The latest issue of the Primary Dental Journal, ‘General dentistry (part one)’, is now live online.
The issue features articles on a wide range of topics of relevance to the whole dental team, selected by the journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Prof Igor Blum (Clinical Professor of Primary Care Dentistry and Advanced General Dental Practice at King’s College London).
Topics covered include, among others, an exploration of the Delivering Better Oral Health version 4 toolkit; an examination of job satisfaction/dissatisfaction among dentists and dental care professionals; a review of current trends in digital implant planning and rehabilitation; and an update on dental transpositions. This issue also includes the final update on College developments by Dr Abhi Pal, whose term as President ends in June 2024. (The full list of contents is below.)
Outlining the purposes of the general dentistry issues, Prof Blum said:
“As part of our ongoing effort to support the journey of continued learning and development of the primary dental care team, the articles in these issues address topics likely to be informative and relevant to your practice, and which I trust readers will find stimulating, interesting and valuable.”
Full online access to the majority of articles is reserved for College of General Dentistry members and Primary Dental Journal subscribers, who can also expect their printed copies to arrive in the next 2–3 weeks.
For non-members / non-subscribers, at least one paper in each issue is made available online free of charge, with all other articles available to purchase via the links below.
An annual print subscription, normally costing £130, is included with membership of the College, which also includes online access to the current issue, access to the PDJ Archive of over 1,400 past articles, and a range of other benefits. College membership, which is tax deductible, is available from £125 for dentists, £83 for other dental professionals, and £42 for Dental Nurses, new registrants and concessions.
On behalf of the College, the PDJ editorial team would like to express its gratitude to all the authors and peer reviewers who have contributed to the publication of this issue.
CGDent members can view full articles by logging in via the yellow button below, then clicking ‘Access the PDJ Archive’:
Nominations are now open for elections to twelve regional and role-based seats on the College Council, and all eligible members are invited to put themselves forward.
To stand for one of the eight regional seats being elected, you must be a Full Member, Associate Fellow or Fellow of the College (in any team role) and must live or work within that region, and be registered to that region with the College. The regional seats being elected in 2024 are:
Central London
Mersey and North West
North East and North West Thames
South West
Trent and East Anglia
Wales
West Midlands
Yorkshire and Northern
To stand for one of the four role-based (Faculty) seats being elected, you must be an Associate Member, Full Member, Associate Fellow or Fellow of the College, and must be registered with the GDC (or overseas equivalent) in a relevant role for the seat. The role-based seats being elected in 2024 are:
Faculty of Dental Hygiene & Dental Therapy
Faculty of Dental Nursing & Orthodontic Therapy
Faculty of Dental Technology & Clinical Dental Technology
Faculty of Dentists
Please note that for electoral purposes, all members have been automatically assigned to one of the College’s four faculties based on the team role in which they have registered their College membership.
All members eligible to stand in one or more seats as at 15 March 2024 have been emailed a link to the nominations website by the College’s election services provider, Mi-Voice. If you are interested in standing for election, you will need to complete the nomination process via that link, where you will be asked for further information, the names of two supporting members, and to submit an election statement. Further information on the role, nomination requirements and the election timetable can be found in the Notice of Elections.
Full Members, Associate Fellows and Fellows in the regions listed above may stand simultaneously for both the regional and role-based seats for which they are eligible, and to do so must submit a separate nomination form for each seat.
If you think you might like to put yourself forward as a candidate and would like further information before deciding, we would be pleased to have a confidential discussion and answer any questions you have. Please get in touch via [email protected]
The deadline for receipt of nominations is Monday 15 April.
The College is expanding its elected national representation to encompass the whole dental team.
Elections are held each year for a number of seats on the College’s Council, and this year, for the first time, four role-based seats will be elected: one each representing dentists; dental hygienists and dental therapists; dental nurses and orthodontic therapists; and dental technicians and clinical dental technicians.
Those elected will serve three-year terms starting in June 2024, during which they will help to shape the College’s development, have the opportunity to be involved in areas such as careers, policy and standards, and be eligible to vote and stand in the annual election of two Vice Presidents of the College.
The elections, which are the latest step in a journey to build a Royal College for the general dental team, are taking place twenty years after the College’s predecessor organisation, the Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP), began admitting Dental Care Professionals (DCPs) into Affiliate Membership.
However Affiliate Members – a category distinct from the Associate Membership and higher grades of membership then available only to dentists – could not progress in membership, nor stand for elected office or vote in elections, and their board representative did not carry a vote.
