In this GDPUK exclusive interview, Guy Tuggle talks to Dental Therapist Eleanor Ridge about her recent trip to Malawi with Dentaid.

The Charity helps dental students, dentists and their families when they face hardship, supporting those who do not have the funds to pay for some of the normal things in life, ranging from contributions towards food and daily living costs, funds to improve the quality of life for those retired due to ill health, to more specific needs like paying someone’s annual retention fee or indemnity, to help them get back on their feet and into the profession.

Five dental business consultants are taking on their ultimate challenge, cycling almost 1,000 miles in fifteen days to raise funds for three wonderful charities – Cancer Research, Bridge2Aid and BrushUpUK. Chris Barrow, Les Jones, Sheila Scott, Simon Tucker and Ashley Latter have set themselves an ambitious target; between them they’re hoping to raise £50,000. The team has been sponsored by four industry stalwarts – Practice Plan, Dental Sky, Wesleyan and Dental Focus.

Explaining why they chose these three charities, Ashley commented, “We will all be touched in some way by cancer in our lives, so supporting the work of Cancer Research is something everyone can get behind.  We’ve also chosen two special charities within the dental sector.  Bridge2Aid does amazing work in Africa training local medical officers to carry out basic dentistry and, as a result, helps thousands of people out of pain and suffering.  BrushUpUK is a charity that believes that everyone should have the knowledge and skills to access and maintain a good standard of oral health and works with professionals within the sector to provide education and guidance to vulnerable groups in society”.

A fundraising page has been created for anyone who would like to support the challenge. 

Additionally, you may like to challenge yourself and join the five for a leg or a day of the journey. Dust off your cleats, dab on your chamois cream and join the team! There are five places available for each day. For more information, or to make a donation, visit www.fivegoforth.co.uk.

A week ago saw Sheffield host its third Dental Charity Ball, in support of Dentaid – a charity that supports people, both here in the UK and around the globe, to gain access to quality dental care.

The evening was attended by many dentists as well as those wanting to kick off the festive season whilst supporting a great cause. Mr John Elkins, Finance Director at Dentaid, gave a talk on their work before Dr Barry Oulton, from Haslemere Dental Centre, and Helen Everatt, from S4S Dental Laboratory, hosted games, pulled raffles and opened the dance floor. Organised by S4S Dental Laboratory, Smilelign clear aligners, 4Health, and John Holland prestige car dealership, the event raised over £2500 for the charity, and will be used to help equip, treat and educate where the need is the greatest.

Watch the video of the event here, generously donated by True Glass Film.

s4sdental.com/charityball2017/

Spare a thought for those within the profession who are struggling with financial difficulties this Christmas. Circumstances can change suddenly for many reasons, leaving families feeling the pinch and less than cheery as the festivities get underway. 

BDA Benevolent Fund offers additional financial support at this time of year to ensure that families don’t miss out. 

If you, or a dentist you know, are facing financial difficulties, please contact BDA Benevolent Fund, in confidence, on 020 7486 4994, or visit www.bdabenevolentfund.org.uk for more information. 

The charity relies on donations.  To donate, please visit www.justgiving.com/bdabenevolentfund or send a cheque, payable to ‘BDA Benevolent Fund’, at BDA Benevolent Fund, 64 Wimpole Street London W1G 8YS. Every £1 donated goes directly to a dentist and their family in crisis so your help really does support someone in need.”

The BDA Benevolent Fund wishes you a fantastic festive season, and thanks everyone who has supported them throughout the year.

24^th November 2017

The Mecure, St Pauls Hotel & Spa, Sheffield

Now in its third year, Sheffield’s 2017 Dental Charity Ball is nearly upon us!

With much fun to be had, including a magician, an obligatory photobooth, and games to be played, this year see’s the ball support a fantastic charity that promotes dental health both here in the UK, and across the globe. Working to provide access to safe and affordable dental care for those in the poorest communities, Dentaid  provides equipment, volunteers and training. Every penny raised from the ball goes directly to Dentaid, who will also be attending to help educate those attending of the great works that they and their volunteers do.

A video from the 2016 ball below!

With tickets costing £45 per person, or just £400 for a table of ten, it is a great event for all to attend, whether as your Christmas party or simple as a festive, charitable knees up!

Set up and supported by S4S Dental Laboratory, 4Health, one80 Dental, and John Holland, you can book your tickets at s4sdental.com/charityball2017. For more information on the charity, visit dentaid.org.

Bridge2Aid is gearing up for its national fundraising day – Smile in Pink. This is a day during National Smile Month when people in the UK dental community come together to wear pink and fairy wings proudly for a very good cause – to ensure millions in East Africa have access to safe emergency dental treatment.

This year, the event will take place on 2^nd of June and Bridge2Aid is rounding up businesses, organisations, dental practices and supporters to join forces with thousands of others who believe that everyone has the right to be pain-free.

Imagine suffering with a painful toothache for months or years; the pain being so great you miss work or struggle caring for your family. Or imagine your child in pain and not able to attend school. Then imagine having no access to safe dental care.

In fact, more than 70% of the world’s population has no access to the most simple dental pain relief, leaving billions to face a daily battle in the toughest of life circumstances. There is a desperate need to tackle oral disease, infection and chronic pain in communities throughout the developing world.

The money raised during Smile in Pink Day 2017 will fund emergency dental training programmes for rural health workers in the developing world, so that they can provide life-changing dental care in their communities.

“Every year on Smile in Pink Day, friends and supporters from around the world help to change and save lives – freeing millions in East Africa from the prospect of unnecessary pain and suffering caused by untreated oral disease and infections”, said Mark Topley, Bridge2Aid's CEO.

He continued, “This event really brings the dental community together and provides fantastic support for the work the whole Bridge2Aid family delivers in East Africa.”

About Smile in Pink Day

Since 2014, Smile in Pink Day has seen thousands of people in the dental community come together during National Smile Month to wear pink and fundraise for Bridge2Aid’s work. The theme this year is fairy wings and fairy cakes, and the money raised will provide intensive, practical training in emergency dental skills to existing health workers in East Africa – ensuring those in the poorest communities are able to function free from unnecessary pain, and avoid the risk of preventable infections and diseases.

