Junior health minister Ben Gummer MP has told Parlaiment that the Government recognises the need for ‘immediate reform’ of healthcare regulation but did not offer any explicit commitments to give the matter parliamentary time. BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said:  “It’s good to see warm words on regulatory reform, but what we really need is a timetable”.

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Read more: Parliament promised reform of health regulators

The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) has reported on the findings of its special investigation into concerns about the General Dental Council (GDC) raised with them by a whistleblower, who they did not name. In their report, running to 306 pages, they said that the independence of the GDC’s Investigating Committee were jeopardised by various ‘objectionable practices’ that had not been corrected. The BDA has called on the GDC chair ‘to go’.

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Read more: PSA issues damning report on GDC

The first 'pay what you feel' dentist scheme in England has launched in Dewsbury, which has been chosen as the pilot for international charity Dentaid, who want to help improve the dental care of people in need in the area. Dewsbury Dental Centre will see homeless people, migrants, low wage workers and vulnerable adults who are suffering pain. Patients can pay whatever they can afford.

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Read more: Dentaid comes to rescue – in Dewsbury

The oral health of US citizens is not better than the English, and there are consistently wider educational and income oral health inequalities in the US compared with England. This is according to research carried out by a team from Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, and published in the Christmas edition of BMJ.

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Read more: US teeth worse than British say UK researchers

Food Standards Scotland has issued a report which makes the case for reducing the consumption of discretionary foods and drinks, which are high in calories and low in nutritional value, to make significant and measurable improvements to diet and health. The British Dental Association (BDA) has welcomed this reminder of the urgent need to curb our addiction to sugar which accounts for nearly a third of primary 1 children having tooth decay.

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Read more: Scottish diet must change