When the FGDP transferred into the College, CGDent became the first organisation of its type to allow all qualifying dental professionals into substantive membership, with Full Membership and Associate Fellowship opened to all team roles in 2021, followed by Fellowship in 2022.
For those without postgraduate qualifications, Associate Membership of the College is also now available equally to all registered dental professionals, with Affiliate Membership open to non-clinical team members such as practice managers.
At the same time as these changes were made, three additional seats were created on the College Council, all with voting rights, to ensure fuller representation of all registrant roles. These seats have been appointed during the early years of the College’s existence, but in becoming elected will further improve the standing of DCPs.
The franchise for the role-based seats has also been expanded to include Associate Members, enabling a greater number of DCPs and younger dentists to participate in Council elections, many for the first time.
And in addition to the role-based seats, dental professionals from across the clinical team who are Full Members may stand in any of the eight regional seats for which elections are also being held this year: Central London; Mersey and North West; North East and North West Thames; South West; Trent and East Anglia; Wales; West Midlands; and Yorkshire and Northern.
Nominations open on Friday 15 March and close on Monday 15 April, and dental professionals wishing to stand for election will need to be a member of the College to submit their nomination. Those not already a member are advised to apply for membership by the end of March in order to allow the process to complete in time.
Further information on the role and nominations process is available via the button below.
College members who are UK taxpayers can now claim income tax relief on their membership subscription fees.
The College began enrolling founding members in 2020, and qualifying professional bodies can apply after three years to have their subscriptions allowed as a tax deduction. The College has now been added to HMRC’s List of approved professional organisations and learned societies (List 3), where it is listed under ‘G’ with the title ‘General Dentistry College of (with effect from 6 April 2023)‘.
Both employed and self-employed members of the College can therefore now claim tax relief on their full annual fee, and the size of the saving made will vary from £8 to £228 according to the individual’s team role, membership grade, tax position and jurisdiction.
However, tax relief can only be claimed by those who pay the fee themselves. It cannot be claimed by those whose employer pays their membership fee, nor by those who claim the cost of membership back from their employer, nor in most cases by retired practitioners, and claims for tax relief cannot be made in relation to fees paid in tax years prior to 2023/24.
The tables below illustrate the effective cost of current membership fees for each team role and membership grade after relief at the basic and higher rates of income tax currently applicable in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. These are also now shown on the College’s membership fees page. (Please note that the effective costs will differ for additional rate taxpayers and those living in Scotland.)
The College has confirmed its programme of CPD lectures for the British Dental Conference & Dentistry Show (BDCDS), which is taking place at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 May 2024.
The College is the headline education partner for the Enhanced CPD Theatre, where it is hosting four lectures:
10.15am- 11.00am: An update from the Interim Chief Dental Officer for England – Jason Wong FCGDent 11.15am-12.00pm: Sleep to live: an introduction to dental sleep medicine – Dr Aditi Desai 12.15pm-1.00pm: Both sides of the fence: the reality of head and neck cancer treatments for patients and professionals – Jocelyn Harding FCGDent 1.15pm-2.00pm: Consent and medico-legal update – Simon Thackeray
Saturday 18 May
9:15am-10.00am: An update on mouth cancer – Tripat Mahajan 12.15pm-1.00pm: Why is dentistry stressful? A toolkit for survival – Jeremy Cooper FCGDent 2.15pm-3.00pm: Oral health and the menopause: supporting patients throughout the menopause and beyond – Juliette Reeves 3.15pm-4.00pm: A practical guide to endodontic access – Rachel Derby
Staff and senior members of the College are also looking forward to meeting members and prospective members at Stand Q01, and to answering any queries you may have about the College and membership.
BDCDS is the UK’s largest dental event, attracting 9,000 dental professionals with its offer of 11 CPD theatres, 200 lectures and access to over 400 exhibiting suppliers.
Attendance is free for all registered dental professionals – register now via the link below.
John Brookman FCGDent, FFGDP(UK)(Hon.), one of the founding board members of the Faculty of General Dental Practice, and an instrumental founder of Vocational Training for GDPs, passed away peacefully on 27 January, aged 92.
John at the teaching laboratory bearing his name at the Guildford Education Centre
Born David John Brookman in Watford in 1931, he pursued a desire to be a dentist from childhood, and in 1954 qualified from the Royal Dental Hospital, London, with both the LDS and BDS.
