17 October 2010

Revalidation Drive Started by General Dental Council

 General Dental Council (GDC) has opened its 12 week consultation into revalidation.

The Revalidation drive is on the lines of the GMC drive for doctors, will provide, for the very first time, a way of checking that dentists carry on meeting the GDC's standards after they have joined its registers.

The GDC's Fitness to Practise proceedings are reactive rather than proactive; they assume that dental professionals meet its standards unless the regulator receives information which suggests otherwise. The current trend among governing councils is to  be proactive.

The GDC plans to introduce revalidation for dentists in UK by  2014. Revalidation will make clear the minimum standards that all dentists must meet. It is expected that the majority of dentists will already be meeting these standards and should have no difficulty in revalidating - it will build on the current requirements for continuing professional development.

However, the system will provide an opportunity for those in difficulty to identify and tackle any problems before they become serious.

The structure

A standards and evidence framework will set out the standards dentists must meet under the four domains of clinical, management and leadership, communication and professionalism. The framework will also set out the evidence which will be acceptable to demonstrate compliance with each standard.

Dentists will gather this evidence over five-years, and revalidate at the end of each cycle;

GDC are proposing a three-stage process at the end of each cycle:

- Stage 1 - compliance check, which will apply to all dentists;

- Stage 2 - remediation phase, which will provide an opportunity to dentists who do not pass Stage 1 to remedy deficiencies;

- Stage 3 - in-depth assessment, which will apply to dentists who fail to demonstrate their compliance at the end of the remediation phase.

- Dentists who refuse to engage with the process, or who do but who fail to revalidate, will ultimately be removed from the register, with additional requirements for restoration to the register;

- There will be an appeals process.

The consultation

This consultation, which can be found on the GDC's website, sets out proposals for revalidating dentists. The proposals aim to avoid over-regulation by making as much use of existing and developing quality systems within dentistry as possible. Dentists will, in many cases, already be required to show that they are meeting quality standards. For example through NHS practice inspections or performance appraisals. Our approach is designed so that dentists can meet all our requirements and those of other dental service regulators under one umbrella.

The consultation takes into account the findings of an earlier consultation, research and pilots carried out in 2009. These pilots focussed on the experiences of general dental practitioners (GDPs). However, the GDC anticipates doing further piloting and consultation with other dentist groups in 2011 and 2012.

Chair of the GDC's Revalidation Working Group and Council Member, Denis Toppin said:

"We are keen to get feedback from a full range of stakeholders including registrants, patients, organisations representing the interests of patients and providers of quality initiatives. We want to make sure we get it right for the dentists we regulate. As a practising General Dental Practitioner I want the GDC to keep the extra regulatory burden to a minimum whilst maximising patient protection. We need you to get involved and have your say on our proposals so that you can help us to get them right and have the confidence of the public and professionals alike."

Notes

- The GDC welcomes Dental Care Professional (DCP) input into this consultation.

- The GDC does not plan to consider in-depth whether revalidation is necessary for all DCP groups until the random audit of the first cycle of CPD for DCPs is complete, in late 2013.

- Dentists all went through at least one complete cycle of CPD without any further requirements being put on them, and it would be unfair to DCPs to expect them to begin discussing whether revalidation is necessary until they have had the same opportunity to complete and review one cycle of CPD.

- However if DCPs would like to comment on the proposals for dentists in their capacity as a professional colleague, teacher or trainer, they are welcome to do so.

14 October 2010

Solar Tooth Brush does not need Toothpaste!

A revolutionary new toothbrush has been designed by reserachers, that cleans teeth by creating a solar-powered chemical reaction in the mouth, doing away with the need for toothpaste.

Dr. Kunio Komiyama, a dentistry professor emeritus at the University of Saskatchewan, designed the first model of the unconventional toothbrush 15 years ago. Today, Komiyama and his colleague Dr. Gerry Uswak are seeking recruits to test their newest model, the Soladey-J3X. The toothbrush, which is manufactured by the Shiken company of Japan, will soon be tested by 120 teenagers to see how it compares to a normal toothbrush.

The Soladey-J3X has a solar panel at its base that transmits electrons to the top of the toothbrush through a lead wire. The electrons react with acid in the mouth, creating a chemical reaction that breaks down plaque and kills bacteria. The toothbrush requires no toothpaste, and can operate with about the same amount of light as needed by a solar-powered calculator.

The researchers have already tested the toothbrush in cultures of bacteria that cause periodontal disease, and demonstrated that the brush causes “complete destruction of bacterial cells,” Komiyama said.

Last month, the researchers presented their research at the FDI Annual World Dental Conference in Dubai, where their poster won first prize out of 170 entries.

I wonder when will it come to UK? Will the dentists in London have more plaque to deal with?

7 October 2010

Perfect 32 wins 2 National Awards!

Dental 32 wins prestigious awards. It has been honoured with not one BUT two prestigious National Training Awards in recognition of its outstanding contribution and commitment to training, learning and development in the workplace.

Perfect 32 was presented with a Regional National Training Award and a UK National Training Award at the Yorkshire and The Humber Regional Ceremony, held at Leeds Town Hall.

Perfect 32 was recognised in the Yorkshire and Humber Training Award-Small Employer category and the UK National Training Award-Small Employer category for furthering professional development across many areas of expertise, including management, customer service and clinical excellence.

Good news for Perfect 32, with a name like that, it has to be perfect!

Congratulations to Dr. Gary  Rowland's team for winning these 2 awards!

2010 National Training Awards are sponsored by City & Guilds.

As they say on their website,

Perfect 32 is a different kind of dental experience.  We offer the very best in dental care, state of the art treatment, cosmetic and aesthetic dentistry.

The whole team of Perfect 32, deserves a pat on their back!

5 October 2010

NHS Dental Super Surgery Opens in Burnley!


The Quest Dental Care - part of NHS East Lanca-shire, opened its door yesterday. The Quest Dental Care centre contains 12 dental suites equipped with ultra modern facilities and technology to provide a full range of NHS dentistry.

 With a capacity of  treating approx-imately 10,000 patient places within the next 12 months, this practice brings cheers to NHS patients and tears to private dental practices.


And already the practice said it had had hundreds of inquiries.


The practice will also provide training opport-unities to dentists and ther-apists, in partnership with the East Lancashire Dental Education Centre in Accrington.

The NHS East Lanca-shire primary care trust said that the “unique development” next to the bus station was part of its commitment to ensuring that the 382,000 people of Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Ribble Valley and Rossendale are able to access high quality dental care.

In a statement Pauline Hargreaves, Ian Redfearn and Nicholas Taylor, the partners of Quest Dental Care, said: “We are deli-ghted to be moving in to this state-of-the art facility provided by the PCT.

“This is an exciting and innovative project and we have a fantastic team in place who will provide a first class NHS dental service to the local population, as well as training for all members of the dental team.”
Sharon Young, head of primary care contracting for NHS East Lancashire, said the trust was proud of delivering the new multi-million pound centre in a time of financial difficulty.

She said: “NHS East Lancashire is committed to improving access to NHS dental treatment for its residents.
“This new practice will provide high quality NHS treatment right from the town’s centre. We are del-ighted to be helping people to access NHS dental ser-vices close to home.”

To contact the practice visit www.questhealthcare.co.uk

Will a similar Dental Super Surgery in London brings cheers from Londoner's or groans from dentists in London?