Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

PUBLISHED IN LONDON Surgery | Reception | Sterilisation Register today at scottdental.co.uk and we will pay the VAT when you order your new Belmont equipment from us. Contact Stuart Scott on T: 01347878904 M: 07836 579854 Specification Cabinets Order direct from the manufacturer today! scottscott dental dental scottscott dental dental NEW 2012 November 19-25, 2012 VOL. 6 NO. 27 Dentists sue Two dentists are suing the owner of a crane left dangling over midtown New York after Hurricane Sandy, for damages incurred from losing a week’s worth of business while they were evacuated. Sandy’s high winds caused the giant crane to snap backwards, forcing the evacuation of homes and busi- nesses in the area from Mon- day, 29th October until late the following Sunday evening. Bar- ry Musikant and Caroline Stern said their dental practices were among the businesses affected by the mishap, and Musikant also had to evacuate his home. Musikant and Stern are seeking unspecified damages. Named as defendants were the crane’s owner, Pinnacle Industries, and contractor Lend Lease; they could not be reached for com- ment. As reported in the New York Daily News. FDI Dr Stuart Johnson, Chair of the Dental Practice Commit- tee, will be leading the FDI dental amalgam task team at the next meeting of the Inter- national Negotiating Commit- tee on Mercury (INC 5), set to take place in Geneva from 13 to 18 January 2013. The main subject of discussion will be the Chair’s draft text for a global legally binding instrument on mercury. In the draft, the Chair explains his new approach to dental amalgam. Although the Chair’s singling out of dental amalgam clearly demonstrates the impact of FDI on the work of INC, Task Team members are holding discussions to as- certain how far the new draft meets their requirements and to formulate a common posi- tion to be suggested to member states regarding proposals for amendments to the draft treaty. Bogobrush Bogobrush, a new handheld toothbrush made out of 100 per cent biodegradable materials, has been launched this week. As reported in M Live, Bogob- rush was co-founded two years ago by brother-sister duo John and Heather McDougall. The siblings, and children of a den- tist, said they had the idea of bringing more environmental sustainability to people’s daily routines. Each toothbrush is made of bamboo and has biode- gradable nylon bristles. Bogo- brush is teaming up with non- profit health centre Covenant Community Care to distribute the toothbrushes to less fortu- nate people in the Detroit area. Bogobrush will donate one toothbrush for each one it sells. More information can be found at bogobrush.com. www.dental-tribune.co.uk Complaints Dilhani Silva looks at commu- nication Important years Georg Bach gives a personal retrospective TRIPOD - A new protocol Jean-Nicolas Hasson looks at immediate loading News in Brief Implant Tribune Implant TribuneCommentNews Education Centre A dental training centre has been opened in Northwick Park page 2 page 10 pages 15-18 pages 19-22 A new report published by the Health Service Ombudsman shows a significant rise in the num- ber of complaints where the NHS has failed to provide an adequate remedy or proper apology when things have gone wrong. The report, Listening and Learning, which gives an overview of NHS complaints made to the Ombudsman in 2011/12, includes real-life ex- amples of responses given to people who have complained about the NHS. The Health Service Ombudsman, a free and independent service for anyone who is unhappy with NHS services, is calling on the NHS to improve the way it deals with complaints on the ground. Ombudsman, Julie Mellor said: “All too often the peo- ple who come to us for help are unhappy because of the careless communication, in- sincere apologies and unclear explanations they’ve received from the NHS. A poor response to a complaint can add to the problems of someone who is unwell, struggling to take care of others or grieving. The NHS needs to get better at listening to patients and their families and responding to their con- cerns.” The report shows that complaints about the NHS not acknowledging mistakes in care have increased by 50 per cent. NHS hospital, specialist and teaching trusts received the most complaints, with 45 per cent, while the Healthcare Commission re- ceived the least, with just one complaint. The Ombudsman received 1,037 complaints about gen- eral dental practitioners in 2011/12; six per cent of the overall complaints made. A spokesperson for Dental Protection said: “Poor commu- nication is a factor that fea- tures in more than 70 per cent of the cases currently handled by Dental Protection, either as the sole cause of a complaint or as a contributory factor. It is for this reason that DPL provides members with an op- portunity to attend a series of interactive small-group work- shops free of charge.” Dr John Milne, chair of the BDA’s General Dental Prac- tice Committee, said: “While dentistry has received a rela- tively small proportion of complaints within the NHS it is important that we are not complacent about patients’ needs and expectations. Good communication between den- tal practitioners and their pa- tients is essential to ensuring ‘good’ dental and oral health- care outcomes for patients as well as the profession.” DT Ombudsman: NHS fails to communicate Six per cent of complaints made against dental practitioners, complaints service details in new report ‘ The NHS needs to get better at listen- ing to patients and their families and responding to their concerns’