Working as a general dental practitioner in Surrey, in 1957 he married Penny, with whom he had four children, Mark, Lucy, James and Claire.
In the early 1960s, he suffered a mental health breakdown and had to suspend his dental career. With support from friends and family he made a full recovery, during which he re-trained as a teacher. This proved to be a pivotal experience in his return to dentistry.
In 1970, he purchased a practice in Banstead, expanding it to five full-time dentists with part-time associates and hygienists, serving a mix of NHS and private patients.
In 1973, he became an assistant dental tutor for the British Postgraduate Medical Federation. Recognising the gap between the degree of competence required for daily dental practice and the level acquired at dental school, from 1975 he established the UK’s first Vocational Training scheme for general dental practitioners in Guildford. This laid the foundation for nationwide vocational training, which was later organised on a voluntary basis for some years by the Committee for Vocational Training (of which he was a member) before it became a statutory requirement in 1993. He also set up educational programmes for dental tutors and teachers, introducing clinical audit and peer review and emphasising problem-solving through practical application.
He had university links including being a research lecturer at the Eastman Dental Hospital and was Senior Dental Advisor to Surrey Health Services and the Thames Post Graduate Regions. It was a particular pleasure for him to be present for the naming after him of the skills room at the Guildford Education Centre in 2013 to commemorate his achievements.
He passed the Membership in General Dental Surgery examination of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, achieved Fellowship of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS) and was Chairman of the UK Conference of Dental Advisors. He was also President of the British Dental Association’s Southern Counties branch, a founder advisor to the editorial board of The Dentist, and co-produced three educational films with the editor of the British Dental Journal on techniques for fissure sealing, impressions and endodontics.
A founder of the College of General Dental Practitioners of the United Kingdom (CGDP) – one of several organisations established at the time to pursue the postgraduate educational interests of general practice dentists – he was among those involved in discussions which ultimately united like-minded GDPs behind the formation of the Faculty of General Dental Practitioners at the RCS, and in 1992 he became one of the Faculty’s founding board members.
John and Penny retired to Keswick in 1993, and he embraced life, enjoying fell walking and wood turning. They were both active members of the village church and his Christian faith was hugely important to him, shaping how he lived and worked.
He received Honorary Life Membership of the BDA in 1999, and in 2012 was awarded Honorary Fellowship of the FGDP in recognition of his significant contributions both to postgraduate dental education and to the Faculty’s history. He joined the College of General Dentistry at its launch in 2021, later becoming a Life Fellow.
Alongside his many professional accomplishments and community commitments, he was regarded by those who knew him as a true gentleman.
Sadly, Penny died from cancer in 2007. John continued to walk the fells well into his eighties, and it would have meant the world to him that he was able to live out his life in the home he loved so much.
Please note this obituary was amended in March 2024 in light of further biographical information
Elections will soon be held for twelve regional and role-based seats on the College Council, and all eligible members are invited to consider standing.
The Council is the voice of our members. It oversees our role as a professional body and guides the Trustee Board on the development of the College to fulfil its mission.
Elections are being held this year for eight of the thirteen regional seats on the Council, and for the first time also to four seats representing specific roles within the dental team.
Nominations will be open from Friday 15 March to Monday 15 April. Following validation of nominations, voting will open during the week commencing 22 April and will close 30 days later, with the results announced shortly thereafter.
The role
As a Council member, you would provide leadership, strategic input and direction in all the professional affairs of the College. You would be helping to shape key moments in the College’s growth and could also get involved in specific initiatives on areas such as careers, policy and standards.
If elected, you would serve a three-year term, from June 2024 – June 2027, during which you would be expected to attend face-to-face Council meetings on three Fridays each year, as well as regular online meetings and occasional committees outside of business hours. Your first Council meeting would be on Friday 21 June 2024 in London.
You would also be expected to vote, and eligible to stand, in the annual election of two Vice Presidents; to participate in the triennial appointment of a College President; and to attend College events around the UK.
You would be able to stand for re-election in 2027, and individuals may serve up to three elected terms (i.e. nine years) on the Council. The role is voluntary, but we do cover essential expenses. A role profile is available below.
To stand for election to a regional seat, you must be a Full Member, Associate Fellow or Fellow of the College (in any team role) and must live or work within that region, and be registered to that region with the College.