About Bridge2Aid

Bridge2Aid is a UK-registered charity that aims to provide emergency dental training to rural health workers in East Africa. Since 2002, Bridge2Aid has had a big impact, having delivered 83 training programmes in Tanzania and Rwanda, as well as having successfully trained 461 government health workers, providing access to emergency dental treatment for over 4.6 million people.

Our vision is a world free of dental pain and our work provides long-term, lasting solutions by passing skills into local hands. For more information, visit www.bridge2aid.org and follow @Bridge2Aid on Twitter.

To register for Smile in Pink Day 2017 and get your participant kit, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For more information, visit www.bridge2aid.org

On November 4th 2016, GDPUK hosted a conference for our members in Manchester. The day was a fantastic success both educationally as well as socially and the feedback we received was incredibly positive. 
 

We were extremely proud to host event that was different in style than your “normal” dental event and we believe that was also something that made a difference to the atmosphere on the day. Thanks again to everyone who attended, our excellent speakers for making the day so enjoyable and our sponsors who supported the day and continue to support GDPUK. 
 

We have now made two charitable donations following the event:-

• £600 went to a Manchester based charity, close to the Jacobs family, named Prevent, a cancer research organisation, it used to be named Genesis. www.preventbreastcancer.org.uk
• £400 went to British Dental Association Benevolent Fund, a charity which many of you will know, which supports dental people in times of hardship. www.bdabenevolentfund.org.uk

For 2017, we will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of GDPUK, and we are planning a bigger, even more exciting event in Manchester on Friday November 17th – Please put this date in your diary! More details to follow in next few weeks.

GDPUK.com is a social media site for dentists run by a dentist, Tony Jacobs. Established since 1997, there are over 10,000 dental professionals who have joined the community, they use the site to read dental news and blogs, as well as reading and contributing to the GDPUK forum where there have been over 250,000 posts since 2008! GDPUK is a fantastic resource for dentists and a great place to learn about as well as share your own opinion on important matters within UK dentistry.

Rentokil Initial – of which Initial Medical is a subsidiary – is thrilled to have raised more than £100,000 for the company’s chosen charity, Malaria No More UK, in the past three years!

The company and its employees achieved this fantastic milestone through a wide variety of events and fundraising activities. From marathons to car washes, Pestaurant challenges to car boot sales, and even a gruelling three-day cycle ride from the Rentokil Initial HQ in Camberley to Paris. 

Phill Wood, Managing Director – UK, Ireland, Baltics & Rest of World, Rentokil Initial  – commented: “As a global leader in pest control and washroom hygiene, Malaria No More UK is an important organisation for Rentokil Initial to support. We are delighted to contribute to such a great cause and our colleagues look forward to taking part in further challenges in the future.”

Malaria No More UK is part of the global effort to wipe out malaria and there has been phenomenal progress in recent years with deaths from malaria slashed by 60% since 2000. The charity works to save lives by building business partnerships; encouraging governments to place malaria at the top of their international development agendas, and through investing in lifesaving malaria control programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa, currently in Kenya and Namibia.

Proud to have broken through the £100,000 milestone, Rentokil Initial remains committed to raising donations for such a worthy cause in 2017!

For further information please visit www.initial.co.uk/medical

Initial Medical is a division of Rentokil Initial plc.

About Initial Medical

Initial Medical is an expert in healthcare waste management, providing a complete collection, disposal and recycling service for hazardous and non-hazardous waste and offensive waste produced by businesses and organisations within the UK.

The safe management of healthcare waste is vital to ensure your activities are not a risk to human health.  Initial Medical’s healthcare waste services ensure that all of your waste is stringently handled in compliance with legislation and in accordance with Safe Management of Healthcare Waste best practice guidelines, providing you with the peace of mind that you are adhering to current legislation.

At this year’s showcase, A-dec gave delegates the opportunity to take part in their Chair Building Puzzle, for a chance win a pair of A-dec stools.

The worthy winner was a member of Leidos – the  procurement team for the MOD – and, selflessly, they opted not to accept the stools, but asked for a donation to a brilliant charity instead.

And, of course, A-dec was more than happy to help out.

Therefore, in lieu of the stools, A-dec will be making a £1,000 donation to Paul King’s ‘Brave the Shave’ challenge, in support of Macmillan cancer support. Paul had  his hair and beard shaved completely off in order to raise money. This is a great cause which will help those who have been affected by this terrible disease.

The whole team at A-dec are humbled by Leidos’ show of generosity – and wish Paul all the best in his challenge. Let’s hope it doesn’t get too cold!

For more information about A-dec Dental UK Ltd, visit

www.a-dec.co.uk or call on 0800 2332 85

BioHorizons is proud to announce that, Ken O’Brien, General Manager for the UK & Ireland, has raised over £3,200 by cycling from Malin Head ? Ireland’s most northerly point ? to Mizen Head in the south, in support of DKMS, an international charity dedicated to the fight against blood cancer.

Ken’s fiancée’s father sadly passed away from mantle cell non Hodgkin Lymphoma. His bravery spurred Ken on to raise awareness of blood cancer and to increase understanding of the need for stem cell donors On average, 72 people are diagnosed with blood cancer every day in the UK. What’s more, 2,000 people per year need a donor and only 50% of them will find a suitable match. If you can, please spread the message about stem cell donation among your colleagues, friends and families.

To make a donation, please go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Phelim-Shields. Ken, his fiancée Roisin Shields and DKMS would like to thank everyone for their kind support and donations. For further information, please visit www.dkms.org.uk or www.biohorizons.com. 

When experts were compiling this year’s annual World Happiness Report, they took a number of different variables into account to judge a population’s happiness. GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, freedom from corruption and generosity were all part of the equation.¹
 

Of all these factors, generosity was consistently recorded to have one of the highest positive affects on the population and to produce the lowest negative overall effect. To evaluate a country’s level of generosity, participants were asked, “Have you donated to charity in the past month?”
 

