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Articles and features 10/12/2014

Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome (OSA)

Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome (OSA)

Time to read article: 3 mins
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The role of the clinician continues to evolve in the provision of appliances either for the treatment of snoring or to assist in the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome (OSA). The most recent development is the inclusion of the role of the clinical dental technician (CDT) in the General Dental Council’s Scope of Practice document.

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Articles and features 08/12/2014

Tooth Whitening

Tooth Whitening

Time to read article: 6 mins
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The law relating to tooth whitening changed on 31 October 2012, effectively increasing the percentage of hydrogen peroxide contained or released in tooth whitening or bleaching products to 6%, subject to conditions which include first use by a dental practitioner or under their direct supervision and that the patient is 18 years of age or over.

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News and updates 02/12/2014

The Sensible Approach to Sharps

The Sensible Approach to Sharps

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On 11 May 2013, the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) "Regulations" 2013 took effect. The Regulations were made under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and they implement (in part) EC Directive 2010/32/EU as required under European law.

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Articles and features 02/12/2014

Automatic External Defibrillators - what to consider

Automatic External Defibrillators - what to consider

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The Resuscitation Council (UK) published a statement in July 2006 concerning the standards expected of dental practitioners and dental care professionals (DCPs) in general practice within the UK for the management of medical emergencies and resuscitation techniques.

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Articles and features 10/11/2014

GDC Standards for the Dental Team

GDC Standards for the Dental Team

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Standards for the Dental Team is published by the General Dental Council (GDC) and came into effect 30 September 2013. The document sets out the standards of conduct, performance and ethics that govern dental professionals in the United Kingdom. It specifies the principles, standards and guidance which apply to all members of the dental team, and also sets out what patients can expect from a dental professional.

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Articles and features 05/11/2014

Bleaching and Tooth Whitening by DCPs

Bleaching and Tooth Whitening by DCPs

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In 2008, the General Dental Council issued a press release in the wake of its Scope of Practice consultation which took place earlier that year. The GDC states: ‘Dental hygienists and dental therapists can carry out tooth whitening on the prescription of a dentist, if they have the necessary additional skills. Taking impressions to a dentist’s prescription, and making bleaching trays to a dentist’s prescription, are within the scope of additional skills for dental nurses.’

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Press release 03/11/2014

GDC consultation on proposed amendments to Fitness to Practise proced...

GDC consultation on proposed amendments to Fitness to Practise procedures

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Dental Protection broadly welcomes the proposals made in this consultation because we feel that a radical change of approach, and culture change, is needed within GDC fitness to practise (FtP) procedures. If in order to make the necessary culture changes, the proposed Section 60 Order is required, then we will support them. However, in order to ensure that these proposals have the intended impact the GDC must be committed to taking full advantage of these new powers.

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Articles and features 19/09/2014

GDC standards Q&A - Principle 9 - Make sure your personal behaviour m...

GDC standards Q&A - Principle 9 - Make sure your personal behaviour maintains patients’ confidence in you and the dental profession

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Standard 9.1.2 says that I must not make disparaging remarks about another member of the dental team. What is meant by this?

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Press release 05/09/2014

GDC consultation on proposals to increase the annual retention fee

GDC consultation on proposals to increase the annual retention fee

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On this occasion the GDC has justified the unprecedented scale of the increase in the ARF primarily on the basis of the increase in the number of complaints that it has to deal with. In calculating its likely operating costs, the GDC has also predicted that this volume of incoming ‘complaints’ will continue to rise for the foreseeable future, and appears to have assumed that the number of Fitness to Practise (FtP) investigations will need to rise at least in proportion to this.

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Articles and features 27/08/2014

Tooth surface loss

Tooth surface loss

Time to read article: 4 mins
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Not only is the prevalence of tooth surface loss (TSL) increasing, but clinicians increasingly find themselves facing criticism and challenges regarding its diagnosis and management.

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Articles and features 27/08/2014

Post-operative instructions

Post-operative instructions

Time to read article: 3 mins
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Sadly the dental surgery environment is not always conducive to effective communication. Often the dentist and other members of the dental team are dealing with a variety of patients, all with different needs, and they may be subject to severe time pressures.