To stand for election to a role-based seat, you must be an Associate Member, Full Member, Associate Fellow or Fellow of the College, and must be registered with the GDC (or overseas equivalent) in a relevant role for the seat. All members are automatically assigned to one of the College’s four faculties for electoral purposes, based on the team role in which they have registered their College membership.
If you are a member considering upgrading your membership in order to stand or vote in an election, or a non-member considering joining, you will need to allow at least two weeks ahead of the relevant date(s) below for this process to complete.
Council seats for electionin 2024
Nomination are sought for the following seats:
Central London
Mersey and North West
North East and North West Thames
South West
Trent and East Anglia
Wales
West Midlands
Yorkshire and Northern
Faculty of Dental Hygiene & Dental Therapy
Faculty of Dental Nursing & Orthodontic Therapy
Faculty of Dental Technology & Clinical Dental Technology
Faculty of Dentists
College electoral regions
If you are unsure which College region you are in, check your entry on the Member Register
Nominations process
On 15 March 2024 (tbc), all eligible members will be emailed a link to the nominations website by the College’s election services provider, Mi-Voice.
If you are interested in standing for election, you will need to complete the nomination process via that link (once received), where you will be asked for further information, and to submit an election statement.
You will also be required to provide the names of two supporters of your nomination. For regional seats, your supporters must each be a Full Member, Associate Fellow or Fellow of the College. For role-based seats, your supporters must each be an Associate Member, Full Member, Associate Fellow or Fellow of the College. If you are unsure of the membership status or region of potential supporters, please consult our Member Register
If you think you might like to put yourself forward as a candidate and would like further information before deciding, we would be pleased to have a confidential discussion and answer any questions about the role and the process. Please get in touch via [email protected]
Please note that this item was amended on 28 February 2024 to reflect the addition of Central London to the list of regional seats being elected this year
The College is in the process of appointing its next President, and all full members are eligible to apply.
The President chairs and represents the elected College Council, is accountable to the Board of Trustees, and is the College’s most senior and visible office holder. (S)he will work closely with the Chief Executive to deliver the College’s ambitions as a professional body and charity in the public interest, and will provide leadership across the profession at a critical time on the journey to secure dentistry’s own Royal Charter.
The current President, Dr Abhi Pal, was elected the eleventh and final Dean of the Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP) in 2021, and has served the majority of his three-year term of office as the first President of the College. The second President will be the first to be appointed by the College since its independence.
While Deans of the FGDP were elected by and strictly from within the Faculty Board, all Full Members, Associate Fellows and Fellows of the College are now eligible to apply for the post of College President, and the appointment will be made by a selection panel with a majority drawn from the elected College Council.
The Presidency is a paid position for 1.5 days per week, but demands flexibility in time commitment, with frequent travel to London and other parts of the UK. A role profile is available below.
Applications should be made by email, headed “President”, to [email protected], attaching a CV and covering letter, and citing two supporters who are also current Full Members, Associate Fellows or Fellows of the College. College membership status can be checked on our Member Register.
The closing date for applications is Monday 18 March 2024.
Interviews are expected to be held in the week beginning 8 April, and the appointee will take office at the College Council meeting in London on Friday 21 June 2024.
If you have questions or would like a confidential discussion about the role, please contact Simon Thornton-Wood PhD, Chief Executive of the College, at [email protected]
The College has published its full response to the government’s Dental Recovery Plan, adding further detail to the interim response from its President, Dr Abhi Pal FCGDent, which was issued earlier this week.
Announcing the plan, Health Secretary Victoria Atkins MP quoted the College on the importance of making use of the full range of skills of all dental team members
The updated statement from the College includes responses to the proposal to speed up entry to the NHS Performers List; to the idea of commissioning private-only dentists to deliver NHS care; to the intention to press the GDC in relation to the recognition of additional qualifications as being equivalent to the UK BDS; to the intended expansion of the LDS, and to the plan to provide preparatory support for LDS candidates. It also includes additional considerations in relation to the proposed ‘golden hello’; to the creation of a provisional registration scheme; and to the increase in the number of dental school places.
The new commentary is as follows:
“While we support in principle the NHS making use of available local capacity to provide much-needed dental care, the proposal to use private-only dentists to do this would either fail or be completely iniquitous to those practitioners who have remained committed to NHS delivery. The correct solutions are to take measures to support the recruitment and retention of dental professionals in the NHS, and to support the financial viability of practices through adequate funding of contracts.
