Our dental news feed will be regularly updated to help you stay informed and keep up-to-date with everything that's happening in the industry.
New research suggests that water fluoridation is a cost-effective measure but only leads to a slightly lower prevalence of caries in children.
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We have fought to put dentistry at the very top of the political agenda, and that’s continued into the political parties’ Autumn conference season We pressed ahead at both Government and Opposition annual conferences, to…
The General Dental Council (GDC) has published its 2024 annual report on whistleblowing disclosures in dentistry. From 01 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 the GDC received 79 disclosures of information. This compares to 82…
Alan Clarke explains how AI and a tech-driven approach can be used to engage millennials and gen Z in dental health.
A podcast series for oral care professionals featuring world-leading experts has launched. The ‘Let’s Talk Oral Health’ podcast will focus on the newest practices in periodontics and implant dentistry whilst discussing the latest dental research. Read more
Neil Carmichael introduces the Patients First paper, the ADG’s recommended strategy for government reform of UK dental care. Read more
Nearly 3,000 visa applications for health and social care work were submitted in July 2024 – an 82% decrease from July 2023. Home Office data shows that 91,300 applications were received in July for the skilled worker, health and care, and student visa routes. This had decreased by 36% compared… Read more
Romania has the highest rate of graduate dentists in Europe with 9.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to a new study. In 2022, 14,313 dentists graduated in the EU, representing 3.2 dentist graduates per 100,000 inhabitants. The number represents a slight increase from 2021, up from 3.1. Read more
The chief executive of a medical defence organisation has issued a statement denouncing growing threats of violence against healthcare workers. Read more
The General Dental Council (GDC) has published the latest research on public views and experiences of dental care in the UK, highlighting significant barriers to accessing dental services, especially within the NHS. Read more
The European Commission has approved an exemption for Northern Ireland from the EU’s new amalgam regulation, sparking reaction from the dental profession. The Department of Health (DoH) confirmed it has secured a derogation from the EU’s new mercury regulations. The ban on the use of mercury fillings in dentistry kicks… Read more
Following the success of the largest UK public sector trial of a four-day work week, campaigners are preparing to launch a new pilot. Read more
What will a new Labour government mean for dentistry? Practice Plan sales and marketing director Nigel Jones shares his thoughts on the election result. Read more
As Pride Month draws to a close, Anna Peterson reflects on how the dental profession has become more inclusive for LGBTQ+ professionals and what still needs to change. Read more
We don’t need more discussions on contract reform. The Government needs to press ahead with change. This was the message that Steve Brine, the outgoing chair of the Health and Social Care Committee (HSCC), delivered to delegates at this year’s annual Local Dental Committees’ (LDC) conference in Brighton. Read more
A survey found that 96% of respondents wanted political parties to include plans for health and wellbeing support for the dental workforce in their manifestos. The survey of 282 dental professionals was conducted by the Dental Defence Union (DDU) in May 2024. Eight in 10 (80%) of the participants also… Read more
Recruitment is at the heart of the dental workforce crisis, argues Neil Carmichael, but what is the solution? UK dentistry is in a state of crisis. Horror stories of pensioners pulling out their own teeth with garden pliers or children admitted to hospital in their thousands hit our headlines on… Read more
Cancer rates among under-50s in the UK have risen by 24% since 1995, with experts linking the increase to obesity and junk food. This is the sharpest increase compared to other age groups, with 10% among those over 75 and 14% among those aged 50 to 75. Read more
As UK dentistry’s trade union and professional body, we want to ensure that the proposals for provisional registration for overseas dentists are fair and safe. We are considering the overseas dentists themselves; their supervising dentists; other colleagues; and the general public. We have explained our concerns in a detailed response to… Read more
The government has launched a consultation on a ‘tie-in period’ that would require newly-qualified dentists to work in the NHS for several years after graduation. Read more
There has been a ‘relentless drift to the private sector’ within UK healthcare and dentistry, according to a new report by the Nuffield Trust. Published on 16 May, the Nuffield Trust report explores the changing role of the private sector in UK healthcare. Read more
The College of General Dentistry (CGDent) has awarded the President’s Award to Professor John Gibson, founder and CEO of The Canmore Trust. Read more
New analysis by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) suggests that the government has spent £5.5 billion less on health than it pledged five years ago. Read more
The British Dental Association (BDA) has responded to NHS data, which demonstrates morale amongst dental professionals is at an all-time low. Read more
Jason Wong has been appointed as chief dental officer (CDO) for England by NHS England and the department of health and social care. Read more
Alex Cole-Hamilton, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, accused the Scottish government on April 14, 2024, of leaving NHS dentistry “to rot”. It follows research by his party, which revealed that the number of dentists providing NHS services has fallen from pre-pandemic numbers across most health boards. Read more