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Articles and features 27/08/2014

Co-operation & compliance

Co-operation & compliance

Time to read article: 4 mins
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There are many examples in clinical dentistry of treatment which is largely dependent upon the level of co-operation from the patient, and/or the degree to which the patient follows the advice and recommendations of the clinical team.

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27/08/2014

Recording pain

Recording pain

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One of the advantages of keeping careful and detailed records of a patient’s pain history is that it highlights significant changes and developments in the features of the patient’s symptoms which can, in turn, lead the clinician to the correct diagnosis.

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Articles and features 27/08/2014

Monitoring early caries

Monitoring early caries

Time to read article: 4 mins
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New techniques, new materials and perhaps more importantly, a shift in treatment philosophies in recent years has led to a greater emphasis upon minimally interventive, preventive approaches to the management of the early carious lesion. In some key respects new technology has helped, and in other respects it has hindered, this process. In a dentolegal sense, the most likely allegation would be that the clinician failed to recognise, act upon and appropriately manage the small or early carious lesion and as a result it was allowed to develop, causing pain and suffering together with the cost and inconvenience of more extensive (and more expensive) treatment.

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Articles and features 27/08/2014

Periodontal monitoring

Periodontal monitoring

Time to read article: 4 mins
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People are living longer, and more people are retaining their teeth into later life. Consequently, the overall potential periodontal risk is rapidly increasing. Most allegations of undiagnosed, untreated and under-treated periodontal disease arise when a patient sees a new dentist for the first time. This may result from the retirement of the patient’s previous dentist, or simply because the dentist has left the practice. Sometimes the patient attends a different dentist in an emergency situation, or following the sale of the practice where they have been treated over many years.

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26/08/2014

Patient information

Patient information

Time to read article: 4 mins
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In case after case, the question arises of what information a patient was given in advance of their treatment. Obviously, this is material to the quality of the consent obtained from the patient, and yet dentists, hygienists and therapists often find themselves unable to demonstrate with any certainty, exactly what the patient was told, when, and in what terms.

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Articles and features 26/08/2014

Communications between dentists and technicians

Communications between dentists and technicians

Time to read article: 4 mins
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Dentists communicate with their technicians (and vice versa) in a variety of ways, and on a variety of subjects. Yet in the experience of Dental Protection, many valuable opportunities to improve the quality of these communications seem to be missed. Although there has to have been some dialogue, there is often little or no tangible evidence that this was so.

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Articles and features 10/12/2013

Mentoring - what to consider

Mentoring - what to consider

Time to read article: 2 mins
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We are often asked whether members need any additional protection when they are training, supervising or advising professional colleagues, either in a formally recognised mentoring capacity or in a less formal arrangement which otherwise shares many of the same characteristics. Coupled with this, we are often asked if the member is liable for the acts and omissions of a mentee.

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Press release 30/10/2012

GDC consultation on draft Investigating Committee indicative outcomes...

GDC consultation on draft Investigating Committee indicative outcomes guidance

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DPL has, since the 2005 Amendment to the Dentists Act 1984 was introduced, been concerned that IC has not been fit for purpose and has produced a steady stream of inconsistent decisions. It has appeared to us that the members of the IC have not understood their role and the standards that they are legally required to apply. Therefore we welcome this latest attempt by GDC to introduce guidance to IC. Specifically we welcome the learning from previous cases although we would commend the use of consistent thought processes in considering cases, rather than a recipe book approach to decision making.

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Press release 01/04/2012

GDC consultation on modernisation of the fitness to practise procedures

GDC consultation on modernisation of the fitness to practise procedures

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We believe that we are uniquely placed to appreciate the role that CPD can play in the areas of professional performance, patient safety and the quality of patient care. Our unwavering commitment to CPD is evidenced by the fact that we, and the MPS group of which we are a part, invest substantial resources into providing risk management and educational resources for our members around the world. In 2012 alone this included over 600 educational presentations.

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