The UK is, according to these results, the 21^st happiest country in the world.[1] Since the UK Giving Report 2014, 57% of adults in this country are regularly donating to charities – to a sum of around £10.6 billion.[2] So how does giving to those in need correlate to happiness?
 

Research has shown that people who are giving money to charity exhibit heightened brain activity – particularly in the ventral striatum and tegmental parts of our brain. These areas are closely linked to the experience of positivity  and our physiological reward system and the processing of emotional output from the amygdala.[3] What this means is that the act of donation triggers a chemical reaction in our brains that produces a sense of reward and positive emotion. Not only this, but it is well documented that those who regularly give feel healthier both physically and mentally.[4]
 

If giving blindly encourages optimism, imagine how good it would feel knowing that you have helped a fellow colleague, peer or even quite possibly, someone you know. Because the BDA Benevolent Fund has been providing this type of vital support since its establishment in 1882, the team are more than aware of the gratitude felt by all of its beneficiaries.
 

When speaking about the Fund, one recipient, who shall remain anonymous for confidentiality reasons, put this into context: “I treasure every action and gesture from people who have helped me and the children cope with cruelty and hardship. Your help means a great deal to me. I will never forget it.”
 

For others, the work of the Fund and the thanks felt towards dentists who donate is seen as more than a helping hand, it has saved their lives.
 

“To be perfectly honest, before I met the general manager, I was seriously considering suicide. I had a very low opinion of the human race, but your response to me has made me reconsider that there are still some decent human beings after all.”
 

But most of all, the financial support that the BDA Benevolent Fund provides is the answer when all other channels have failed. “Please accept my heartfelt thanks for giving me an emergency grant. I’m truly not sure how I would have managed otherwise.”
 

By offering essential monetary assistance to dentists and their families during difficult or unexpected financial hardships, the Fund helps many dental professionals get their lives back on track. While it may feel good to give, offering a sense of reward and pride in aiding those less fortunate, donating is essentially about one thing – improving the lives of those in need.
 

Before Dr. T needed to take time off work to have life-saving surgery, I bet she’d never considered that one day she’d need financial support from the BDA Benevolent Fund. But after her husband left her and she was struggling to support two young children, the Fund offered assistance in her darkest hour. Now that Dr. T has a monthly grant to cover costs while she is recovering, and a loan to help pay for child-care costs accrued whilst she was in and out of hospital, it is not hard to guess how she feels about the Fund now.
 

For the good work to continue and to change more lives for the better, the Fund needs your donations. Entirely dependant on your generosity, the BDA Benevolent Fund asks for your help to make sure that your colleagues are not left alone in times of personal crisis.

Thank you.

The BDA Benevolent Fund relies on your help to continue its work,
so please contact us on 020 7486 4994 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
or to give a donation today go to www.bdabenevolentfund.org.uk.
 

And if you are in need of help yourself, please contact us now.

All enquiries are considered in confidence.

Registered charity no. 208146

As a Gold Unity Partner of Bridge2Aid, the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) is pleased to support the Kigurusimba Health Centre in the Pangani district, as part of the Dental Training Programme. 

Over the course of a six-day assessment, five Clinical Officers and the Bridge2Aid training team were able to treat a staggering 475 patients including Ndahane Mathias, a 37-year-old mother and farmer from Mkalamo village. 

Thanks to the provision of this treatment, Ndahane was able to have a tooth removed that had been plaguing her for a brutal three months.

By continuing to support the work of Bridge2Aid, deprived areas can be supplied with much needed equipment and training. Thanks to you, the Kigurusimba Health Centre and the five newly trained clinical officers – responsible for approximately 10,000 people – can deliver effective dental care that the local community needs. 

To find out how to donate, volunteer and support, contact ADG now: all together we can make a difference. 

For more information about the ADG visit  HYPERLINK "http://www.dentalgroups.co.uk" www.dentalgroups.co.uk

None of us can predict the future, and as a result, life can stop us in our tracks when we least expect it. Whether as a result of lifestyle choices such as smoking, poor diet and physical inactivity, or plain cruel misfortune, life-changing diseases can strike without any warning at all.
 

Dr. R discovered this for herself early last year after having a severe heart attack. She found that suffering from such a serious and unexpected health condition turned her life upside down.
 

Although the heart attack wasn't life threatening, Dr. R was in poor health and struggled with the after effects of undergoing a coronary artery bypass graft. Between recommended rest, implementing lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of reoccurrence and gradually restoring physical fitness, Dr. R had no choice but to take considerable time off work. Sadly, her husband also lost his job at this time and there wasn’t an income to support her husband and two young children; debt inevitably amassed.                                                                                               

Just as Dr. R had started to recover, her husband had a nervous breakdown.
 

Although after several months he managed to recover, he was unable to find employment. Between the responsibility of looking after her husband and children and dealing with the emotional and physical aftermath of her heart attack, Dr. R found it increasingly difficult to cope. When the situation started affecting her daughter with extended periods of depression and poor performance at school, she was unable to continue working as a dentist.

Eventually, her debts forced Dr. R to declare bankruptcy and sell her home. During this process her husband left her and their children and has not provided any financial support since.
 

Cases like this are more common than you think and by working together to provide financial support, the future for dentists like Dr. R – who is now a support teacher in a local school and feels brighter about her prospects – doesn't have to be bleak. Run by dentists for dentists, the BDA Benevolent Fund provides pecuniary support to current and former dentists and their families through all stages of their career and beyond. It relies on the generosity of dentists, dental organisations and companies to continue its work, so your help is critical.

By making a monetary donation or participating in fundraising events you could help a valuable cause. Thanks to the support of the profession, the BDA Benevolent Fund was able to help Dr. R, and who knows, maybe one day the Fund will help you.

The BDA Benevolent Fund relies on your help to continue its work,
so please contact us on 020 7486 4994 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
or to give a donation today go to www.bdabenevolentfund.org.uk.
 

And if you are in need of help yourself, please contact us now.

All enquiries are considered in confidence.

