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Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

PUBLISHED IN LONDON April 15-21, 2013 VOL. 7 NO 9 GDC successful at Doncas- ter Magistrates’ Court The General Dental Coun- cil (GDC), has successfully prosecuted a non-registrant for illegally practising den- tistry and a clinic for carry- ing on the business of den- tistry. On Thursday 21 March 2013 Mr Gavin Empson ap- peared at Doncaster Mag- istrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to the offence of un- lawfully practising dentistry he also appeared as the Di- rector of New Smile Denture Clinic and pleaded guilty to carrying on the business of dentistry. Mr Empson was fined £250 and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge. He was also ordered to pay GDC costs in the sum of £1,000. New Smile Denture Clinic was fined £1000 and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge. The clinic was also ordered to pay GDC costs in the sum of £1,250. FGDP(UK) launch latest radiography guidelines The Faculty of General Den- tal Practice (UK) will launch the third edition of its semi- nal publication Selection Cri- teria in Dental Radiography on Friday 26 April at 1.30pm on stand H11 at the BDA Conference & Exhibition, ExCel, London. This third edition of the book, the clini- cal standard on the subject and a must-have for dental students, is a rewrite rather than an update, due to new evidence and research find- ings alongside the advent of radiography as one of the General Dental council’s core CPD topics. Editor Keith Horner said, “Patient and practitioner safety, as well as livelihoods, are dependent upon following recognised standards. The FGDP(UK) takes its standards setting role very seriously. Dental professionals cannot afford to be out of date with the guidance that they follow in this area.” Good Practice The British Dental Associa- tion is this year marking the first 200 dental practices achieving Gold Membership of its Good Practice Scheme. Practices attain Gold Mem- bership by maintaining Good Practice Scheme member status for ten consecutive years. The achievement is being recognised through a celebratory publication that includes a profile of all prac- tices with Gold Membership, which range from small ru- ral establishments to large inner-city practices. www.dental-tribune.co.uk Review The effectiveness of tooth brushing BLOS meeting Lingual masters in London Tooth decay Neel Kothari on bleeding gums News in Brief ReviewComment ClinicalNews Aspirin Regular aspirin use cuts cancer risk page 4 pages 17-20 pages 26-27pages 10-11 A fter months of research and consultations, the rec- ommendation for Direct Access was passed on Thursday 28th March, with 20 votes for and two abstentions. As a result of the vote at the GDC, dental nurses will also be allowed to carry out preventive programmes. This means that hygienists and therapists will be permitted to carry out their full scope of practice without pre- scription and without the patient having to see a dentist first. Orthodontic therapists should continue to carry out the major- ity of their work under the pre- scription of a dentist, but can carry out Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) screen- ing without the patient having to see a dentist first. Clinical dental technicians should continue to see patients direct for the provision and main- tenance of full dentures only and should otherwise carry out their other work on the prescription of a dentist. With Evlynne Gilvarry com- menting that much has already been done in anticipation of the Direct Access vote being passed, 1st May has been confirmed as the implementation date. Chair of the GDC Kevin O’Brien said: “This decision has been made with patient safety as an upmost priority. Registrants treating patients direct must only do so if appropriately trained, competent and indemnified. They should also ensure that there are adequate onward re- ferral arrangements in place and they must make clear to the pa- tient the extent of their scope of practice and not work beyond it.” The British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN), the UK’s only professional association for dental nurses, welcomed the recent decision by the General Dental Council (GDC) to remove the barriers to Direct Access for Dental Care Professionals (DCPs). For dental nurses, this de- cision means that, from 1 May 2013, they can participate in pre- ventative programmes without the patient having to see a den- tist first, providing that they are trained, competent and indemni- fied for any tasks they undertake, work within their scope of prac- tice and follow the GDC’s “Stand- ards for Dental Professionals”. BADN President Nicola Do- cherty said: “BADN welcomes this decision to allow patients direct access to dental care pro- fessionals. We are particularly pleased that dental nurses with appropriate Oral Health qualifi- cations will now be able to make full use of their skills. “However, we do draw dental nurses’ attention to the fact that if they are doing so they MUST be trained, competent and indem- nified for any tasks they under- take. It is a dental nurses’ own responsibility to ensure that s/he is fully indemnified, and BADN strongly suggest that this indem- nity includes cover of legal fees in the event of any professional misconduct charge. BADN Full members, whose indemnity cov- er is included in their member- ship, must inform our indemnity providers if they undertake addi- tional tasks. Non-members, par- ticularly those who are covered (or think they are covered) by their employers’ indemnity cov- er (including so-called “crown indemnity”), should check that this cover is indeed in place and adequate (for both their own pro- tection and that of their patients) and, if they are in any doubt, con- sider joining BADN, their profes- sional association. “It is also worthy of note that DCPs are not obliged to offer Di- GDC vote for Direct Access New era for hygienists and therapists as vote allows patients to see them without dentist prescription page 2DTà