Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

For 3D Imaging, please read on... www.velopex.com Call: 020 8965 2913 Email: enquiries@velopex.com let Velopex Lead You into the Digital Future... Proud of our 50 Years in Quality Imaging, DTo3ds27.04.11rpc A n accreditation scheme has been launched by the British Lingual Or- thodontic Society (BLOS), as a demonstration of an ortho- dontist’s skill and ability and their commitment to specialist post-graduate education. BLOS members can now apply to be- come BLOS accredited. The UK is one of the coun- tries where lingual practice is most advanced and the aim of BLOS and its dedicated membership is to achieve equivalence with other leading lingual organisations. Both the World and European Societies of Lingual Orthodontics already run accreditation schemes. The standard of BLOS accreditation is designed to be as high, in order to celebrate the achieve- ments of its members. I order to apply for accredi- tation, the orthodontist must be a member of BLOS. Three cases are required for the ex- amination with a treatment need of IOTN 4 or 5. At least one must be an extraction case, to demonstrate complex, slid- ing mechanics and arch-form control. Cases will besubmitted electronically using atemplate designed in conjunctionwith the European and World Lin- gual Orthodontic Societies There will be two independ- ent judges and a Chief Exam- iner, all internationally rec- ognised lingual orthodontists. The examination documents and models will be presented for viewing at the BLOS annual meeting. The deadline for ap- plication is October 14th 2011 and cases will be on display at the BLOS study group meeting on November 5th. The Chief Examiner for 2011 will be Dr Dirk Wiechmann. Several orthodontists have already expressed an interest in applying for accredited status. Paul Ward, BLOS chairman, said: “We are designing the accreditation process so that it is an achievable and worthy challenge; a clear demonstra- tion of the clinician’s commit- ment to excellence in lingual orthodontics. The case submission tem- plates have been designed in conjunction with the other In- ternational Societies of Lingual Orthodontics and the examina- tion standards are of an equally high level to ensure parity be- tween the groups.” DT Lingual Accreditation launch by BLOS Paul Ward, BLOS chairman D ata published by the Dental Schools Council revealed a 4 per cent increase in the number of clinical profes- sors, senior lecturers and lec- turers in dentistry during the 2009-10 academic year, to a total of 390 Full Time Equiva- lents (FTE), and a 20 per cent increase in the number of sen- ior clinical teachers and clini- cal teachers to a total of 135 FTE. Whilst dental schools are positive about the increase in total number of clinical aca- demic staff for the fourth con- secutive year, the number of research-active clinical aca- demic dentists (Professors, Senior Lecturers, Readers and Lecturers) remain 28 per cent lower than in 2000. Since 2005, with the smallest number of dental clinical academics (433 FTE) in the decade, there has been a 25 per cent expansion in student numbers and the creation of three new dental schools (Peninsula, Aberdeen, UCLan); the number of clini- cal academics has increased by 21 per cent in this time, but the number of research-active clinical academic dentists has shrunk by a further 10 per cent (to 390 FTE). The recent survey of Oral Health in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Health & Social Care Information Cen- tre 2011) highlighted the im- portance of oral health to the health of the population. Al- though oral health has im- proved overall, dental care is becoming much more complex as older populations retain teeth, whilst severe periodontal (gum) disease has increased slightly in the last decade. Den- tal schools and the dental clini- cal academic staff therein are responsible for training and preparing future generations of dentists to provide care in this changing and increasingly complicated world. They are also responsible for most of the research, innovation and technological development that will help improve health and reduce costs in the long term. The survey can be accessed online at www.dentalschools- council.ac.uk/clinical_academ- ic_staffing_survey.htm DT Small increase in clinical academic staffing numbers F ollowing the success of the initiative since 2009, members of the dental team will be able to gain verifi- able CPD hours for reading the Show Guide which accompanies BDTA Dental Showcase. There will be a total of five articles featuring in a spe- cial CPD section of the Guide covering clinical and business topics. This initiative is exclusive to Showcase visitors, only those who attend the event will be able to participate. Dentists and DCP’s will be able to claim a maximum of three hours of verifiable CPD by reading the articles and an- swering a series of multiple choice questions on three out of the five articles of their choice. The answers will need to be sub- mitted online after the event. Achieving a 50 per cent pass mark provides three hours of Verifiable CPD. Reserve your complimentary ticket now! BDTA Dental Showcase 2011 takes place between 20-22 October 2011 at the NEC, Bir- mingham. To secure your free of charge entry to the show, register for your ticket at www. dentalshowcase.com, call the registration hotline on +44 (0) 1494 729959 or text your name, address, occupation and GDC number to 07786 206 276. Ad- vance registration closes on 17 October 2011. On-the-day regis- tration: £10 per person. DT Three hours of verifiable CPD in the official Showcase Show Guide July 11-17, 20116 News United Kingdom Edition