Registered charity no. 208146

In developing countries, oral health services are limited to regional or central hospitals in urban areas. Even where dental assistance can be found, little priority is given to preventative or restorative treatments; many African, Asian and Latin American countries solely offer pain relief or emergency services.
 

In Africa, there is a ratio of one dentist per 150,000 people – in developed countries it’s one per 2,000[1]. Sadly though, preventive dentistry is even more crucial to these remote areas of our world, because there are far fewer dentists to treat oral diseases. Dental pain is of course unpleasant for everyone but in the UK the inconvenience of booking and then attending an appointment is the main concern. However, for someone without access to dentistry, their suffering constitutes chronic pain, occupational and social limitations and can even be life threatening.
 

Most concerning is children’s oral health. Tooth decay is a widespread childhood disease, from which 60-90% of schoolchildren are suffering around the world[2]. A study across two decades from 1990 to 2010 in London, with close to 3 million subjects found that 20% of children had dental decay in their deciduous teeth[3]. In The Gambia, 86% of 5 year-olds have decay in four or five teeth and half of those clean their teeth with chewing sticks: the other half simply don’t clean their teeth at all. In Cambodia 93% of 6 year-olds average 9 teeth with cavities and 60% of mothers reported their children had suffered dental pain in the last six months.
 

Dental decay is a lifestyle-related disease that is increasing in the far reaches of the world where traditional diets are being replaced with cheaper, imported food products containing high levels of sucrose and carbohydrates. Also, junk food manufacturers vigorously campaign their products towards vulnerable groups, such as children. In the UK we have vastly improved levels of sugar consumption when compared to a country like Mexico, but it is still double the WHO recommendation of 18kg per person, per year.
 

Along with the spread of unhealthy eating habits, developing countries are contending with other exacerbating factors like lack of access to:

·      Fluoride – An average UK worker need only work for an hour to accrue enough fluoride toothpaste for a year, the average Kenyan would have to work for an entire week.

·      Dental clinicians – There are about a million practising dentists unevenly distributed around the world. They may be found in urban areas but there is a critical shortage in poor, remote areas.

·      Government healthcare funding – In some countries, government policies and the sheer number of people suffering with caries makes treatment virtually impossible. In India, the health budget is meagre for oral health and there is no fluoride policy. Moreover, preventive products like toothbrushes and toothpaste are classed as cosmetics and subject to hefty tax levies.

It’s frustrating to think that there are simple and cost-effective solutions for lifestyle change, which are not available to so many. A scheme that was introduced in Jamaica between 1987 and 1995 proved how simple a solution could be. The National Salt Foundation Program encouraged the country’s only salt provider to produce and sell only fluoridated salt. This led to an 87% decrease in schoolchildren’s dental caries, at a cost of just 6 cents per person, annually[4].
 

Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, is a mantra that Darren Weiss, dentist and founder of the Humble Smile Foundation holds close to his heart.
 

“The focus on prevention became a practice philosophy for me,” said Weiss. “I was actively lecturing dentists about the value of prevention, but I was troubled with one thought – if I truly wanted to apply my preventive expertise, why wasn’t I based where it is of the greatest value?”
 

In light of this, Weiss collaborated with local dental professionals to design an oral health outreach programme, called Planet Smile. The focus was to promote preventive dentistry in parts of the world where the need is greatest. When he visited the Humble Brush stand at the 2015 International Dental Show and learned of their sustainable, biodegradable bamboo toothbrushes, he found a like-minded organisation with an inspirational, environmental and social vision. By working together, The Humble Smile Foundation was born. Now, for every Humble Brush sold, a physical toothbrush or equivalent oral care is given to someone in need overseas.
 

The Humble Brush Foundation recently joined forces with Assyrians Without Borders, a group to which they have donated toothbrushes assisting the charity’s aid to Syrian refugees in Turkey. With more programmes in the pipeline for Iraq and Syria, the work of the Humble Smile Foundation and Humble Brush continues to reach out to global communities suffering unimaginable hardship.
 

Contact Humble Brush today, to discover how you can effect change in the far-flung reaches of the world, without even leaving your surgery.

For more information about the Humble Brush visit www.humblebrush.co.uk or to find out more about the Humble Smile Foundation’s work visit www.humblesmile.org

Follow us on Facebook, HumblebrushUK 

and Twitter

@HumbleBrush

Prince William recently addressed the Chinese population, citing that without action, rhinos and elephants could be extinct by the time Princess Charlotte reaches her 25^th birthday. Unfortunately, the giant panda is also among the top ten most endangered species in the world.

Although there is some good news – the Chinese government reports the population of endangered wild pandas has risen over 17% in just over a decade[i], they’re still extremely vulnerable. Greenpeace recently reported that Loggers in China’s southwest are destroying giant panda sanctuaries, chopping down more than 3,200 acres of natural forest in the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries[ii].

The elements of the initial endangerment of pandas are still very real today. Wild pandas have retreated into fragmented and constricted areas of central China, squeezed in by agriculture, mountains and arid lands where bamboo stocks dwindle in the winter months. With the added threat climate change poses to mountain ecosystems, it’s ever more vital to cultivate panda-friendly bamboo forests enabling them to move on if climate adversely affects the growth of bamboo in one particular region¹.

In the quest to protect the world’s wild pandas and make useful products in environmentally friendly materials, Phyllostachys edulis or Moso Bamboo, plays a key role. Known to grow up to 28 metres high at a rate of 1 metre per day[iii], it is the fastest growing, sustainable plant on earth. Its antibacterial qualities negate the need for pesticides during its growth and although it’s as strong as some metals, it’s also 100% biodegradable.

Moso leaves sprout at about 5 metres up and pandas don’t eat them because they can’t reach that high. But their diet is still mainly bamboo, which has little nutritional value, so an average panda requires 26 to 84 pounds per day. If Moso bamboo alone is used in the manufacture of building and consumer products, the further 42 species of bamboo pandas eat can be preserved and partly cultivated by themselves as they roam and disperse seeds naturally[iv].

