Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

I t was all smiles in the House of Commons on 15 May, when national char- ity the British Dental Health Foundation launched the UK’s largest annual oral health campaign. National Smile Month, taking place from 20 May to 20 June 2012, is the focal point for thousands of dental and health professionals to co-ordinate events and ac- tivities across the UK to im- prove oral health. Community groups, busi- nesses, schools, and members of the public are also getting involved by organising activi- ties such as fun days, talks, sponsored events, displays, open days and competitions. This year sees the launch of the National Smile Month ‘Smiley’– a big smile on a stick. Participants are being encouraged to have their pho- tographs taken with the Smi- ley and then upload them on to the National Smile Month Facebook and Twitter sites. Many leading figures from the world of dentistry attended the launch of the campaign, which is dedicated to highlighting the importance of oral health. The launch was hosted by Parliamentary sponsor the Rt Hon Sir Paul Beresford MP, himself a den- tist, and included speeches from some of dentistry’s lead- ing experts including the Foundation’s Chief Executive Dr Nigel Carter and President John Siebert. Dr Carter said: “Get- ting people to talk and think about their teeth and dental habits is vital to our goal of improving the state of oral health not only in the UK but worldwide. “The impact of poor oral hygiene is often underesti- mated and someone’s poor oral health can be a pre-cur- sor to a number of serious health issues such as stroke, coronary heart disease, dia- betes and low birth weight ba- bies. National Smile Month is about encouraging people to take better care of their smile and ultimately their general health. “We have had a tremendous response to the campaign. So far thousands of organisations have registered and will be spreading the messages and joining in the fun.” National Smile Month is sponsored by headline spon- sors Listerine, Oral-B, Wrig- ley and Steradent. The cam- paign is also being supported by Aldi, Argos, Bupa, Den- cover, Denplan, Lloyds Phar- macy, Save WaterSaveMoney, SleepRight, Smile-on and Wilkinson. National Smile Month has three key messages: • Brush teeth for two minutes twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste • Cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks • Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend To register for free ‘Smi- leys’, or for more informa- tion about the campaign, visit www.smilemonth.org DT All smiles at National Smile Month launch T he British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN) are lobbying HMRC for tax relief on CPD costs - following correspondence between BADN Chief Exec Pam Swain and Ex- chequer Secretary to the Treas- ury, David Gaulke MP, in which Mr Gaulke states that: “HMRC do not accept that all training expenses incurred by the employee will now qualify for tax relief. …………… expenses must be incurred exclusively as an in- trinsic part of the performance of duties………… On the basis of the information provided (BADN briefing note to Mr Gaulke)…… the CPD training referred to does not have the characteristics men- tioned above ……… No deduction is due for the costs of continuing professional education. That is so even if participation in such activi- ties is compulsory, and failure to do so may lead to the employee los- ing his or her professional qualifi- cations, and/or their job.” “Dentists, hygienists, thera- pists and technicians who are self-employed or business own- ers are allowed tax relief on their CPD costs. However, HMRC is refusing to acknowledge that CPD expenses for dental nurse employees are in fact ‘incurred exclusively as an intrinsic part of the performance of duties’” said BADN President Nicola Do- cherty. “This is blatantly unfair, as tax relief on CPD costs is de- nied to those most in need of it. BADN are calling on other dental professional associations and the GDC to support this campaign in order that tax relief on CPD costs is afforded to all registered dental professionals.” Dental nurses (and other members of the dental team) are encouraged to visit the BADN website www.badn. org.uk, download the form letter together with support- ing documents, and send it to both Mr Gaulke and their local MP. DT BADN campaign for tax relief on CPD costs T he Department of Health’s Transition Risk Register from No- vember 2010, which was a statement of potential risks of NHS changes, will not be published, following Cabinet agreement and a final deci- sion made by the Secretary of State for Health. The Secretary of State for Health sought the Cabinet’s views on the exercise of the Ministerial Veto in relation to the Information Tribunal’s ruling that the Transition Risk Register should be re- leased. He did so as part of a full commitment to act in ac- cordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, which makes specific pro- vision for the exercise of such a veto. The Coalition Govern- ment is committed to the Free- dom of Information Act and has extended it to all acad- emy schools through the Academies Act; and to the As- sociation of Chief Police Of- ficers, Financial Ombudsman Service, and the Universi- ties and Colleges Admissions Services through second- ary legislation. In addition, the Protection of Freedoms Act, which gained Royal Assent on 1 May, provides for the extension of the FOI Act to over 100 compa- nies wholly owned by public authorities. Risk Registers are a vital part of Government policy development. Ministers and officials should be able to de- liberate sensitive policy for- mulation, in expectation that their views are not published at a time when it would preju- dice the development and de- livery of policies. If such risk registers were regularly dis- closed, it is likely their form and content would change, and they would no longer be the effective internal manage- ment tools they are intended to be. In light of the interest in this case, and in line with the Government’s commitment to be more transparent by opening up Government in- formation, the Department of Health has published a docu- ment that sets out key infor- mation relating to the areas of risks in the original Risk Register. It also sets out the mitigating actions that have taken place since November 2010 and which are planned in the future. But it protects the language and form of the Risk Register. The Department of Health will also publish a Scheme for Publication, which will set out proposals for reviewing and releasing material re- lating to the transition pro- gramme in the future. Both these documents will be pub- lished on the Department’s website. DT Transition risk register will not be published Guests at the launch of National Smile Month May 21-27, 20122 News United Kingdom Edition