July 27, 2021 | News

LONDON, UK: After a year-long inquiry, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing (APPG) has released a report on the regulatory environment surrounding non-surgical aesthetic procedures such as dermal fillers and botulinum toxin injections—the latter most commonly known as Botox. Given that these treatments are increasingly being offered by UK dental practices, the British Dental Association (BDA) has cautioned dentists to confirm that they are appropriately insured to provide these services.

July 20, 2021 | News

LONDON, UK: Effective on 19 July, England eased many of its COVID-19 restrictions, including rules on social distancing and the requirement to wear face coverings in public places. However, although people in England are no longer obliged to wear face masks when entering establishments such as shops, healthcare organisations in the UK have recently urged the government to keep face masks mandatory in healthcare settings.

July 16, 2021 | News

GLASGOW, UK: Changing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic have regularly affected the scope of work that dental professionals have been allowed to conduct. Understanding exactly which procedures are permitted—and which ones are not—has been a continued challenge. The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS), one of the leading medical defence organisations in the UK, has announced that it received a record number of inquiries from dentists looking for advice and support during 2020.

July 15, 2021 | Advertorial

COPENHAGEN, Denmark: Ever since it was launched in 2005, 3Shape Dental System has been the software of choice for dental laboratory technicians who want to stay at the forefront of technological advancement. With the release of Dental System 2021, 3Shape is now allowing technicians to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and enhance their productivity through its new and improved integrated workflows.

July 14, 2021 | News

LEEDS, UK: Researchers from the University of Leeds and the University of Liverpool examined the gender balance of invited speakers at dental conferences that were held in the UK over a two-year period. The June study found that gender was acceptably balanced at only 21.4% of conferences and concluded that conference organisers should proactively work towards making their programmes more representative of the dental workforce.

July 8, 2021 | News

LONDON, UK: Though video calls have become a part of everyday work for many professionals during the pandemic, their increased integration has had some unintended consequences. A new survey jointly conducted by the Oral Health Foundation (OHF) and Align Technology has found that more than half (58%) of British adults have changed how they see their own smile as a result of these videoconferencing technologies.

July 5, 2021 | News

BRISTOL, UK: The largest study to date specifically measuring aerosol generation in dental settings found that many common procedures produced negligible volumes of aerosol. The study is yet to be peer reviewed; however, according to the authors, the findings support current guidance that deems many dental procedures as posing a low risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and suggests that the level of risk associated with the use of ultrasonic instruments could be downgraded.

July 5, 2021 | Advertorial

As the principal at the Sydney-based dental practice Care Dentistry, specialist prosthodontist Dr Christopher Ho leads by example. The procedures and techniques he employs to create aesthetic rehabilitations are guided by digital solutions that deliver greater efficiency, accuracy and patient acceptance. Here, he discusses how 3Shape’s product portfolio powers his digital workflows.

July 1, 2021 | News

BELFAST, UK: Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, dental services worldwide have been disrupted for over a year. A recent report by the Health and Social Care Business Services Organisation (Northern Ireland) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency collected information on dental services in Northern Ireland between April 2020 and March 2021 and found that treatment activity had declined significantly. As a result, the British Dental Association Northern Ireland (BDA NI) is calling on policymakers to make oral health a higher priority.

July 1, 2021 | Education | News

Over the past months, I have been running a course, titled “How to launch an oral health promotion project/business”, which is part of my Smile Revolution platform. The course is open to all dental professionals—dentists, therapists, hygienists and nurses—who want to explore opportunities of expanding their horizon beyond the purely clinical work of the practice.

June 29, 2021 | Advertorial

KOBLACH, Austria: Amann Girrbach is all about supporting laboratories in the organisation of digital dental workflows. With the AG.Live digital platform, this project reaches a new dimension. AG.Live helps dental technicians to manage all digital activities locally and to connect with an ever-expanding global network of digital dental professionals.

June 28, 2021 | News

LONDON, UK/CHENNAI, India: UK Research and Innovation and India’s Department of Biotechnology in the Ministry of Science and Technology have recently granted funding to two research projects that aim to examine the impact of COVID-19 in South Asian communities in India and the UK. One of the studies hypothesises that mucosal immunity and the oral microbiome play a critical role in susceptibility to and severity of COVID-19. If confirmed, the findings of the study could help mitigate the severity of the disease in both countries.

June 23, 2021 | News

EDINBURGH, UK: Currently, NHS dental care is free at the point of use for those under 18 throughout the UK. Part of the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) platform ahead of this past May’s Scottish parliamentary election was a promise to abolish all NHS dentistry charges and increase NHS funding by 20%. After its successful re-election, the SNP has now introduced legislature to make dental services free for individuals up to 25 years of age, a move that will benefit 600,000 young people, according to the government.

June 17, 2021 | Advertorial | Events

LONDON, UK: Align Technology has announced that it is hosting its annual Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Invisalign Scientific Symposium on 2 and 3 July digitally, providing an opportunity for orthodontists to delve into the science behind the company’s Invisalign system, as well as glean the latest advanced clinical knowledge from luminaries of orthodontic pedagogy.

June 17, 2021 | News

CHESTERFIELD, UK: The pandemic has been ongoing for over a year now, and there is still a strong need to protect healthcare and scientific staff from SARS-CoV-2 infection. To stay safe, many professionals have been adhering to strict infection protection and control guidelines and using various protective gear. However, some safety equipment, which is often cumbersome, has sometimes led to facial bruising or skin damage and caused considerable discomfort or even pain. To offer dental professionals increased protection and comfort, UK dental industry supplier Denka is now distributing a new solution for respiratory protection: the CleanSpace HALO respirator.

June 11, 2021 | Advertorial

Dr Max Andrup, a 2010 graduate of Umeå University, currently runs a private practice in the city of Hudiksvall in Sweden, where he maintains a passion for restorative dentistry with a biomimetic approach. In this interview, he discusses the future of restorative dentistry and explains why he relies on Kuraray Noritake Dental’s products for his daily workflow.

June 9, 2021 | News

BIRMINGHAM, UK: To fill a research gap, researchers have recently examined whether dental professionals are, in fact, at an increased risk of becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the workplace, as has often been hypothesised. They found that close contact with patients put dental professionals at a higher risk of developing COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic and that a large number of dental professionals had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in their blood.

June 8, 2021 | Business

LONDON, UK: Clear aligner provider Align Technology has recently announced that the Invisalign system has cracked the ten million mark. The clear aligners are used to treat adults, adolescents and children from the age of six. According to the company, out of the ten million patients, 2.6 million are teenage patients.