The Humble Brush is a conservation and environmentally friendly toothbrush that utilises Moso bamboo’s admirable attributes – the handles are modelled out of this 100% biodegradable material. The Humble Brush helps reduce our plastic footprints by offering an alternative that is kind to our land and ecosystems. What’s more, for every Humble Brush sold, equivalent oral care is provided to people in need.

Help our environments, people and endangered species by choosing the Humble Brush toothbrush today.

For more information about the Humble Brush visit www.humblebrush.co.uk or to find out more about the Humble Smile Foundation’s work visit www.humblesmile.org

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

@HumbleBrush

The current refugee crisis in Syria has been brought to global prominence with the heart-breaking image of three year-old Aylan Kurdi, lifeless in the surf after a desperate, failed attempt with his family to flee his birthplace and strive for a better life in Europe.

The Washington Post summed up Aylan’s plight:

“…As refugees from the Islamic State and other turbulent parts of the world besiege Eurostar trains, crowd the French port of Calais, and die on the shores of Libya or in trucks in Austria, it’s clear that Aylan is just one of countless many[i].”

The tragedy of losing this little boy is the stark result of political upheaval, war and suffering in our neighbouring countries. These are ordinary people, like us, who have left behind families, jobs and homes they loved, due to dreadful circumstances way beyond their control. However, in trying to flee their nations, they risk losing their lives. In Syria, the crisis has reached monumental proportions – the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre states that half of the country’s 22 million population is either displaced within its borders or has fled overseas[ii].

European heads of government face the immediate and seemingly insurmountable task of accommodating thousands of desperate people arriving daily on flimsy dinghies at Greek shores. However, because communication lines are broken, it’s easy to forget that there are millions more displaced in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan. Here, communities are torn apart by war, persecution and unimaginable misery and having fled their homes, still remain in their home countries.

The International Rescue Committee depicted the experience of displacement by documenting refugees’ possessions in photos as they arrived on the Greek island of Lesbos. One 17 year-old Afghan boy simply had a change of clothes (shorts, a t-shirt and lightweight trainers), a small amount of Turkish Lira, SIM cards, a comb, bandages and, shamefully, face whitening cream and hair gel. He thought that by whitening his skin and spiking up his hair, the authorities wouldn’t know he’s a refugee and therefore, he wouldn’t be arrested[iii].

Can any of us really appreciate what it is like to be driven from home in a matter of hours, to then have your last remaining valuables stolen at checkpoints before another fifty-mile trek to relative safety? This is a typical experience relayed to Cardinal Vincent Nichols (Archbishop of Westminster) when he met displaced Christians living in makeshift camps in Erbil, Iraq, seeking refuge from ISIS violence. He is at pains to emphasise that it is crucial for these people in order to preserve their dignity by giving them a home, however makeshift and temporary it may be[iv].

Thankfully, this fate is extremely unlikely to beset those of us living in Europe, which is why we are in a position to help. Whilst David Cameron, Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin thrash out the political complexities within war-torn countries, the average person reflects, shelving the minutiae of day-to-day life to consider how their actions can make a difference.

Cardinal Nichols touched upon a very human element intrinsic to each and every one of the millions of displaced and resettling people around the world – the preservation of dignity is not only humane, it’s imperative. So, it follows that all of the items supplied to those in need have enormous value, however big and however small. In stable countries, everyday items including toiletries and oral health adjuncts are just taken for granted. But, what would it be like if we had no means to access those products for ourselves, if we no longer had the freedom to cater for the daily routines to which we’re accustomed?

The Humble Smile Foundation and Humble Brush teams are dedicated to providing eco friendly, sustainable, efficient toothbrushes wherever peoples’ needs are the greatest. There can be no argument that the displaced, in many cases only possessing the clothes on their backs, have needs that reach far beyond the imagination. In support of the work the charity Assyrians Without Borders undertakes, aiming to assess the mental health, understand the trauma and address health conditions for refugees both in Northern Iraq, Syria and Turkey, the Humble Smile Foundation has donated over 100,000 toothbrushes. Of course, oral care is just one example of the unending building blocks involved in establishing some semblance of normality.

The non-profit Humble Smile Foundation gives a toothbrush or equivalent oral care to an underprivileged child for every sale of a Humble Brush, made from biodegradable natural bamboo. It’s well documented that taking care of our teeth and gums assists in our general wellbeing. Whether the recipients of these brushes are living in basic refugee camps or in remote parts of our world with no access to dental assistance, nurturing their teeth is a good place to start with bettering their lives.

Humble Brush is now available in the UK and Ireland. For more information please visit www.humblebrush.co.uk, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 0286 862 8880.

To order please contact the exclusive distributor Quintess Denta www.quintesshumblebrush.co.uk

Follow us on social media:

@HumbleBrush and www.facebook.com/humblebrushuk

The Christmas countdown is upon us, and the boxes on the calendar will be ticked off leading up to the season of fun and festivities. Whilst this is exciting for many, it can be a daunting time for some.

This holiday season, some will struggle to put food on the table and pay their bills, let alone buy presents and indulge in festive treats. Indeed, the number of Britons expected to borrow money for basic living this Christmas could be high as 21%.[i]

The country is also experiencing an increase in the use of food banks, with 2014-2015 statistics showing a 19% rise since last year,[ii] and it is thought that 2,744 are sleeping rough on any one night. [iii] Poverty, perhaps, is closer to home than we thought.

Needing help

Despite advancements in technology and the implementation of ergonomic friendly products within surgeries, work-related illness and injury remains the biggest cause of financial struggle. Figures from 2013/2014 show that 1.2 million working people were affected by this and as a result 28.2 million working days were lost.[iv]

Accidents, bereavement, stress, addiction, marital problems and mental health are other possible factors that unsettle financial stability, impacting everyone from dentists to their dependants, friends and colleagues.

A helping hand

In times of hardship help can come in many forms; a shoulder to lean on can sometimes be enough. But for many, financial aid is required for food and clothing, bills and mortgage payments, nursing home fees and even funeral costs.