Research has revealed that many artificial intelligence (AI) assistants such as ChatGPT do not have adequate safeguards in place to prevent health disinformation from being shared. Read more
Refugees in the UK are calling on authorities to allow them to help the NHS in the face of dental access issues. This comes as members of the public increasingly face issues trying to access an NHS dentist. Read more
Once again government is failing to address the root causes of the crisis in NHS dentistry, with plans to fast-track in overseas dentists through a new system of provisional registration. Read more
Calls are being made for urgent reform to the overseas registration exam to help boost the dental workforce. The Association of Dental Groups (ADG) is pushing its campaign to boost the UK dental workforce following alarming new statistics. Read more
Louis Mackenzie, general dentist, clinical lecturer and head dental officer at Denplan, has died at the age of 55. Louis passed away shortly before Christmas. Tributes have flooded in from the dental profession, citing his impressive contribution to dentistry and hailing him an ‘incredible figure’ and ‘good friend’. Read more
A group of 84 dentists have been awarded more than £380,000 from insurers as a result of delayed COVID-19 business interruption (BI) payouts. Read more
The General Dental Council (GDC) this week announced that it will introduce an ORE application processing fee ‘to ensure associated cost are recovered’. Read more
Recently released data shows that 59% of respondents would be more likely to take the treatment recommendation of their dentist if it was supported by artificial intelligence (AI). The survey of over 1,000 US adults was conducted in October and released earlier in December by VideaHealth. Read more
We hear from Muslim dental professionals about the issue of islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment in the dental profession. ‘Maybe if you wore your hijab more fashionably then it would be less intimidating’ ‘There are no innocent civilians in Gaza, just human shields’ ‘They are being kept in a fence because… Read more
Newly-released data shows that 30% of participants have experienced more disrespectful behaviour from colleagues compared to during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
Smile Direct Club has shut down weeks after filing for bankruptcy, it has been revealed. The direct-to-consumer aligner company announced the ‘incredibly difficult decision’ to shut down operations at the end of last week. Read more
According to Denplan’s 2023 Oral Healthcare Report, 59% of the population say they are more likely to see a familiar face when they visit their dentist than their family doctor. Read more
Last Thursday, the dental industry came together to celebrate excellence at the prestigious Dental Industry Awards – have a look at the full list of winners and highly commended. Read more
BUPA Dental made the shock announcement that they intended to dispose of 85 practices in March. This represented nearly 20% of their estate. Read more
John Makin, head of the Dental Defence Union (DDU), discusses what needs to be done to reform dentistry in 2024. The state of dentistry will be one of the big talking points on voters’ doorsteps when the prime minister calls the next general election. Read more
With change at the top at the Department of Health and Social Care, real urgency and ambition are required to ensure NHS dentistry has a future. Read more
General Dental Council (GDC) has launched a workforce survey for registrants to complete, with the aim of helping it to understand more clearly the NHS dentistry crisis. Read more
Around 95% of Jewish healthcare professionals (HCPs) in the UK have reported that a rise in antisemitism has negatively affected their mental and emotional wellbeing. Read more
Artificial intelligence technologies are being rapidly deployed in healthcare without a full understanding of how they may perform, says the World Health Organization (WHO). Read more
Smile Direct Club (SDC), the direct to consumer aligner provider, has been no stranger to controversy. In the latest news associated with the US based disruptor, which was once valued at $8.9 billion, it has filed for Chapter 11 protection from its creditors. Read more
Sarah Buxton, a BSDHT (British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy) partner, shares her top legal tips for dental hygienists and dental therapists. Read more
Your virtual life may feel distinct from your day-to-day practice – but you are accountable to the regulator for your online activity. This is according to Dental Defence Union (DDU) dentolegal adviser, Jo-Anne Taylor. Read more
The General Dental Council (GDC) has launched a pilot to ‘improve proportionality and timeliness’ of fitness to practise processes. Announced today, the GDC is launching a pilot that will test a change to the initial stages of its fitness to practise processes to improve proportionality and timeliness. Read more
The NHS Dental Statistics for England 2022-23 have just been published and out of the myriad of numbers, percentages and trends, one statistic will see ministers cling to it like Titanic passengers to a life raft: the number of courses of treatment delivered over the past year is up by almost a… Read more
In a Dental Protection survey of over 1,300 UK dental professionals, more than half (57%) say they have experienced or witnessed verbal or physical abuse from patients or their relatives in the past 12 months, with 64% of those saying the incidents resulted from frustration over long waiting times for… Read more
The government has opened a public consultation on a proposal which could see dental hygienists and therapists alleviate access issues. Read more
The GDC has released new data suggesting that the total number of UK registered dental care professionals has increased this year following the annual review period. Read more
It is a delight to be able to write something positive about the GDC, and recently they demonstrated that they could act quickly, use common sense, and put patients first. In what may become an example of right touch regulation, a potential crisis was averted. Read more
