New research from Queen Mary, University of London in collaboration with research groups in the USA sheds light on why gum disease can become more common with old age. The study reveals that the deterioration in gum health which often occurs with increasing age is associated with a drop in the level of a chemical called Del-1.

Although NHS Protect's come to the conclusion that some dentists are acting fraudulently there is little proof of this in its report. 5000 patients were written to about treatment received as long ago as March 2010. In three quarters of cases no fraud was found and in a further 23% the patient refused to reply or couldn't remember. This left just 3% (187 in all) where something potentialy suspicious was found. In half of these the patient claimed not to have received the banded treatment claimed, and in 27% of them there appeared to be a split course of treatment.

A four day weekend lies ahead to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee – or does it? Lawyers are advising dental team members not to be too jubilant until they are sure that they really are entitled to the additional holiday. The Spring bank holiday has been moved to Monday June 4 and there is an additional bank holiday on Tuesday June 5, to mark the Jubilee. But June 5 could be just another day in the practice.

A new statement by the American Heart Association (AHA) says that periodontal disease has not been proven to cause atherosclerotic heart disease or stroke, and treating periodontitis has not been proven to prevent heart disease or stroke, This has been recently published in Circulation.

The Welsh Government has told Local Health Boards (LHBs) that funding allocated for dentistry must not be diverted to fund any other type of healthcare. Health Minister Lesley Griffiths has written to LHB Chairs to remind them that budgets allocated for spending on general dental services should be used as intended, and that any underspends on these budgets should not be diverted to shore-up other services.

Frank Holloway, a retired army dentist based in Surrey, was installed as President of the British Dental Association (BDA). Dr Holloway, the first armed forces dentist to receive this honour since 2003, was presented with his chain of office and made his inaugural speech at the opening of the BDA Conference and Exhibition in Manchester.

The National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers (NASDAL) has stressed the need for dentists’ working in the NHS to receive the correct pension entitlement. David Paul, a Chartered Accountant and a member of the NASDAL superannuation committee, said that neither the Pension Regulations or the original guidance notes were fit for purpose, but they have now been improved.