“We are already looking forward to an increase in the number of sittings and places for the Overseas Registration Examination, and we welcome the proposed expansion of the LDS examination. We also welcome proposals to support candidates in preparing for the LDS, and would advocate for similar support to be made available to candidates preparing for the ORE.
“We support the intention to speed up entry to the NHS Performers List, and the possibility of provisional registration, but public safety must not be compromised in our haste to fill gaps in the workforce. There must be proper structure in the training and assessment of provisional registrants, and a robust Quality Assurance process must be developed to ensure that the end product is a Safe Practitioner. Additional training and support may also be required for supervising dentists, as this role may well be more challenging than that of Educational Supervisor of Foundation Dentists.
“Similarly, we support the intention to identify non-EEA qualifications which meet the standard required for registration as a dentist in the UK, but due care and rigour must take priority in order to ensure patient safety. In time, this may prove a useful additional means of ameliorating the labour shortage experienced by dental practices, and the consequent lack of access to NHS dental care experienced by so many patients.”
The sections of the response which have been expanded are as follows:
“The planned ‘golden hello’ scheme also brings implicit recognition of the difficulties experienced by dental practices in the recruitment and retention of clinical staff to deliver NHS dental care. However, we are concerned that the proposed short-term offer, which is in any case limited to dentists, may fail to overcome many practitioners’ long-term concerns about embarking on a career in NHS care delivery, among which are burnout, lack of career progression and insufficient recognition for enhanced skills. We would emphasise that these factors apply not only to dentists but to other members of the dental team, especially dental nurses, and consideration should be given to exploring alternative models of incentivisation to support their recruitment and retention.”
“We are already looking forward to the increase in the number of dental school places available for dentistry, dental hygiene and dental therapy students. The planned expansion of student numbers must be accompanied by an appropriate increase in academic teaching capacity and resources so that the quality of undergraduate training is maintained.”
The College response in full is below.
The College’s response to the ‘Dental Recovery Plan’ in full
Responding to the government’s Dental Recovery Plan, Dr Abhi Pal FCGDent, President of the College, said:
“The government has set out a range of initiatives intended to help tackle some of the many longstanding problems facing NHS dental provision in England. These include some potentially positive new initiatives, which we welcome, alongside previously made announcements. However, while some further positive changes to the dental contract are anticipated later this year, the Dental Recovery Plan does not represent the more fundamental contract reform which is required, nor will the additional £210m in funding behind the plan, welcome as it is, restore universal access to NHS dental care.
“We welcome the proposed Smile For Life programme, with its focus on intervening early to prevent oral diseases in children. Tooth decay remains the leading cause of hospital admission for 6–10-year-olds in England, and a preventative approach has the potential to reduce the need for restorative treatment. However, we wait to see whether sufficient resources will be invested for the programme to be a success.
“The additional temporary funding aimed at those who have been unable to access dental care for two years or more is much needed. However, we would like to see consideration of the ongoing care of individuals benefitting from this initiative.
“The intention to bring NHS dentistry back to some of the many communities who have lost access to it is also very welcome. While mobile units may help in the short term, bricks-and-mortar dental surgeries should remain the backbone of routine ongoing care delivery, and appropriate funding should be put in place to support the re-establishment of NHS practices to address lack of access and meet the volume of need.
“While we support in principle the NHS making use of available local capacity to provide much-needed dental care, the proposal to use private-only practices to do this would either fail or be completely iniquitous to those practices which have remained committed to NHS delivery. The correct solutions are to take measures to support the recruitment and retention of dental professionals in the NHS, and to support the financial viability of practices through adequate funding of contracts.
“The planned ‘golden hello’ scheme also brings implicit recognition of the difficulties experienced by dental practices in the recruitment and retention of clinical staff to deliver NHS dental care. However, we are concerned that the proposed short-term offer, which is in any case limited to dentists, may fail to overcome many practitioners’ long-term concerns about embarking on a career in NHS care delivery, among which are burnout, lack of career progression and insufficient recognition for enhanced skills. We would emphasise that these factors apply not only to dentists but to other members of the dental team, especially dental nurses, and consideration should be given to exploring alternative models of incentivisation to support their recruitment and retention.
“We are already looking forward to the increase in the number of dental school places available for dentistry, dental hygiene and dental therapy students. The planned expansion of student numbers must be accompanied by an appropriate increase in academic teaching capacity and resources so that the quality of undergraduate training is maintained.