More than one third of dentists are using artificial intelligence in their practice, according to research. Read more
With Prime Minister Rishi Sunak highlighting dental therapists as key to the UK’s dental access issues, we hear from Miranda Steeples, president of the BSDHT, about what this means for the profession. Read more
Do you want to know more about public perception, views and experiences of dentistry? Miranda Steeples delves into the latest data published by the General Dental Council. Read more
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After more than 80 years at Bristol Dental Hospital, the Bristol Dental School is moving to a £36 million location with brand new facilities. Read more
Chief dental officer Sara Hurley will stand down this summer, NHS England announced today. England’s CDO Sara Hurley is stepping back from the role at the end of June after eight years in the job. Read more
After the High Court overturned the GDC’s decision to erase a dentist for charging top-up fees, we hear from people in the profession about what this means for dentistry and the GDC Read more
“I am not doing nothing, I am a woman with a plan.” These were the words of the Chief Dental Officer (CDO) of England, Sara Hurley, at the recent House of Commons Health Committee hearing. Read more
‘Practices should be looking at their dental nurses as an investment, not a cost for the practice’: dental nurse Rebecca Silver discusses some of the reasons why practices could be struggling with dental nurse recruitment. Read more
In contrast to the UK’s problems with availability of dental care, where more dental professionals are needed, a recent study in America has looked to enlisting dogs to help improve access Read more
Four in 10 dentists and doctors are likely to quit the NHS due to ‘intolerable’ pressures in the next five years. In addition, more than eight in 10 (86%) dental professionals say that workplace pressures have increased in the past two to three years. This is according to a new… Read more
The Prime Minister must have been acutely aware that he needed to get a grip on the various challenges facing the UK. After careful consideration to develop an action plan to turn around the UK, and his party’s fortunes, the PM and his expert advisers have now set out their vision; teach… Read more
Three dental team members have been included in the New Years Honours list. This is the first of its kind from King Charles, and continues the tradition of recognising those who have served in a wide variety of roles. Read more
The ADG has issued a “Brexit warning” for dentistry in 2023 following the publication of Health and Brexit by the Nuffield Trust which found the number of EU-trained dentists registering in the UK has halved since the referendum and “has never recovered”. Read more
A new recruitment initiative aimed at encouraging future dental trainees to take up opportunities across rural Wales has been launched by Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW). Read more
We are reminding the profession that the General Dental Council (GDC) is currently collecting dentists’ Annual Retention Fee (ARF) for 2023. Payments must be made by the end of the day on 31 December 2022. Read more
With constant news coverage of the UK’s dental access crisis it would be easy to conclude that this is a particularly British problem. Read more
After another extraordinary and tumultuous year, it feels like an appropriate time to stop and reflect on the impact of the wider political and economic chaos on our world of dentistry. We perhaps thought that coming out of the worst of the pandemic, we would experience a more stable environment… Read more
Recent changes to the Fitness to Practice (FTP) process have now been put into operation by the GDC. Read more
Don’t believe everything you hear via social media, chatrooms and the professional grapevine, warns Kevin Lewis. Just because the GDC gets a decision wrong doesn’t make everybody else right. Read more
Anna Middleton looks at what dental professionals can do. There can be little doubt that UK dental services have had a challenging time over the last couple of years. Read more
'At a time when NHS dentistry is already broken it will only mean that some of those services become unsustainable,’ said Dr Sam Shah, former director of digital development at NHS England Read more
In this article, Phillip Barker will discuss the current recruitment crisis and its implications for the dental industry. The dental recruitment crisis is one of the most pressing issues facing the dental industry today. Read more
Dental teams are urged to help raise awareness of domestic abuse and learn how to identify the early warning signs. Read more
Rishi Sunak has officially replaced Liz Truss as Prime Minister – but what does that mean for dentistry? Here’s everything we know so far… Read more
Jeremy Hunt found himself in trouble recently for starting a Twitter thread with, “Whilst I have one or two other things in my in-tray today,” as an introduction to his thoughts on a serious healthcare issue. Read more
Last week, the GDC released the new ARF levels for dentists and dental care professionals in 2023. Read more
As part of the General Dental Council’s (GDC’s) statutory role in setting standards in dental education, the regulator has launched a 12-week public consultation on proposed changes to learning outcomes and behaviour expectations for education and training programmes leading to registration. Read more
Plans for a new dentistry school to help plug the shortage in dentists are to be raised with the health minister. Conservative MP Jerome Mayhew wants a training school in Norfolk to be set up to boost the numbers of local dentists. Read more
The faltering NHS contract reforms and attempts to improve access have taken another body blow, with an uncompromising announcement from the British Association of Dental therapists (BADT). Read more
More than 400 people are diagnosed with preventable cancer every single day, sparking health warnings from experts. Read more
