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New Coalition Government To Review Its Dental Inheritance

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:40:15 +0000

The new dentistry minister (the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health with responsibility for dentistry) has confirmed that the government will review the details of the NHS dental system which was inherited from the previous government. Mr Howe also confirmed that the government’s proposed reforms will be declared once they have talked to the profession and patient groups. His comments were said during the Queen’s Speech Debate in the House of Lords, in response to a speech by Lord Colwyn, a dental surgeon and Conservative Peer. Lord Colwyn spoke of dentistry as being at ‘another crossroads’. He said that the decisions made in this Parliament to transform the delivery of NHS dentistry will be “extremely important. We have been left with an unfinished reform following the 2009 Steele review. We must grasp this opportunity if we are to improve the oral health of the nation”. Lord Colwyn, who is also an officer of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dentistry (to which the BDA is elected secretariat), said that the challenge of reforming dentistry—to deliver a better system both for patients and dentists— comes at a time when tough financial decisions are to be made across all Whitehall departments. He also welcomed the coalition government’s commitment in their programme for government.“The acknowledgement of dentistry in this document is very positive and much needed,” he said. He also alluded to the extra regulation that dentists will have to adhere to as both NHS and private practices will have to be registered with the Care Quality Commission by the end of March next year. Lord Colwyn called the challenges ‘threefold’. “First, the Government must complete the unfinished reforms, learning from the mistakes of the much criticised 2006 contract—in particular, avoiding the failure properly to pilot change. The contract was so disastrous that it initially saw access fall dramatically. Only in the past six months has access climbed back to the level it was at in 2006. I am delighted that the government have committed to pilot any changes. “Secondly, we must pursue consistently high-quality commissioning of primary dental care. Some PCTs perform well, but many have room for improvement. They must be properly supported in their work, particularly by ensuring that they employ or have access to dental practice advisers and dental public health expertise. “Thirdly, there must be a commitment o tackling oral health nequalities to close the unacceptable chasm which exists between those with good and poor oral health as highlighted in the British Dental Association’s general election manifesto, Smiles all round,” he said. He ended his speech saying: “the coalition has made it clear that dentistry is a priority. The task now is to work out the detail with the profession, to deliver real change for patients and dentists.” DT

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

Huge rise in oral cancer for middle aged.

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:46:10 +0000

Rates of oral cancers, such as cancers of the mouth, tongue and lip, have increased by around a quarter in the past decade among people in their 40s, according to figures from Cancer Research UK today.

Oral cancer is largely a preventable disease with tobacco and alcohol use being the main risk factors.

Cancers caused by smoking often take up to 30 years to develop, so tobacco is less likely to be the main reason behind the increase in oral cancer in people in their 40s compared with older people.

And since smoking rates have gone down and alcohol consumption has gone up, experts believe the increase in oral cancer rates could mainly be down to drinking.

Other risk factors that could have helped to fuel the rise in this age group include a diet low in fruit and vegetables, and a sexually transmitted infection called the human papillomavirus (HPV).

Oral cancer rates in the UK for men in their 40s have gone up by 28 per cent since the mid 1990s, and rates for women in their 40s have increased by 24 per cent in the same period.

For both men and women of all ages, oral cancer rates have increased by more than 45 per cent since records began in 1975.

Hazel Nunn, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “These latest figures are really alarming.

“Around three quarters of oral cancers are thought to be caused by smoking and drinking alcohol.

“Tobacco is, by far, the main risk factor for oral cancer, so it’s important that we keep encouraging people to give up and think about new ways to stop people taking it up in the first place.

“But for people in their 40s, it seems that other factors are also contributing to this jump in oral cancer rates.

“Alcohol consumption has doubled since the 1950s and the trend we are now seeing is likely to be linked to Britain’s continually rising drinking levels.

“It’s possible that HPV and diet are also playing a role, and the evidence – particularly for the role of HPV – is growing.”

Each year in the UK around 5,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer and around 1,800 people die from the disease. Oral cancers include those of the lip, tongue, mouth, parts of the pharynx and piriform sinus. Around a third of oral cancers are diagnosed in the mouth and a slightly lower proportion on the tongue.

The most common signs of oral cancer are ulcers, sores, red or white patches in the mouth that last longer than three weeks and unexplained pain in the mouth or ear.

Hazel Nunn added: “The good news is that oral cancer can be treated successfully if it’s caught early enough. It’s important that people go to the dentist regularly and report any symptoms to their GP or dentist without delay.”

Source:
Cancer Research Uk

Histopathologic image illustrating well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma in the excisional biopsy specimen.

Image Free courtesy of wikipedia:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Oral_cancer_%281%29_squamous_cell_carcinoma_histopathology.jpg