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GDC Launches Revalidation Consultation

admin — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:04:48 +0000

The General Dental Council (GDC) has opened its new 12 week consultation into revalidation. The aim of the revalidation is to provide a way of checking that dentists continue to meet GDC. The issue that the GDC’s Fitness to Practise proceedings has had in the past is that it is assumed dental professionals are continuing to meet its standards, unless the regulator receives information which suggests otherwise. The GDC have admitted that this is not good enough. The GDC plans to introduce revalidation for dentists in 2014: they have stated that the revalidation will simply build on the current requirements for continuing professional development and will provide an opportunity for those in difficulty to identify and tackle any problems before they become serious. A standards and evidence framework will set out the standards dentists must meet under the four domains of clinical, management and leadership, communication and professionalism. The framework will also set out the evidence which will be acceptable to demonstrate compliance with each standard. Dentists will gather this evidence over five years, and revalidate at the end of each cycle. The GDC are proposing a three-stage process at the end of each cycle: • Stage 1 – compliance check, which will apply to all dentists; • Stage 2 – remediation phase, which will provide an opportunity to dentists who do not pass Stage 1 to remedy deficiencies; • Stage 3 – in-depth assessment, which will apply to dentists who fail to demonstrate compliance at the end of the remediation phase. The proposals aim to avoid over-regulation by making as much use of existing and developing quality systems. The consultation takes into account the findings of an earlier consultation, research and pilots carried out in 2009. Chair of the GDC’s Revalidation Working Group and Council Member, Denis Toppin said: “We are keen to get feedback from a range of stakeholders including registrants, patients, organisations representing the interests of patients and providers of quality initiatives. We want to make sure we get it right for the dentists we regulate. As a practising GDP I want the GDC to keep the extra regulatory burden to a minimum whilst maximising patient protection. We need you to get involved and have your say on our proposals so that you can help us to get them right and have the confidence of the public and professionals alike.” Sourced by Dental Tribune

Employers clamping down on dental visits

admin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:16:52 +0000

The percentage of companies that believe dental benefits improve employee morale has risen from 51% in 2008 to 67% in 2010. Similarly, the fact that employees might not be able to afford to maintain their oral health is increasingly a concern to companies, as this has risen from 41% in 2008 to 49% in 2010. Finally, the number of companies that believe dental benefits help to reduce sickness absence has risen from 30% in 2008 to 66% in 2010.

With this in mind, and given that dental care appears to be more important to employees and employer alike, are companies becoming more flexible when allowing dental visits during work time. The answer is a resounding no, and in fact, companies are becoming a lot stricter monitoring this.
One in ten of companies now discourage any visits to the dentist during working hours compared to 4% last year. Only 37% of companies believe it is up to the individual when they choose to visit the dentist compared to 53% last year. This could be a reflection of the increasing pressure on workplaces to keep people at work during these difficult financial times, and a further indication of the need for benefits such as dental to enable employees the option of visiting private dentists during out of office hours.

This research was conducted by Opinion Matters using an online fieldwork methodology. Opinion Matters surveyed 250 HR Managers and 1,005 working adults between 24 February and 4 March 2010. Respondents were invited to participate from a nationally representative online access panel. All research carried out adhered to the latest Market Research Society Codes of Conduct and is fully compliant with the Data Protection Act 1998, ensuring respondent anonymity.

Source: Simply Health

Meet the Chief Dental Officer for England.

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:34:13 +0000

Whether you work in the Dentistry Profession in the UK or are a member of the public, you may well like to know who is the NHS Chief Dental Officer, and a little more about him!
Mr.Barry Cockcroft is the Chief Dental Officer for England. In the past held the posts of Acting Chief Dental Officer and Deputy Chief Dental Officer, having joined the Department of Health in November 2002. Before this he worked for 27 years in NHS general practice. So he has a real pedigree and experience in his field.

The position of Chief Dental Officer, as it states, means that in the role you are the Industry’s top man. You are the most senior dental advisor to the Government. Having said that you can’t blame the role on the Government’s failings in the NHS sector at the moment. The NHS know what they want, whether the Government helps or does as it says, is another matter.

Barry qualified from Birmingham Dental School in 1973. Before he was apointed as DCDO he served on the Warwickshire Local Dental Committee as Chairman and Secretary. He was Chairman of the West Midlands Association of LDCs, and was elected to the General Dental Services Committee (GDSC) of the British Dental Association in 1990. Barry also served on many subcommittees and working groups of the GDSC before being elected Vice-Chairman in 2000.

Away from dental politics, Barry was the clinical lead in developing and running a first wave personal dental service in Rugby which was based on capitation as a method of remuneration in NHS general practice.
Mr.Cockroft is marrried with 3 children.

Dental Workers May Risk Exposure to Beryllium

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:49:20 +0000

The health hazards posed by exposure to the metal beryllium were once mainly associated with workers in the nuclear, electronics, and aircraft industries. However, the element may also pose risks to dental technicians who handle dental crowns and bridges composed of beryllium—nickel alloys.

Dental laboratory technicians must often grind, finish, and machine beryllium—containing metals, producing small beryllium dust particles that can lodge in the lungs. We now know that workplace exposure to beryllium can lead to chronic beryllium disease, a painful scarring of the lung tissue. Considered carcinogenic, beryllium may also cause lung cancer, skin rashes, and other ailments.

Although the potential problems of beryllium exposure in the dental industry were known for many years, it was not until 1993 that a case of chronic beryllium disease in a dental laboratory technician was documented in a scientific journal (Kotloff, R.M., P.S. Richman et al., (1993) Am Rev Respir Dis 147(1) 205—7).The researchers suspected that the technician had chronic beryllium disease based on clinical, radiographic and histological studies. They confirmed the diagnosis by using a beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test, known as BeLPT. Recently, a medical researcher spoke out about another case of chronic beryllium disease in a dental laboratory technician (Dr. Lee Newman, Head, Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, letter dated January 30, 2001). The technician had sandblasted metal alloys containing beryllium; cut the metal pieces with a high—speed lathe; and removed the bubbles with a handheld electric grinder and burr. She performed this work repeatedly over a period of eight years while wearing only a paper dust mask.

Use of metal alloys at dental laboratories

In a survey of 51 dental laboratories in the Cleveland, Ohio area, 11 laboratories indicated that they used beryllium alloys, 27 said that they did not, and 13 refused to respond (Ohio Citizen Action Survey, February 21, 2001). An informal study by the same group showed that many dental suppliers did not provide the laboratories with adequate information about beryllium health hazards in their Material Safety Data Sheets, forms required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA (Ohio Citizen Action, letter dated February 21, 2001).

This study, although limited in scope, illustrates the need for better monitoring of the dental industry. Because of the serious health problems associated with beryllium, it is important that dental laboratory workers be correctly informed about the hazards of beryllium dust and fumes. Safety precautions such as the use of respirators and advanced ventilation systems are necessary not only in large manufacturing companies, but also in the dental laboratory.

For full article please visit : chronicberylliumdisease.com/news/nw_060101-dentist.htm