Fears that the General Dental Council may be monitoring the social media posts of registrants have been confirmed as fact Read more
Dentists in the UK should be able to prescribe antibiotics to patients at high risk of heart disease, according to a new study. The new data suggests that bacteria entering the bloodstream via the mouth during dental treatment could explain 30 to 40% of infective endocarditis cases. Read more
Cornwall-based Smile Together is now officially a certified B-Corporation, and the first dental practice in the UK to achieve this prestigious accreditation. Read more
The General Dental Council has said that the number of UK registered dental care professionals ‘remains stable’ following the July 31st renewal deadline. Read more
A disproportionately high number of GDC concerns were raised against Asian or Asian British dentists in 2021, the GDC report says. The GDC has today published its 2021 annual statistics, using equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) data for the first time. Read more
The General Dental Council has published its registration and fitness to practise report for 2021. Read more
The British Dental Association is delighted to announce dentist and experienced campaigner Charlotte Waite will take on a leading role in the fight for the future of dental services in Scotland. Read more
With a focus on the access crisis and contractual changes, the potential of preventive dentistry has taken something of a back seat. A good deal of the current backlog of untreated disease might have been prevented by nationwide fluoridation. Read more
Health Minister Eluned Morgan has confirmed a new Dental Academy in the north of Wales could be established before the end of the year. The minister confirmed the timetable after being quizzed about the state of NHS dental services in the north of Wales by Arfon MS Siân Gwenllian. Read more
We have been working with the BBC to highlight the pitfalls of seeking dental treatment overseas. Earlier this year we asked dentists to tell us about their experiences. Now it's leading the news, shining a light on the rise in demand for treatment overseas and the issues patients can face… Read more
A dental charity will provide vital dental health screenings free of charge to more than 250 children in the face of current access issues. The Dental Wellness Trust is treating pupils at Waulud Primary School and Nursery in Luton, Bedfordshire, as part of its Livesmart Dental Care programme. Read more
A new dental centre is being created at a university aiming to ease the "crisis" in the number of NHS dentists. The centre for dental development is planned for the University of Suffolk's campus in Ipswich. Read more
The self-employed status of associates may have survived for decades, but there have been regular threats. A recent court case will be of interest and the judgment has potential wide-reaching implications for thousands of dentists. Read more
Two MPs have backed plans to create a dentistry school at a city's university to ease a dentist shortage. Conservative Norfolk MPs Duncan Baker and Jerome Mayhew met with NHS bosses and the government to discuss the potential plans for the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich. Read more
Action to fix our warped system is long overdue, says the DDU’s John Makin on clinical negligence costs. No one would question that when a patient is injured because of negligence, they should be fairly compensated. Regrettably, fairness is not a notable feature of a civil litigation system. Read more
The British Dental Industry Association (BDIA) has announced its support for the British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN) 'Menopause Policy' launched in March this year. Read more
Dental therapist Leon Bassi talks us through the importance of supporting the trans community and why this will make dentistry a better profession. Why did BSDHT make a stand on the trans community? It was prompted by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests but even prior to that we were… Read more
Two-thirds of dental professionals say their mental health worsened during the pandemic. Many revealed that they felt ‘nervous’, ‘depressed’ and ‘insecure’ as a result of working within dentistry. Read more
With the exodus of dentists from NHS dentistry accelerating, we have been called to give evidence direct to Parliament’s Health and Social Care Committee as part of their ongoing inquiry into recruitment, training and retention across health and social care. Read more
The General Dental Council has forecast an expenditure increase of 5.8% for 2022, compared to 2021. Read more
Toothless in England will take to the streets to mark the passing of 12 months since the event that sparked the group’s formation. The campaign group kicked off in Suffolk last year after the last NHS dental practice in the town of Leiston closed its doors. Read more
Dundee dental student Priyanka Shah talks about why she thinks the business of dentistry needs teaching to young dentists. How is it that after going through five years of dental school, and even upon graduating, we have the faintest practical training on the business that encompasses dentistry? Read more
‘Associates bore the brunt of the impact of the pandemic,’ suggest experts at NASDAL following the release of new findings. According to their latest statistics, associates have experienced a reduction in both income and profit. Read more
The profession is urging all candidates in the upcoming Northern Ireland Assembly elections to state their commitment to rebuild and reform dentistry. The British Dental Association (BDA) says dentists delivering Health Service dentistry are concerned about the impact of increasing costs. Read more
A dentist successfully challenged a vicarious liability claim at the Court of Appeal, in a case that had ‘serious repercussions’ within the profession. The claim was brought against dentist Raj Rattan last year by a client of the Dental Law Partnership (DLP) over treatment carried out by associate dentists at Mr Rattan’s… Read more