Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

For information or to book your place 08451 301611 lumineers@dkap.co.uk www.dkap.co.uk Today’s patient wants a beautiful smile with far less invasive dentistry. That’s exactly what is all about. Bring to your practice.... ....give your patients something to smile about! Minimal tooth reduction & clinically Superior outcomes transform smiles ® LUMINEERS ® LUMINEERS ® Come and learn the LUMINEERS technique at one of our one day courses. You will: Learn about the versatility of Ultra-thin Veneers Realise minimally invasive options with prep vs no prep considerations for aesthetic dentistry. Increase patient acceptance and gain practice growth. Objectives: Diagnosis and Case Selection Treatment Planning & Smile Design Case Presentations Step-by Step Procedure Impression taking ‘Live’ Demo Hands-On simulated step by step procedures. Bring models or photos of prospective cases for discussion with our clinician. Friday 15th February 2013 Cardiff May 2013 tbc London A non-refundable deposit is required to reserve a place. Course content subject to change without notice. DKAP reserve the right to cancel The ONLY porcelain backedby over 20 yearsof evidence basedresearch. Bonus feature..... An introduction to the Ultimate provisional.... United Kingdom Edition M y biggest pet hate at the moment is the sheer number of un- enforceable policies designed to induce a culture of fear and promote the practice of de- fensive dentistry. In my opin- ion the only thing worse than overegulation is bad regula- tion and by keeping the pro- fession at a safe distance from the construction of such regu- lations, this not only renders the policies as ‘short term’, it severely erodes the profession and its ability to self regulate. The promise of a cut in bu- reaucracy by the incumbent government has quickly evap- orated, leaving dental practice managers trying to understand complex protocols and poli- cies designed for small hospi- tals and clinics rather than a general dental practice. For instance, let’s look at the costs and the risks asso- ciated with Legionnaires dis- ease and the need for a risk assessment and regular water testing. If you get a ‘profes- sional company’ (apologise for the inappropriate use of the word professional) to carry out a full risk assessment and test the water sources you could easily pay more than £300 for the privilege. Money well spent or a complete waste of time? I guess that’s a matter of opinion. Low risk A risk assessment of dental unit waterline contamina- tion carried out by Caroline Pankhurst in 2003 concluded that ‘the risk to respiratory health from bacterial contami- nants in dental unit waterlines is very low’ and at the Second Annual All Island Symposium on the Public Dental Servic- es the reports state that one in three homes contain Le- gionella, but there is a very low attack rate in an outbreak, just 2-5 per cent. Legionella flourishes in all water types in temperatures of 20-45 degrees Celsius, and likes stagnation, sediment and scale. It goes on to further state that ‘There are no proven cases of Le- gionnaire’s disease linked to dental treatment’. The ques- tion then becomes, is forcing dental practices to adhere to Legionella testing a cost ef- fective way to promote public policy? And should practices really divert time and money away from front line services? Relative risk is something that seems to be completely absent from the architects of HTM01-05, which may go some way to explain why the DH review of HTM 01-05 has been further pushed back to 2013-14 and why the BDA as our trade union has pressed for the immediate removal of the unnecessary and burden- some restriction on instru- ment storage times, which the DH has conceded is not evi- Regulations and relative risks The only thing worse than over regulation is bad regulation, says Neel Kothari ‘The promise of a cut in bureaucracy by the incumbent government has quickly evaporated’ 8 Comment November 26 - December 3, 2012