Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

PUBLISHED IN LONDON T he NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2010/11 has recently been released by the NHS Information Centre. This year the paper has pro- gressed into a comprehensive re- port bringing together a range of information, such as the number of dentists working for the NHS, the amount of treatments that are carried out and the number of patients that are seen by an NHS dentist. One interesting fact showed that 43.5 per cent of NHS dentists are female. There was however a key finding to the report, which re- vealed that the number of fluo- ride treatments had substantially increased since 2009/10 for both adults and children; 8.1 per cent of all child treatments included a fluoride varnish, while 1.2 per cent of all adult treatments in- cluded a fluoride varnish. The figures also revealed that since 2006 an extra one million patients have been seen by an NHS dentist, putting the final figure for the two-year period, ending in June 2011, at more than 29 million. Alongside these figures, in the past 24 months around 56.3 per cent of the popu- lation have received dental care. Even though these figures are promising, the report also re- vealed that over the same period 26,000 fewer children had seen an NHS dentist. Commenting on this figure, Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Ni- gel Carter said: “It is disappoint- ing to see the number of children visiting an NHS dentist has failed to grow over the past five years. Children should be attending the dentist as soon as possible in order for them to develop good oral health habits which they can carry through to adult- hood. The report also highlighted the 2.2 million cases of complex treatment, such as bridgework and dentures, which were car- ried out in 2010/11. The report stated that 1.2 million of these complex cases had been carried out on non- paying patients; however, it was also clarified that out of the 39.2 million course of dental treat- ment in 2010/11, only 9.0 million were carried out on non-paying adults. According to NHS Dental Sta- tistics for England: 2010/11, one reason for this may be a lower standard of dental health among non-paying adults. Dr Carter said: “Although the figure still equates to more than every other person in England having access to an NHS den- tist, it is the view of the Founda- tion that more needs to be done to break down the barriers for everyone. With rising household budgets it is important that peo- ple don’t view their dental health as a luxury - it is one you most certainly cannot afford to take for granted.” John Milne, Chair of the Brit- ish Dental Association’s Gen- eral Dental Practice Committee, said: “The increasing number of patients who can access care is good news for those that it ben- efits, although the regional vari- ations in the proportions of the population accessing care, and fact that the percentage of chil- dren doing so remains below the March 2006 baseline, serve as reminders that there is no room for complacency about the over- all improvement. “A new dental contract and commissioning arrangements for England are now being devel- oped that should benefit dentists and their patients by creating a more prevention-oriented, quali- ty-focused approach. Piloting for these arrangements is now be- ginning and it will be important that the Government maintains a constructive dialogue with profession as they are taken for- ward.” DT September 5-11, 2011 VOL. 5 NO. 19 Cleaning gadgets The Gadget Show recently tested the latest electrical tooth cleaning gadgets the current market. Tested un- der the supervision of Dr Uchenna Okoye, the dentist who creates teeth transfor- mations on TV programme 10 Years Younger, presenter Suzi Perry tested the tooth- brushes to see what ones were the best. The Panasonic Dentacare Travel Irrigator came in fifth, followed by the Colgate 360 Microsonic Power in fourth. In third place was the Phillips Soni- care Flexcare with Sanitiser, which was praised for the sanitizer, that kills bacte- ria on the toothbrush head by using a UV light. Oral-B took the top two places, with the Oral-B Professional Care 8500 in second place and the Oral-B Triumph with Smart Guide taking first place. Dr Uchenna Okoye praised the effectiveness of the Oral-B 5000 and made it her top recommendation. The secret of enamel Researchers from the For- syth Institute and the uni- versities of Pittsburgh and Michigan in the US have reported that they have documented the process in which enamel, one of the hardest tissues in the hu- man body, is created. In their research the scientists discovered that the protein amelogenin, which makes up to 20 and 30 per cent of early enamel, arranges it- self into clusters. According to one report, these clusters then stabilise and organise calcium phosphate crystals in parallel arrays and fuse them together, resulting in needle shaped particles. Al- though the scientists added that more research is needed to be carried out, they be- lieve that their observations could be used to aid in the development of new medi- cal and dental materials. 3D goes Russian 3D Diagnostic Imaging has selected a distributor for its CarieScan technology in Russia. The company which makes the CarieScan Pro, a handheld device which is used to detect tooth decay, has chosen Russian distribu- tor IT Stom, which operates in Moscow, according to re- ports. Further reports have also stated that to distribute its caries support system throughout the USA, 3D Di- agnostic Imaging have signed an agreement with American company Henry Schein Inc. www.dental-tribune.co.uk The pièce de résistance Clare Chavasse wins trip to Hamburg The good, the bad and the ugly Neal Kothari discusses regulation Nightmare endings Ray Goodman discusses practice partnerships News in Brief Comment Money MattersFeatureNews College appoints Dean Dr Rekow is set to join King’s page 2 page 10-11 pages 14-15 page 21 Ups and downs of NHS Dentistry 2010/11 New reporting gives clarity to NHS dentistry usage