Although the Summer Budget 2015 recently made cuts, benefits are still available up to a possible £23,000 in London and £20,000 in the rest of the UK.[v] Yet, research has shown that some people are too embarrassed to seek help and as much as £19 billion in state benefits can go unclaimed each year.[vi]

At some point or another most of us need help, which is why the BDA Benevolent Fund works to provide support to any registered UK dentist in financial need. With help from other professionals, regular donations and gift aid, the Fund provides one-off or regular grants to those who need it most. The difference that this can make at any time, let alone Christmas, is immeasurable.

A donation can help someone in need and make their Christmas worth celebrating.

Thank you.

The BDA Benevolent Fund relies on your help to continue its work,
so please contact us on 020 7486 4994 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
or to give a donation today go to www.bdabenevolentfund.org.uk.
 

And if you are in need of help yourself, please contact us now.

All enquiries are considered in confidence.

Registered charity no. 208146

In June, Bridge2Aid sent two teams of UK dental volunteers to deliver emergency dental training in two new parts of rural Tanzania.
 

June also saw Bridge2Aid complete their 71^st training programme, meaning that they have now trained 369 rural health workers in emergency dental care. This sustainable model means that once the UK volunteers have left the country the health workers are able to continue treating their local communities for years to come.
 

The first area where training was delivered was Morogoro which is one of the poorest and most densely populated parts of Tanzania.  Most of the inhabitants are subsistence farmers who rely heavily on the surrounding forests for timber, medicinal plants and fuel. The other location was Pangani in the north-east of the country, bordered by Kenya and the Indian Ocean.
 

There is a desperate need to tackle oral disease, infection and chronic pain in communities throughout the developing world – to enable people to work, attend school and care for their families.  Bridge2Aid works hard to deliver the necessary skills in these communities so that local people are able to function free from pain, and avoid the risk of preventable infections and diseases.

If you would like to get involved, either by volunteering or donating to help fund this vital training, please visit Bridge2Aid’s website here (www.bridge2aid.org)

Every year, the BDA Benevolent Fund helps dentists and their families in times of dire financial need. The case of Dr Smith, whose name has been changed to protect their identity, is an example of just one of the many times the Fund has offered vital monetary assistance to those who need it most.

Early last year Dr Smith, who was then married and had two young children, suffered a series of setbacks which turned his and his family’s life upside down. First of all he was treated for early stage liver cancer which fortunately was found to be operable. However, he suffered severely from the after-effects of the treatment and had to take considerable time off work, eventually leading to him losing his job. This meant the family had no income and were struggling to keep on top of mounting debts. His wife had recently been made redundant and she was finding it very hard to come to terms with this and to find new employment. Dr Smith had just managed to recover enough to return to work himself when the family suffered a further blow: his wife was struck down with a debilitating stroke. Although she managed to recover after several months, she has not been able to find employment since that time.

Dr Smith returned to work for a short period but found it increasingly difficult to cope both mentally and physically with the aftermath of his own illness and looking after his wife and their two children. The situation adversely affected his daughter who started experiencing periods of depression and performed badly at school. Finally, he came to the conclusion that he would be unable to continue working as a dentist and has not practised since. The couple’s debts eventually led to them having to declare bankruptcy and to sell their family home. During this process his wife left him and their children and has not contributed to their support since.

Gradually with financial help from the Ben Fund, Dr Smith was able to get back some sort of normality. The Fund helped him with a regular monthly grant towards living expenses and contributed to the costs of moving house. He was also given some extra support during the summer holidays for the children and help with fuel bills in the winter. Dr Smith is now starting to feel much more positive about his life. He has begun working part-time as a support teacher in a local school and is considering the possibility of training to become a mentor and counsellor. 

The BDA Benevolent Fund relies on your help to continue its work,
so please contact us on 020 7486 4994 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
or to give a donation today go to www.bdabenevolentfund.org.uk.
 

And if you are in need of help yourself, please contact us now.

All enquiries are considered in confidence.

Registered charity no. 208146

According to the World Happiness Report 2015, released earlier this year, the UK is the 21^st happiest country in the world. While, as a country, we fall behind the United States, Australia, the Nordic countries and Switzerland (which is smiling in the number one spot) we contentedly remain in the happiest 20% of the 158 countries that have been included in the study.[1]

A number of different variables are taken into account in order to assess the happiness of a country. These include GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, freedom from corruption and generosity. Of these, generosity has one of the highest positives affects on people and produces the lowest negative affect overall.  

To evaluate a population’s generosity, participants were asked, “Have you donated to a charity in the past month?” The most recent survey of its kind, the UK Giving Report 2014, found that 57% of adults in this country gave to charitable causes in a typical month – meaning that around 34 million people were extending their financial generosity to people in need to the estimated sum of £10.6 billion.[2] But while this is an encouraging statistic, how does it have an impact on the overall happiness of the country?      

Research has shown that people who are giving money to charity exhibit heightened brain activity – particularly in the ventral striatum and tegmental areas. These areas are closely linked to the experience of positive affect and our physiological reward system and the processing of emotional output from the amygdala.[3] What this means is that giving to a worthwhile cause triggers a chemical reaction in our brains that produces a sense of reward and positive emotion. The same areas of the brain are stimulated when we ourselves are given good news or receive something we want, but studies have shown that giving is the better stimulant, corroborating the common adage that ‘it is better to give than receive.’

It has also been proven that doing good for others can benefit our own mental and physical health[4] as well as being an important, pro-social function that contributes to the overall wellbeing of the country. Of course, while it is nice that being charitable makes us feel better, the impact on the people we are giving to is far more important. Being able to depend on the generosity of our peers is a real indicator of a population’s happiness and will make a real difference for the people who are most in need. Circumstance and chance can too easily force any one of us to the brink of desperation and knowing there is a network of support built on the goodwill of others, who are ready and willing to provide help, is a comforting reality.

Established in 1882, the BDA Benevolent Fund has been providing this type of vital support for decades. By offering essential financial assistance for everyday expenses they can bring much-needed relief to dentists and their families, when all other avenues of income fail.

Depending entirely on your generous donations, the BDA Benevolent Fund needs your continued support to carry on helping dentists and their families when times are tough. Help support your colleagues and donate to the BDA Benevolent Fund today.

