Twenty dental practices in the UK have been found lacking, according to information revealed by Which? consumer protection.
Out of ten NHS surgeries and ten private surgeries, eleven were rated ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ after visits from undercover Which? representatives. Dentist where found to rush examinations and overlook vital assessment points – in five cases, the consultation lasted less than ten minutes. It’s also an industry standard to offer an x-ray to a new patient, this did not occur in five of the twenty visits. Soft tissue checks were only made in five of the surgeries reviewed, a procedure that is an integral part of the screening process for oral cancers.

Only three of the twenty offices visited were found to be ‘good’, but none were rated ‘excellent’. Consultations at NHS dentists were eleven minutes long on average, not nearly long enough to have adequately assessed the subject’s conditions, according to industry experts.

The General Dental Council and the Care Quality Commission have both been alerted to the findings and taped evidence has been passed onto them from Which?, whose executive director Richard Lloyd has this to say; ‘In an industry that has not one but two regulators, this level of incompetence is unacceptable. Patients could be left with permanent problems that could have been easily avoided’.
 

UK dentists have spoken about their worry over the impact of NHS cuts on their most vulnerable patients. A recent survey carried out by the British Dental Association has revealed that most dentists think the budget cuts will affect services badly, limiting access to much needed treatments. 

Although job security was a major worry for the majority of those who took part, most dentists were thinking about the effect on their patients before themselves; 83% of respondents said there were longer waiting times for appointments, whilst 72% felt that there was a reduction in available treatments. 58% of those asked thought that the standard of care had been compromised following the announcement of large NHS budget cuts.

The survey was aimed at surgeons whose work centres on patients with special needs, showing that two thirds of dentists in this sector were concerned with their patients being denied access to dental care and as a result being neglected within the system.

fortunately, it seems their voices are not going unheard, as the British Dental Association has said it will be writing to the Department of Health to persuade against Primary Care Trusts making cuts to the services of special needs dental surgeries.

Recommendations to improve NHS dentistry to be implemented.

Improvements to the standards offered by NHS dentistry in the UK are to be carried out, it has been revealed.

Cosmetic Dentistry Guide reported recommendations made in the Steele Review are to be put into practice in order to boost efficiency and the level of care offered by NHS dentistry services.

The report – published in July last year – recommended measures including recording the quality and quantity of treatments for each patient, as well as encouraging more dentists to carry out preventative work.

Elsewhere, the Ormskirk & Skelmersdale Advertiser recently reported more than 16,000 new NHS dentistry places have been created in western Lancashire in order to meet the demand of locals for emergency dentistry procedures.

The new dentistry places have been set up at surgeries in Ormskirk at the West Lancashire Health Centre on the Ormskirk Hospital site, while a further 16,000 places are to be created in Preston and Chorley.

New dentistry places have been created in western Lancashire.

More than 16,000 new NHS dentistry places have been created in western Lancashire in order to meet the demand of locals for emergency dentistry procedures.

The Ormskirk & Skelmersdale Advertiser reported the new dentistry places have been set up at surgeries in Ormskirk at the West Lancashire Health Centre on the Ormskirk Hospital site.

In addition, a further 16,000 places are to be created in Preston and Chorley.

Janice Nicholson, head of dental commissioning for the region, commented: “This has been a major development in dental care provision in the area and we are keen that as many residents benefit from it as possible.”

Elsewhere, the Goole Courier recently reported a new emergency dentistry surgery is to open in Snaith, North Yorkshire.

Snaith had been identified by NHS East Riding of Yorkshire as being an area that was in need of additional dental provision and therefore, the opening of this new surgery will be welcome news to locals.

Dentists in Ireland are urging patients to sign up for treatments.

Dentists in Donegal, Ireland, are urging patients to sign up for any treatments they require ahead of the new year.

The Derry Journal reported budget cuts for free treatments by the Irish government come into effect on January 1st and as such, anyone hoping to get free emergency dentistry treatment is being warned there are likely to be cutbacks and so should book an appointment sooner rather than later.

The government has announced plans to reduce free dentistry entitlements for procedures such as root canal work, dentures, dental implants, fillings and extractions.

The Irish Dental Association commented on the move saying it was “a serious mistake, which will penalise many people”.

Elsewhere, Dentistry.co.uk reported Roddy Kemp, a strategic partner at Clarity SMC, recently stated that as long as UK dentists continue to offer a professional and affordable level of service, then 2010 could be a bumper year for the industry.