NHS dental practices continue to attract higher prices than private practices according to the latest goodwill survey results from NASDAL. Carried out quarterly, the most recent survey for the period April to July shows that on average, an NHS practice – defined as a practice with more than 80% of its income from its NHS contract – was 105.2%.
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According to President of Athens Dental Association Athanassios Yfantis, nearly 600 dentists have left the country due to financial crisis affecting their profession. “Dentistry has been significantly damaged by the long-standing crisis. Dental human resources migrating abroad every year is constantly increasing and regards all age groups,” Yfantis said.
Dental practice sale completions are continuing to be delayed following new NHS England requirements in respect of the CQC as well more stringent lending criteria from the banks, warns Amanda Maskery, of NASDAL. She said the average sale time of a dental practice began to take longer after April 1 this year when NHS England established new criteria for variation of the NHS contract. This affected practices where the buyer and the seller briefly entered into a partnership in order to transfer the contract.
The picture shows well known dentist Dr John Barry of Wick with Christian Nock.
The British Dental Editors Forum (BDEF) has announced that the winner of this year's BDEF/British Dental Trade Association (BDTA) Young Dental Writer of the Year Award is James Darcey. James, a Manchester based dentist was nominated for his article Resorption: part 1. Pathology, classification and aetiology, which was published in the BDJ in May 2013.
Read more: James Darcey wins Young Dental Writer of the Year award
Acording to the latest figures from the oral health survey of five-year-old children in 2012, 27.9% of five-year-old children in England had experienced dental decay. This is a 9.7% reduction since 2008. However the results reveal wide variation in the prevalence and severity of dental decay: the areas with poorer oral health tend to be in the north and in the more deprived local authorities.
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The General Dental Council (GDC)’s case against an illegal tooth whitener has ended in sentencing. Ms Lorna Jamous was given a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £350 towards the GDC’s costs at Westminster Magistrates' Court. Previously judges at the High Court in London had convicted her of practising dentistry when not registered with the GDC. At that time the GDC was awarded full costs in the amount of £13,378.87.
As part of the new online education initiative, FutureLearn, the University of Birmingham is running a dental photography in practice course. The educator is Mike Sharland and it is targeted at all members of the dental team including DCPs. For more details go to:
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/dental-photography-in-practice
The importation and sale of counterfeit medical products is a significant issue for the dental industry and the BDTA urges all buyers to be suspicious of deals that seem “too good to be true”. BDTA President, Terry Porter comments, “The recent repeat of the BBC’s “Fake Britain” programme featuring counterfeit dental equipment serves as a stark reminder for all of us involved in dentistry. I would urge all practices and buyers to purchase through a reputable source and be wary of equipment offered at knock down prices”.