Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

United Kingdom Edition January 21-27, 20136 News L eading New Zealand dentist Dr Andrea Shep- person will be hosting a full day lecture on 22nd March at Chandos House, London, discussing Dental Erosion: Re- storative Management of the Worn Dentition. Dr Shepperson believes that erosive tooth wear is of- ten overlooked by general practitioners, and that a care- ful history needs to be part of a thorough clinical assess- ment in cases of tooth wear. Dr Shepperson has de- veloped a special interest in restoring dentitions affected by erosive wear. Initial diag- nosis, implementing preven- tive strategies with a hygiene team, conservative minimally invasive restorative options, and reconstruction of the smile and restoration of the entire arch are all aspects of her work. Further information is available at www.shepper- soneducation.com/London. html DT Discussion of dental erosion at London event T he pension entitle- ments of training prac- tices in England and Wales have finally been har- monised and clarified, and new pensions guidance has been published by the NHS- BSA, the National Health Ser- vice Business Services Au- thority. Training practices have three separate income streams arising from: • A training grant paid to the training dentist • The reimbursement of the vocational trainee salary • Service costs paid to the practice PCTs and Boards were ini- tially operating without any guidance leading to confusion around which aspects of the practice income were sub- ject to superannuation. Early last year, guidance was intro- duced on the NHSBSA website for the first time, but it was still confusing. David Paul, a Chartered Ac- countant and NASDAL mem- ber led the campaign to im- prove the pension guidance, working closely with NHSBSA to develop a document which is clear to both dentists and health authorities. In relation to the pen- sion entitlement of a training practice, David said that from April of this year onwards: • The training grant is 100 per cent pensionable • The vocational trainee sal- ary is also pensionable but is not to be included on the ARR • Service costs are not pen- sionable and must not be in- cluded on the ARR. David said he has worked with four training practices within different health au- thority areas during 2011- 2012. Two of the practices had been successful in having their service costs superannu- ated while the other two were refused. He said: “This incon- sistent treatment is indicative of a lack of understanding. The new guidance now sheds welcome light on superan- nuation treatment for training practices.” DT New pension clarity for training practices