News feed - Practice Plan

All the latest dentistry news, all in one place.

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.

Reflecting on 2024: progress and milestones in dentistry

Polly Bhambra reflects on different moments from an eventful year in dentistry and her goals for the coming year.

Significant gap in dental workforce, says association

The Association of Dental Groups (ADG) has highlighted the significant gap in the dental workforce, as it awaits the government and the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) action plan to deliver on their…

GDC fails to reach all standards of ‘good regulation’ in 2023/24

The General Dental Council (GDC) has met 16 out of 18 Standards of Good Regulation for 2023/24. This marks the same number that were met in the 2022/23 review period.

BDA - NHS dentistry: All we want for Christmas is clarity

Dentists in England are set to break for Christmas with no idea about when contractual uplifts will land, what shape support might take for the hike in overheads brought by the recent Budget, and little…

COVID-19 Dental Health Dental Profession Finance Mental Health NHS Practice Management Regulation

World Mental Health Day: is the profession still suffering?

We take a closer look at data from the Dentistry Census 2024 on the topic of mental health for World Mental Health Day. Mental health problems are a growing concern within dentistry. With the sector struggling with issues ranging from patient litigation to the collapse of NHS services, it is… Read more

Mental health sufferers could lose sickness benefits

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could remove a disability benefit for some mental health sufferers in an effort to tackle the UK’s ‘sick note culture’. This comes as Sunak is set to announce a ‘benefits crackdown’ involving changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Read more

BDA: NHS Practitioner Health lives on, but needs a long term future

The British Dental Association has greeted the u-turn from Government on NHS Practitioner Health coverage for hospital dentists and doctors, but stressed that answers are needed on how news of the cancellation was sprung on the profession at the eleventh hour. Read more

Promoting collective wellbeing

Dental professionals face challenges that can impact their wellbeing, but help is at hand, says Ritesh Aggarwal. The recent Dentistry Show London once again brought to the fore the imperative need to focus on dental professionals’ wellbeing if dentistry in the UK is to follow a successful trajectory. Read more

Over half of dental professionals say mental wellbeing is worse now than during the Covid pandemic

More than half of dental professionals in the UK (57%) who took part in a survey say their mental health is worse now than it was during the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more

Study informs guidance to support NHS staff after the suicide of a colleague

Researchers from the University of Surrey, University of Birmingham, and Keele University gathered evidence and data over the course of two years as part of a study which has informed a robust set of new evidence-based postvention guidance to support NHS staff after the death by a suicide of a… Read more

Free mental health webinar to mark World Suicide Prevention Day

Dental team members are invited to register now with Psynergy Mental Health to attend a free webinar this September. Marking World Suicide Prevention Day, the webinar will raise awareness of available help for those who find themselves in crisis. Read more

Work Affecting Mental Health Of Half The Female Population

Nuffield Health surveyed 8000 adults for its 2023 Healthier Nation Index and the results reveal a startling proportion of female employees battling with mental health issues with women more impacted than men. Read more

Fitness to practise investigations have ‘significant’ negative impact on mental health, says GDC report

A new GDC-commissioned report into fitness to practise investigations found they had a ‘significant negative impact’ on individuals – despite being ‘largely fair and effective’. The independent qualitative research, commissioned by the General Dental Council to understand and learn from the experiences of 70 individuals involved with fitness to practise,… Read more

Adult ADHD and dentistry – are we doing enough?

‘The more we understand ourselves, the more we can break down stigma’: In light of ADHD awareness month this October, Dr Fiez Mughal offers 10 facts about adult ADHD and dentistry. Read more

Michael Mosley and the ‘Science behind the smile’

On September 16, 2022, Michael Mosley shared his personal and family experiences of orthodontics and the science behind the benefits of smiling at The British Orthodontic Society’s annual conference in Birmingham. Read more

Confidental webinar will explore the mental health of the dental profession

Practice Plan Group is teaming up with Confidental. They’re looking to give people more information about the 24-hour confidential helpline set up by dentists, for dentists. In a webinar and podcast hosted by Practice Plan, Dr John Lewis, who is part of the Confidental team, will talk about the very… Read more

Increase in number of healthcare workers sleeping poorly during pandemic

A UK-based study has found that 36.6% of key workers in health and social care are reporting sleep problems since the pandemic. This is up from 19% before COVID-19. Key workers, mothers and those from minority ethnic backgrounds are most affected. Read more

One in two dentists say financial worries are affecting mental health

Fifty-three per cent of dentists say that financial worries are having the biggest impact on their mental health in the face of COVID-19. That’s according to a survey by Dental Protection which also showed that almost 40% have concerns about a shortage of PPE. Read more