“We also look forward to the implementation of medicines exemptions for dental hygienists and therapists. Greater recognition and use of the full range of skills of all team members will enable the delivery of more care and make NHS dentistry more attractive to dental professionals. We also look forward to further proposals which empower the wider dental team when the next set of contractual changes are consulted upon.
“We also recognise that an increase in the minimum UDA value will support a minority of practices to continue delivering NHS dental care. And we support the intent to introduce community water fluoridation in areas of high need as this has the potential to reduce the prevalence of oral diseases and the need for invasive interventions.
“Finally, while dental practices struggle to recruit and many patients struggle to access care, there are many dental professionals who have qualified and practised overseas and who could be providing care here in the UK, but are unable to do so due to the waiting lists for registration exams.
“We are already looking forward to an increase in the number of sittings and places for the Overseas Registration Examination, and we welcome the proposed expansion of the LDS examination. We also welcome proposals to support candidates in preparing for the LDS, and would advocate for similar support to be made available to candidates preparing for the ORE.
“We support the intention to speed up entry to the NHS Performers List, and the possibility of provisional registration, but public safety must not be compromised in our haste to fill gaps in the workforce. There must be proper structure in the training and assessment of provisional registrants, and a robust Quality Assurance process must be developed to ensure that the end product is a Safe Practitioner. Additional training and support may also be required for supervising dentists, as this role may well be more challenging than that of Educational Supervisor of Foundation Dentists.
“Similarly, we support the intention to identify non-EEA qualifications which meet the standard required for registration as a dentist in the UK, but due care and rigour must take priority in order to ensure patient safety. In time, this may prove a useful additional means of ameliorating the labour shortage experienced by dental practices, and the consequent lack of access to NHS dental care experienced by so many patients.”
The College has issued an interim response to the government’s press release announcing a ‘Dental Recovery Plan’, pending publication of the plan itself which is expected later today.
Commenting on the proposals in the release, Dr Abhi Pal FCGDent, President of the College of General Dentistry, said:
“The government has today set out a range of initiatives intended to help tackle some of the many longstanding problems facing NHS dental provision in England. These include some potentially positive new initiatives, which we welcome, alongside previously made announcements. However, while some further positive changes to the dental contract are anticipated later this year, the Dental Recovery Plan does not represent the more fundamental contract reform which is required, nor will the additional £210m in funding behind the plan, welcome as it is, restore universal access to NHS dental care.
“We welcome the proposed Smile For Life programme, with its focus on intervening early to prevent oral diseases in children. Tooth decay remains the leading cause of hospital admission for 6–10-year-olds in England, and a preventative approach has the potential to reduce the need for restorative treatment. However, we wait to see whether sufficient resources will be invested for the programme to be a success.
“The additional temporary funding aimed at those who have been unable to access dental care for two years or more is much needed. However, we would like to see consideration of the ongoing care of individuals benefitting from this initiative.
“The intention to bring NHS dentistry back to some of the many communities who have lost access to it is also very welcome. While mobile units may help in the short term, bricks-and-mortar dental surgeries should remain the backbone of routine ongoing care delivery, and appropriate funding should be put in place to support the re-establishment of NHS practices to address lack of access and meet the volume of need.
“The planned ‘golden hello’ scheme brings implicit recognition of the difficulties experienced by dental practices in the recruitment and retention of clinical staff to deliver NHS dental care. However, we are concerned that this short-term offer may fail to overcome many practitioners’ long-term concerns about embarking on a career in NHS care delivery, among which are burnout, lack of career progression and insufficient recognition for enhanced skills.
“We are already looking forward to the expansion in the number of dental school places available for dentistry and dental hygiene students, and to the implementation of medicines exemptions for dental hygienists and therapists. Greater recognition and use of the full range of skills of all team members will enable the delivery of more care and make NHS dentistry more attractive to dental professionals. We also look forward to further proposals which empower the wider dental team when the next set of contractual changes are consulted upon.
“We also recognise that an increase in the minimum UDA value will support a small number of practices to continue delivering NHS dental care. And we support the intent to introduce community water fluoridation in areas of high need as this has the potential to reduce the prevalence of oral diseases and the need for invasive interventions.
“Finally, while dental practices struggle to recruit and many patients struggle to access care, there are many dental professionals who have qualified and practised overseas and who could be providing care here in the UK, but are unable to do so due to the waiting lists for the Overseas Registration Exams. So we welcome the possibility of provisional registration, and await the detail with interest.”
This response may be updated following publication of the plan.
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