Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

United Kingdom Edition 26 November - 03 December, 2012 O besity and dental cavi- ties increase as chil- dren living below the poverty level age, according to research from the Case West- ern Reserve University and the University of Akron. Researchers found that as body mass index (BMI) in- creased with age, so do the number of cavities. These findings were published in the online Journal of Pediatric Health Care article, “Child- hood obesity and dental caries in homeless children.” The study examined the physicals of 157 children, from 2 to 17 years old, at an urban homeless shelter. Most were from single-parent families headed by women with one or two children. While studies in Brazil, New Zealand, Sweden and Mexico have shown a rela- tionship between obesity, den- tal health and poverty, few US studies have examined how the three factors are linked. The findings support re- ports from the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion that obesity and poor oral health have doubled since 1980, raising the risk of diabe- tes and other health problems, as well as issues with self-es- teem. Poverty contributes to poor dental health by limiting ac- cess to nutritious food, refrig- erators to preserve food and even running water in some homes, said Maguerite DiMa- rco, associate professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. “Many people do not re- alise,” she said, “that dental caries is an infectious disease that can be transmitted from the primary caregiver and sib- lings to other children.” Another problem for chil- dren of poverty is access to dental care, where families lack the financial means and transportation to make and keep an appointment. And some working poor may not qualify for Ohio’s Childhood Health Insurance Program, which subsidises health and dental care reimbursements to providers. “There are no easy solu- tions,” DiMarco said, “espe- cially with the homeless popu- lation.” DT Relationship between dental health poverty Children below the poverty line face challenges T he General Dental Council (GDC) has launched more acces- sible versions of its patient in- formation. The ‘Smile EasyRead’ pa- tient information leaflet ex- plains the role of the GDC; what patients can expect at their visit to a dental profes- sional; and what they can do if they’re unhappy with their ex- perience. It features larger font, pic- tures to support and help ex- plain the text, shorter sentenc- es and language that sounds natural when spoken. The GDC established a reg- ister of Special Care Dentistry specialists in 2008. Special Care Dentistry is concerned with improving the oral health of individuals and groups in society who have a physical, sensory, intellectual, mental, medical, emotional or social impairment or disability or, more often, a combination of these factors. Sukina Moosajee, the most recent registrant on the GDC’s Special Care Dentistry special- ist list and a Locum Consult- ant in Special Care Dentistry at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Smile EasyRead’’ is comprehensive and easy to understand. It will help raise awareness among vulnerable patients and their carers about the standards of care they should be receiving from the dental team.” Alison Keens, Head of Nurs- ing and Therapies - Adults with Learning Disabilities at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust said: “People with learning disabilities need information to be provided in an accessible format. This ex- cellent document will enable more people with learning dis- abilities to have a better un- derstanding of and make more decisions about their own den- tal care.” As well as EasyRead, Smile is available in print in Plain English, online in Welsh, Ben- gali, Chinese, Punjabi and Urdu, and as online audio files in English. Dentalprofessionalscanalso access audio and Large Print versions of the GDC’s ‘Stand- ards for dental professionals’, as well as accessible continu- ing professional development and employment advice. GDC Chief Executive and Registrar Evlynne Gilvarry said: “We are committed to providing accessible informa- tion and services. We want all patients to be aware of what they should expect from their dental professional and how we can help if something goes wrong.” Free copies of Smile and Smile EasyRead, and download translations and audio files can be downloaded from the GDC website: www.gdc-uk.org DT GDC makes patient information more accessible N ASDAL are advising all dentists to think twice before going into a dental partnership with a fam- ily member. Some smaller practices comprise a partnership be- tween a dentist and their spouse, but if the spouse is not a General Dental Council (GDC) registrant, this may be illegal. Nick Hancock is a Char- tered Accountant and a NAS- DAL member who was re- cently asked for advice by a dentist in partnership with his wife who was the practice manager. “Regrettably, I had to inform the dentist that he should dissolve the partner- ship. Under The Dentists Act 1984 it states ‘… an individual who is not a registered dentist or a registered medical prac- titioner shall not carry on the business of dentistry …” Damien Charlton, a mem- ber of the NASDAL Lawyers Group says there is one excep- tion. “When the practice holds a General Dental Services (GDS) contract, the National Health Service Act 2006 per- mits certain non-GDC regis- trants - including a GDS prac- tice employee - to enter a GDS contract. The Dentists Act spe- cifically states that receiving income under a GDS contract is not deemed, for the purpos- es of that Act, to be carrying on the business of dentistry.” He added: “It‘s essential that the partnership formed for the purposes of the GDS contract is kept separate from any private work carried out by the practice because it is only receipt of income under a GDS contract that falls within the exception to the definition of “the business of dentistry. This means (amongst other things) keeping separate sets of accounts and ensuring that the non-GDC registrant does not receive any income from the non-GDS parts of the prac- tice.” Dentists in an ‘illegal part- nership’ are strongly advised to dissolve it. Once the part- nership has been dissolved, the registered dentist can continue to trade in a differ- ent format. This could be as a sole trader, a limited liabil- ity partnership or as a limited company. It is essential that you seek expert financial and legal advice to ensure that the structure you choose complies with the complex rules and regulations which govern the practice of dentistry. DT P at Kilpatrick has been ap- pointed as the new Direc- tor of the British Dental Association (BDA) for Scotland. She will take up her post in January 2013 and brings to the post extensive experience in the healthcare sector including operational and strategic man- agement, policy development, and postgraduate teaching and research. Graduating from the Univer- sity of Dundee, Pat joined the Graduate Training Scheme for NHS management before going on to senior roles within NHS Scotland including Director of Clinical Development at NHS Argyll and Clyde and Director of Planning at North Glasgow Uni- versity Hospitals Trust. She led the National Task Force on the development of Primary Care Trusts in Scotland in 1997. As Academic Director in the School of Management at the University of Stirling, she devel- oped the first MBA postgraduate degree programme designed to develop the management skills of both doctors and dentists. Latterly her career has been in consulting. She joined Tribal Consulting in 2006 as a Director within their national advisory team, before going on to launch her own business in 2010. Pat said: “Dentistry in Scotland faces a complex set of challeng- es. I look forward to playing my part in helping the profession overcome them and advancing the cause of oral health in Scot- land.” DT Is your dental partnership legal? BDA Scotland welcomes new director 7News