'Older people' Blog Posts

• Coronavirus and the oral health of older people

  A consultant in Special Care Dentistry tells us how COVID-19 impacts the oral health of older people and how dentists should work with medical and social care providers to protect older patients.

  Blog Date 19 May, 2020

• Standing up for community dentistry in Northern Ireland during 2019

  Reflecting back on 2019, Grainne Quinn celebrates the success of getting the CDS contract signed off and implemented, and looks forward to what 2020 might bring.

  Blog Date 18 December, 2019

• Moving the agenda forward: prioritising oral health in Northern Ireland

  Improving the oral health of the Northern Ireland population is a key area of BDA Northern Ireland's work, and that's why we decided to bring together politicians and other key stakeholders at a recent summit in Stormont, to discuss what needs to happen to move the agenda forward.

  Blog Date 6 November, 2019

• Time for commissioners to step up on care for vulnerable dental patients

  Dave Cottam and Charlotte Waite assess the news that the CQC has stated that oral health will finally feature in inspection criteria from 1 October. Will care homes be able to meet these criteria and is enough domiciliary care dentistry commissioned to help support the growing need?

  Blog Date 3 October, 2019

• MPs back our calls to sweep away 'Dogs breakfast' NHS dental patient fines system

  We're pleased the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has backed our calls for nothing less than wholesale reform of a system they've dubbed "unfit for purpose", but we still need to keep up fight for a fair and focused system that works for dentists and our patients, argues community dentist, Charlotte Waite.

  Blog Date 3 October, 2019

• It's time to prioritise the oral health needs of our vulnerable patients

  Following the findings of a recent report into older people's oral healthcare, community dentist Natalie Bradley calls for action to ensure her patients get the best care.

  Blog Date 24 July, 2019

• Vulnerable NHS dental patients will no longer be seen as fraudsters

  A breakthrough on overturning a failed NHS fines system, that has hit millions of innocent and often vulnerable patients with penalty charges.

  Blog Date 4 July, 2019

• Mouth care for care home residents is not an optional extra

  As a special care dentist, I daily see the impact poor oral health has on quality of life and overall health for people living in care homes. We do see residents with excellent care are support with their mouth care but also see many people who are suffering unnecessarily as a result of poor oral health.

  Blog Date 1 July, 2019

• Teeth left to rot: The shocking state of oral health of people in care homes

  We responded to a new CQC report which shines a light on the lack of access to dentists and lack of support being given to care home staff. Reading the report makes for a grim and distressing read.

  Blog Date 26 June, 2019

• Highlighting the scandal of dental patient fines

  ​I was delighted to see the BBC covering our story highlighting the National Audit Office's investigation in to dental patient fines, and their evidence showing that 1.7million people have had their fines overturned, due to a heavy-handed approach by the Business Services Authority (BSA).

  Blog Date 14 May, 2019

• The crisis in oral health care for older people in Northern Ireland must be tackled now

  Ageing population issues are just one visible demonstration of why we need a new oral health strategy now – one that we can put into action to benefit our full range of patients, says Caroline Lappin.

  Blog Date 15 March, 2019

• Concerns over the future of the Public Dental Service in Scotland

  Graham Smith says continuing cuts to the PDS are causing serious concerns about the future of the service in Scotland.

  Blog Date 5 March, 2019

• What’s the long-term plan for community dentistry? Three things you need to know...

  Community dentist Charlotte Waite sets out what she hopes the NHS Long Term Plan will mean for community dental services and for patients.

  Blog Date 26 February, 2019

• Disappearing dentures: A simple way to ensure dentures don't get lost in hospital

  A new campaign might help the problem of dentures 'disappearing' in hospitals and save the NHS money, as well as saving patients' dignity.

  Blog Date 8 August, 2018

• Scotland's Oral Health Improvement Plan: dentists' views

  Phil Grigor takes a look at the results of our survey asking what dentists think about the Scottish Government's proposals in the Oral Health Improvement Plan.

  Blog Date 19 June, 2018

• Building a dental service for the future in Wales

  Find out what happened at the first ever Welsh Dental Symposium, which brought people together working across dentistry in Wales to discuss tackling the issues faced in ensuring good oral health for everyone.

  Blog Date 19 April, 2018