Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download
ePaper created 2016-05-27, 08:08:36 | version 1.38.0
Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 4+5/2016 04 UK NEWS Dentistry in the UK is going to change significantly in the next ten years, according to dental consult- ant Chris Barrow. At his presenta- tion in Birmingham as part of the Dentistry Show’s Dental Business Theatre, he recently discussed the most important developments that UK dentists can likely expect in the not-so-distant future.DentalTribune had the opportunity to speak with him in advance. Dental Tribune: Mr Barrow, in your speech, you are going to address some of the trends that dentists in theUKwillhavetolookoutforinthe years to come. What are the most important developments that will change how dentistry is run,in your opinion? Chris Barrow: The first impor- tant issue in my opinion is that 85 per cent of NHS dentistry will be delivered by larger corporates. The mirror image of that is that the number of small practices will continue to decline. I am predict- ing that the number of small inde- pendently owned NHS and mixed practiceswilldramaticallyreduce, as we have seen in the pharma- ceutical and other health care in- dustries. Wewillalsoseeproceduresbeing increasingly delivered by auxiliary dental care professionals. This trend is going to be supported by the Department of Health, be- cause of the economics involved in having lower-cost people provide more dental services. So I think those with a dental qualification are going to find that more and more of their historic scope of practice will be moved down the line to less-qualified people. Where do you see the private sector heading? At a conservative estimate, we can expect the private dentistry market to reach £5 billion before 2026. Once again, I am suggesting that maybe two-thirds of that market share will be delivered by larger organisations. This will in- clude a number of retailers, super- markets and other private health care groups. It well may be that pa- tients buy dental care in depart- ment stores and supermarkets, as you can now in House of Fraser or Sainsbury’s. However, that still leaves 40 per cent of that £5 billion market deliv- ered by smaller private independ- ently owned practices. That is still the same size as the NHS budget for the whole country today. A pos- itive perspective. There will be still plenty of business around. What will the most likely effects of this development be? It is estimated that there are cur- rently around 10,000 independ- ently owned practices in the UK andmypredictionisthatthisnum- ber will be reduced to 2,000, many of which will aggregate to smaller private micro-corporates. This is a trend that we are already seeing. I also see the development of a new type of career pathway for the young dentist coming out of the foundation years, who will serve a significant amount of time as a salaried apprentice in a prac- tice before receiving the opportu- nity to become an associate. Thisapprenticedentistwillspend four days a week in a private prac- tice seeing his or her own patients and one day a week shadowing the principal.Theprincipalishisorher clinicaldirectorandmentor,teach- ing him or her dentistry and how to communicate with the patients. Many of my clients are already ad- vertising apprenticeships. Innovation in dentistry is increas- ingly technology driven. What will the impact of digital dentistry on dental practice be? More and more of the manufac- turing processes within dentistry are going to move into a digital environment, as is the supply of dentistry. Already, we have digital equipment that guides the place- ment of implants, for example. At the moment, that guidance is givento clinicians.However,I won- der how long it will be before the guidance is given from one ma- chinetoanother.Scientifically,some may argue that is going to produce aconsistentlymoreaccurateresult. Digital dentistry in the UK is slowerontheuptakethantherestof theworld.Unfortunately,oneofthe legacies of the McCarthyism that has been going on in the General Dental Council over the last few years is that the number of early adopters and innovators in den- tistryhasbeendrasticallyreduced. There are dentists in the UK who are innovating in the digital seg- ment, but they are few and far be- tween. The regulatory cloud will passandinnovationandearlyadop- tionintheUKwillregainitsrhythm. Iamworkingwithpracticesthatare innovating in the digital marketing segment and I predict massive growthresultingfromthat. Considering all the predictions you have made, what are the most im- portant future recommendations for anyone thinking about going into dentistry? My first advice would be that in tenyearstherewillbenosuchthing as a general dentist with a full den- tal qualification. The objective of having a dental qualification will betobecomeaspecialistandifyou do not want to become a specialist, youmightaswellqualifyasanaux- iliary dental care professional. Secondly, and I am borrowing the words of Russell Brand (with acknowledgment to my friend Dr Colin Campbell), the bejewelled bus of privilege has left. Going into dentistry in order to finance your propertyportfolio,tobuyaPorsche, to get rich in general is going to become less attractive to graduates. Dentistsintheprivatesectorarego- ing to be paid well but not as well as inthefirstdecadeofthetwenty-first century. Entering the private sector willbetheprivilegeofthefew. My last recommendation is that you had better go digital—which I observe is easy for many young dentists because they are digital natives by demographic. On a general note, I am optimis- tic about the future of independent private practice in the UK. I would say that if you are inter- ested in delivering complex and skil- ful care in an excellent environment to an appreciative audience of pa- tients, utilising the very latest digital technology,thereisafantasticoppor- tunityinthenexttenyears.Iamlook- ingforwardtobeingapartofthat. Thank you very much for the inter- view. “Thebejewelledbusofprivilegehasleft” An interview with dental consultant Chris Barrow, 7connections Chris Barrow Barrow presenting at the Dentistry Show in Birmingham last month. “...intenyearstherewill benosuchthingas ageneraldentistwitha fulldentalqualification.” DTUK0416_04_Barrow 25.05.16 10:17 Seite 1 DTUK0416_04_Barrow 25.05.1610:17 Seite 1