Thank you.

The BDA Benevolent Fund relies on your help to continue its work,
so please contact us on 020 7486 4994 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
or to give a donation today go to www.bdabenevolentfund.org.uk.
 

And if you are in need of help yourself, please contact us now.

All enquiries are considered in confidence.

Registered charity no. 208146

Four members of the Rodericks management team will soon be participating in the “Sleep Out for Centrepoint” on 12^th November, hoping to help raise awareness and donations to support the amazing work of the charity.

Georgina Linton, Training Manager at Rodericks, is among those sleeping rough for the cause:

“As part of Rodericks’ work with Centrepoint, I had been looking into how the group could help regarding the dental and health education needs of individuals the charity supports. It is an inspiring organisation that not only helps young people get off the streets, but also helps build them a future by teaching essential life skills.

“I jumped at the chance to get more involved and raise money through the ‘Sleep Out’ campaign and my colleagues Aaron Baldwin, Kavita Malhotra and Lesley Marr were keen to join me.”

The group will sleep under the stars at The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane in London this November, hoping to raise £1,500 towards this fantastic cause.

All donations, however large or small, are greatly appreciated and can be given at sleepout2015-londonotb.everydayhero.com/uk/rodericks/members.

Thank you for your support!

For more details about the “Sleep Out for Centrepoint” or to get involved, visit www.centrepoint.org.uk/news-events/events/sleep-out.

For more information about Rodericks please visit www.rodericksdental.co.uk, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

or call 01604 602491.

543 Dental Centre and Genix Healthcare, both members of the Association of Dental Groups (ADG), are dedicated supporters of the Teeth Team charity.

The well-established school-based supervised tooth brushing programme aims to promote the importance of oral health among children, reducing inequalities and instilling effective dental routines in young people.

The charity’s recent review of dental health among children involved in the scheme found an overall reduction in the presence of decayed, missing or filled teeth (dmft) in the past year. The number of those needing treatment reduced from 25% to 19% between January 2014 and May 2015.

This is encouraging news for both the public and the profession, but with work still to be done, it’s important for all to get involved and help improve oral health for the next generation.

For more information about the ADG visit www.dentalgroups.co.uk.

The BDA Benevolent Fund provides essential emotional and financial support to dentists and their families in severe need. Below is an example of just one of the many beneficiaries the Fund has helped.

Dr G was a dentist of 44 years old. He sold his practice after he had suffered health problems, mainly due to the stress of running a practice and dealing with the changes in contractual procedures. He began working as a locum dentist and was delighted when his wife became pregnant with their second child. Unfortunately his wife experienced a traumatic pregnancy and found it difficult to care for their children, putting more pressure on Dr G. Worrying about his family sparked off his depression, which led to time off sick and marriage problems, in time leading to a separation from his wife. Gradually the stress and anxiety caused a mental breakdown and he had to take a break from work.

Dr G had been earning a good income when he was working, but this had since stopped leaving him with massive debts. He had initially managed to keep all his bills up to date, but gradually his savings disappeared and he was unable to pay monthly bills or towards costs to support his family. When he approached the Fund he was embarking on the process of returning to work as a dentist after receiving appropriate support with his health, but his many debts and little income left him struggling. He also needed to ensure his CPD was up to date and was concerned about how he would pay for this.

Dr G’s confidence had been severely affected by his recent experiences but he was determined to get back to work as soon as he could. He was now dealing with his anxiety and was in the process of rebuilding his marriage and sorting out his financial affairs. The Fund was able to offer him a grant to help with immediate expenses and a monthly grant towards his living costs.

This is just one of the many success stories from the Fund. To enable them to continue helping people to get their lives back on track they need your support. Giving a regular donation, however small, could make a huge difference to someone’s quality of life.

Donating online could not be easier, set up a JustGiving account today and support your fellow dentists who urgently require your help.

The BDA Benevolent Fund relies on your help to continue this work,
so please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.bdabenevolentfund.org.uk
 

And if you are in need of help yourself, please contact us now.

All enquiries are considered in confidence.

Registered charity no. 208146

This year’s BDA Benevolent Fund Annual General Meeting was held on the 19 June at the British Dental Association’s headquarters in London.

Chaired by BDA President and Fund Patron, Professor Nairn Wilson CBE, the meeting provided a fantastic opportunity to review all of the Fund’s recent achievements and look forward to the coming year. 

In addition, officers of the Fund were duly elected, with Dr Ann Rockey named Chairman, Dr Bill Nichols as Vice-Chairman, Professor Ros Keeton named Honorary Treasurer and Dr Allan Franklin as Honorary Secretary.  

Providing much-needed assistance to UK dentists and their families who are struggling financially, the Fund provided grants and loans totalling £175,000 in 2014.  The Fund depends upon the generosity of the profession to continue this work and would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for your ongoing support.

To give a donation today please go to www.bdabenevolentfund.org.uk or if you, or a colleague you know, are in need of help, please contact us on 020 7486 4994 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The BACD is proud to announce its support of the fantastic dental charity, Make A Dentist (MAD).

Committed to offering dental assistance from one of the richest countries in the world to some of the poorest, MAD is a nationwide humanitarian campaign that provides education and clinical goods for dental students in Zimbabwe.

Education is of vital importance to the BACD, whether through its prodigious accreditation system, its innovative annual conferences or regular regional meetings – keeping dental professionals up-to-date with the most cutting-edge and innovative learning opportunities available is one of its key mandates.

Which is why the BACD is making a generous donation, equivalent to a year’s full membership, to Make A Dentist, in order to support dental professionals in less fortunate countries – and extend more effective learning to those who need it most.  

For further enquiries about the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, call 0207 612 4166, fax 0207 182 7123, email Suzy Rowlands at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.bacd.com.

Visit www.makeadentist.com to find out more about Make A Dentist.

On the 12th October, guests gathered at the exclusive “Eight” private members club in the City for the inaugural Burmaball. The ball, which organisers hope will become an annual fundraising event, was organised in aid of Burmadent, the dental charity set up to help dental volunteers provide care to the people of Burma.

