 8 September 2022
10:14
Wales: Below inflation uplift to dentists' pay falls flat
Welsh Government has complied with the Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration Board's recommendation to uplift income by 4.5% as laid out in the
July pay circular.
This applies to salaried dentists including those in the Community Dental Service. However, we note that there is a freeze on the value of awards for consultants such as Clinical Excellence Awards and Commitment Awards.
We are disappointed that our recommendation to consider dental inflation with respect to the General Dental Services contract uplift went unheeded by the Health Minister. This means that the value of the contract uplift sits at 4.5%.
We have been awaiting further news about a possible additional element of pay for the dental team after discussions with the Chief Dental Officer in the summer. We look forward to an update soon.
Wednesday 7 September 2022
16:15
Wales: New proposed initiative for CDS to plug GDS gaps
Welsh Government
recently published its Welsh Health Circular – The Role of the Community Dental Service (CDS) and Services for Vulnerable People.
This lays out the various CDS functions that Local Health Boards are expected to deliver. These include the usual scope of community dental services:
- Paediatric dentistry including GA & sedation
- Special care dentistry
- Post grad training
- Domiciliary home care
- Oral Health promotion- D2S & GaB
- Epidemiology.
However, there are new aspects including:
- Urgent Care in hours
- General Dental Services (GDS)/Public Dental Services (PDS) where there is none, or when contracts have been handed back
- Develop tier two and three specialist services other than special care and Paediatrics.
The CDS can't be everything to everybody and is already struggling with a backlog of vulnerable patients across Wales. Estates need upgrading including new equipment and IT infrastructure. These new proposals are aspirational and appear to carry no new funding to LHBs. The next meeting of the Wales Committee for Community Dentistry will scrutinise this directive and raise issues with the Chief Dental Officer.
13:21
Advice: Prescribing and medicines management
We have updated our advice on
prescribing and medicines management
. The document provides a general introduction to prescribing and dispensing medicine to dental patients including:
- Requirements for prescribing or dispensing to private and NHS patients
- Your responsibilities under the Consumer Protection Act and how you can avoid liability for a defective medicine
- Labelling requirements for any medicines you provide
- Information that must be included on any prescription for patients and the rules for describing quantities
- Special circumstances that require modifications to normal prescribing.
If you have any questions or require further support our advice team provide Extra and Expert members throughout the UK with unlimited, one-to-one advice. To speak to the team, call 020 7935 0875 or email
advice.enquiries@bda.org.
09:47
England: New PM, Chancellor and Health Secretary must act now
We have a new Prime Minister with a new top team. Pledges on dentistry have come thick and fast since the outset of the leadership campaign, but now we need a concrete plan of action.
It's clear to us any progress will require clear leadership from Downing Street, and a change in tack from both the Treasury and the Department of Health.
It will take some days to see what changes take place at Ministerial level.
We have not relented in our campaigning for a better deal for our members and the millions they treat. And we will continue to push as the new administration kicks into gear.
Tuesday 6 September 2022
13:42
BDJ: Eco conscious dentistry
The BDJ Eco Focus Issue explores attitudes towards sustainable dentistry, including the ways in which COVID-19 has impacted planetary health and the environmental impact of community caries prevention schemes.
Articles include:
Monday 5 September 2022
15:51
Northern Ireland: Celebrating 100 years in JIDA collaboration
The Journal of The Irish Dental Association (JIDA) is planning several special features ahead of celebrating the centenary years of the BDA Northern Ireland Branch, and the Irish Dental Association (IDA). The features will celebrate the milestone by reflecting on the last 100 years of dentistry.
Starting with the
August/September edition, the upcoming issues will feature content from Tristen Kelso, Director of BDA Northern Ireland. This commences with the President's message being replaced in all copies circulating in Northern Ireland with information from Tristen about our work.
We look forward to seeing the future editions of the JIDA and continuing to collaborate in celebration of such a huge milestone for both the BDA NI Branch, and the IDA.
11:38
Scotland: Tackling paediatric extractions waiting list
We have sent a letter to the Scottish Government
requesting urgent action to tackle lengthy waiting lists for paediatric extractions under general anaesthetic (GA). The severe and enduring nature of this distressful problem requires a national lead, to work with boards and address the problem as a matter of urgency.
Before the pandemic, approximately 8,000 paediatric GAs per year were carried out to remove decayed teeth. In 2021 we estimated around 2,500 children to be on a waiting list for this procedure. Figures are likely to be significant underestimates and we predict that the problems have worsened during the pandemic.
We must work together to reduce the times children are waiting for necessary, pain-relieving surgery. We have requested a meeting with Scottish Government to help resolve the issue and will keep you updated.
10:54
Northern Ireland: Rebuilding Support Scheme (RSS) applications open
The Business Services Organisation (BSO) are now accepting applications for the September 2022 RSS payment. Information must be submitted electronically, or it will not be accepted.
You must apply for the September 2022 payment
by 17:00 on Thursday 8 September, the BSO will not be accepting or processing any applications after the deadline and payments will not be made.
You do not need a Cryptocard or access to the BSO secure portal to complete your application and it can be done securely via desktop or mobile devices. You can access more information and support on the BSO website.
