Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

7NewsJune 4-10, 2012United Kingdom Edition The regime that shows plaque bacteria no mercy D I S P L A C E D E S T R O YD I S L O D G E Finish the job. Finish off with Listerine. References: 1. Barnett ML. JADA 2006; 137: 16S-21S. 2. Data on file FCLGBP0023+28, McNeil PPC. 3. Fine DH, et al. J Clin Periodontol 2005; 32: 335-40. 4. Sharma N, et al. JADA 2004; 135: 496-504. ID:UK/LI/12-0084 Brushing and flossing/interdental cleaning are pivotal to oral hygiene. They displace and dislodge dental plaque bacteria that can cause gingivitis and periodontal disease. But bacteria from other areas of the mouth can recolonize on teeth quickly.1 Using LISTERINE® after mechanical cleaning destroys oral bacteria effectively, killing up to 97% in vivo.2 This lowers the bacterial burden in the mouth and in plaque that reforms.3 And when used for 6 months, LISTERINE® can reduce plaque levels by up to 52% more than brushing and flossing alone.4 In addition, LISTERINE® Total Care products offer various levels of fluoride and other benefits to suit patients’ needs. So recommend LISTERINE® as the final step in your patient’s daily regime, to finish the job started by mechanical cleaning. 03930_ocdlis_DentalTribune_FullPage_ad_297x210_fa1.indd 1 1/31/12 5:50 PM Do you have an opinion or some- thing to say on any Dental Tribune UK article? Or would you like to write your own opinion for our guest comment page? If so don’t hesitate to write to: The Editor, Dental Tribune UK Ltd, 4th Floor, Treasure House, 19-21 Hatton Garden, London, EC1 8BA Or email: lisa@dentaltribuneuk.com Editorial comment The news today has been dominated by the Office of Fair Trading’s report into dentistry and the recommen- dations that they have made. People from all areas of the profession have been making their cases in a variety of media – radio, TV, newspapers etc – aiming to downplay what many have called the sensationalising of the report. Yet again the drum of evil dentist misleading patients has been banged, trying to drown out the fact that the majority of those who responded (and that was 3450 people) are actually satisfied with the dental care they receive. Statistics, as we all know, can be twisted to prove any- thing. In my post-graduate days as a green and grateful mar- keting assistant for a firm sell- ing telephone systems, I had to ring local businesses to find out about their systems for a univer- sity-based project. Treated as a loathsome cold calling sales- person, I had to take the figures from the nine companies who bothered to talk to me and make a presentation out of them. With the use of the times by five prin- cipal and some lovely pie charts, I made a fantastic presentation that bore no resemblance to the true situation of the telephone system usage of the city’s local businesses. Sound familiar? Thought so. T he recent Health Select Committee report on Education, Training and Workforce Planning highlights a failure to adequately consider the dental issues that must be tackled, the British Dental As- sociation (BDA) has said. This must be addressed urgently, the BDA believes, by proper consideration of how changes might affect dentistry and what must be done to support dental training. The report, which notes a lack of vital detail in plans for the reform of the training and education of healthcare work- ers, has nonetheless failed to pick up properly on warnings in the BDA’s submission to the Health Select Committee in- quiry, meaning that the issue of how the training of dentists and their teams will be paid for is still unclear. Detailed as- surances that dental practices will not be expected to pay for training, a scenario that would be completely unacceptable, are urgently required, the BDA be- lieves. Dr Judith Husband, Chair of the BDA’s Education and Stand- ards Committee, said: “This report reminds us that the Gov- ernment’s plans are still lacking in important detail and require significant further development. Disappointingly, differences be- tween medical and dental train- ing remain unacknowledged and dental-specific issues have not been addressed. “The BDA has been pressing for clarity on these issues. That they continue to be unresolved is a source of frustration and anxiety for dental practice own- ers. Dentists need to see a bold, unambiguous statement from Government that confirms that they are not to be landed with a huge financial burden for train- ing future generations of the profession.” DT Dental training needs ‘urgent consideration’