The ‘Burmaball’ has been 10 months in the planning, ever since dentist Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen and his wife Sharon Bierer returned from their first trip, during which they provided dental care to 1200 orphans and local people in the area of Lake Inle.

During this trip, Henrik and Sharon, who were accompanied by Lesley Naismith, support manager at Software of Excellence, had the idea for the Burmaball and on their return they enlisted the help of fellow Charity trustee Brian Weatherly (President, Software of Excellence).

10 months later, with 140 guests and a long waiting list for tickets, Sharon feels the effort has all been worthwhile. “Our aim was to raise awareness of the charity and its aims. We were also keen to raise enough money to cover the cost of a mobile unit, which will enable volunteers to bring desperately needed dentistry to the more remote tribal peoples.”

The black tie event was an eclectic mix of glamour and tradition, with Burmese dancers providing a traditional welcome for guest of honour Burmese Deputy Ambassador, Daw Ei Ei Tin and Syed Kamall, the MEP for London and Master of Ceremonies. Games, an auction and a raffle, featuring some amazing prizes such as holidays in Portugal and Italy, helped to keep the donations flowing and following a sumptuous south east Asian dinner, the evening concluded with dancing until the small hours, to music provided by Brian Weatherly’s band ‘The Viceroys’ and a professional DJ.

There are three separate trips already booked up until December, Burmadent is growing into a successful and influential dental charity. The Burmaball will only help in disseminating this message throughout the profession.

Anyone interested in becoming involved with Burmadent or wishing to donate to the Charity, please visit www.burmadent.com

There have been many questions about the dental charity Heart Your Smile (HYS). I have been asked why is an organisation needed to get more people to visit the dentist?

The vision from the outset at HYS was that improving engagement between the profession and the public would lead to increased trust and improvement of uptake of oral health messages and care at local level.  Many organisations in this space concentrate on the messages themselves, but we felt the messages were well established, so to elicit behaviour change we decided to concentrate on breaking down barriers to the uptake of oral health messages.

Heart Your Smile (HYS) has 4 key goals.

These are to:

1.            Change the public's perception of Dentistry

2.            Increase attendance and uptake of care

3.            Emphasise the dental team's position as trusted members of the local community

4.            Restore positive morale in the profession

We went through a rigorous process with the charity commission.  Our charitable objects are:
1.    to promote and protect the physical and mental health of sufferers of [oral diseases] in [the UK] through the provision of financial assistance, support, education and practical advice.
2.    to advance the education of the general public in all areas relating to oral health
 

All funds we raise go towards promoting our charitable objects.  To advance the education of the general public in all areas relating to oral health is a very costly undertaking.

Our initial campaign was to seek out the professionals who already had the energy and interest to support their local communities through:
*            oral health promotion
*            general health and healthy living support and advice
*            support in the community in schools, homes, local organisations etc, by giving their time and gaining their trust

We decided these behaviours could be packaged as the “9 habits” and are a positive way of raising the public's confidence in seeking timely dental care, by reducing anxiety, one of the biggest barriers.

Meanwhile, as these professionals were getting in touch, we needed time, funds and supporters to develop an online presence through which any team member in the profession could make a positive contribution in their community and share their work to create a ripple effect. We established a flat organisation and anyone was and still is welcome to join in and take on a workstream.

We also used this time to create mentoring resources and oral health promotion resources and the trustees wanted to get robust support from public health advisors for the resources we were producing before we announced them, so the whole process of getting to where we are now took 12 months.

The mentoring platform has been developed in conjunction with Fiona Ellwood, who has the level 7 postgraduate certificate in Mentoring from FGDP (UK). Our first group of 24 Mentors and Mentees start working together on 18^th September.

Heart your Smile is committed to promote civic responsibility and good citizenship amongst members of the dental profession in a sustained campaign to achieve our objectives. We started off with trade stands and engagement online, we have launched innovation 360 to crowd source innovation and spread the message through local action, as well as pilot new methods of engagement and to roll out the best ideas. The first round of applications has closed and we are working with 14 teams to roll out their ideas.

We would love all dental teams as well as members from GDPUK to get involved and perhaps lead a workstream of their choice or apply to be mentors or mentees. The future of the dental profession is in our hands.

To help raise funds for the Mouth Cancer Screening Accreditation Scheme, DPAS Practice Consultant Louise Bone, is running in the Glasgow 10K Race this October.

Sponsored by practice-branded dental plan provider, DPAS, the Mouth Cancer Screening Accreditation Scheme is the Mouth Cancer Foundation’s new life-saving initiative which accredits dental practices that routinely screen for oral cancer using their ‘2 Minutes to Save a Life’ screening protocol and meet other specific criteria.

The Mouth Cancer Screening Accreditation Scheme also aims to improve outcomes for head and neck cancer sufferers in accordance with the BDA’s occasional paper for the early detection and prevention of oral cancer and NICE guidelines. In addition, it embraces recent CQC, Information Governance and Clinical Governance requirements, as well as responding to the GDC’s recommendation for continuous professional development for the management of oral cancer.

Explaining her reasons for taking part in the race, Louise said, “As a previous Specialist Dental Nurse in the Regional Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department at St John's Hospital, I worked very closely with patients who had head and neck cancer, so I have seen first hand the devastating impact that mouth cancer can have. This was one of the most rewarding jobs I've ever had, in fact I’m still in contact with some of my previous patients, so I am delighted to do anything I can to help this worthwhile charity bring greater awareness of the need for early detection of mouth cancer.”

Louise has never run a 10K race before, but is hoping to complete the course in less than 60 minutes. She is training hard and taking some time away from her main hobby of horse riding in order to take up this challenge.

To sponsor Louise and help save lives, please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LouiseBoneDPAS2MinutestoSaveaLife

The Mouth Cancer Screening Accreditation Scheme is open to any dentist registered with the GDC or any dental practice whose clinicians are registered with the GDC For more information please contact the Mouth Cancer Foundation via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call +44 (0) 1924 950 950 for more information.