August 20, 2020 | News

LONDON, UK: Social distancing and isolation measures introduced in countless countries during the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have undeniably helped to curb the virus’s spread. One unintended and negative side effect, however, has been a rise in the incidence of domestic violence. A paper recently published in the British Dental Journal (BDJ) sought to clarify what role dental professionals, particularly oral and maxillofacial surgeons, play in such situations and how they can better help patients who have been affected by this form of abuse.

August 19, 2020 | Interviews

Dentistry can be a stressful profession in which the importance of mental health is often overlooked, and the uncertainty about where to seek help can be overwhelming. Over time, this has led to high rates of depression and suicide among dental professionals in the UK. In order to improve the situation and work towards prevention, the helpline Confidental was founded, which offers emotional support for dentists provided by their peers. In an interview with Dental Tribune International, Dr John Lewis, who works as a dentist at Ghyllmount Dental in Penrith in the UK and who is part of the Confidental network, shared some insights into the important work the helpline is doing.

August 13, 2020 | News

LONDON, UK: A report from Amnesty International, released last month, has revealed that more than 3,000 healthcare workers worldwide have died as a result of COVID-19. The organisation further stated that this figure is likely to be a considerable under-estimate as a result of under-reporting, prompting the American Dental Association to reassert its support for front-line healthcare workers throughout the world.

August 11, 2020 | News

LONDON, UK: The British Dental Association (BDA) has temporarily taken its website offline as a consequence of what the trade union has described as “a sophisticated cyber-attack”. The website attack occurred on 30 July, and the BDA is still investigating the motive, along with what information the hackers were able to obtain.

August 6, 2020 | News

LONDON, UK: As experts continue to accumulate evidence on the social, economic and psychological effects of COVID-19, a recent survey issued by Dental Protection, a leading protection organisation globally for doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals, shows that the dental industry has not yet recovered from the pandemic and that dental professionals are still experiencing the devastating effects brought about by the healthcare crisis.

August 4, 2020 | News

LONDON, UK: As part of the dental industry’s ongoing support for the resumption of widespread dental treatment, the British Dental Industry Association (BDIA) has launched a new online directory of members’ products and services that will allow dental practices to provide the best possible oral care safely to patients under challenging circumstances.

August 3, 2020 | News

BRUSSELS, Belgium: In 2018, the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) released a new global classification system for periodontal health, diseases and conditions—the outcome of a joint workshop held by the EFP and the American Academy of Periodontology the previous year. Following up on this, the EFP has now released an evidence-based treatment guide for periodontitis, with the aim of improving periodontal treatment throughout Europe and beyond.

July 31, 2020 | News

LEIPZIG, Germany: Researchers and health bodies around the world are advising health practitioners in the northern hemisphere to actively prepare for an expected second wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections. According to the UK’s Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS), the summer months must be a period of intense preparation for a worst-case public health scenario this winter. So what can dental practices do?

July 30, 2020 | News

LONDON, UK: Though the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, it has been going on long enough for certain lessons to have been gleaned from the way in which different countries have responded to it. This proposition forms the thrust of a recent British Dental Journal opinion article, which compares and contrasts measures implemented in the UK with those instituted in South Korea—two countries that have been affected by the spread of SARS-CoV-2 on vastly different scales.

July 28, 2020 | News

Dr Simon Chard has fast become one of the UK’s most influential dentists. He is a proponent of minimally invasive techniques and sits on the board of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (BACD). In this interview, he discusses his patient-centred, sustainable approach and how his embrace of all things digital has helped steer Rothley Lodge Dental, the dental practice he co-owns with his wife, Dr Meghan Chard, through this tumultuous COVID-19 period.

July 23, 2020 | News

LEIPZIG, Germany: At this point, it almost goes without saying: the future of dentistry is digital. Though modern dental practices still frequently rely on the manual skills of dental practitioners, digital tools such as diagnostic imaging and electronic patient records have been integrated into existing workflows with haste owing to their ability to improve quality of care and simplify routine procedures. However, there are certain issues that arise from this increased digitisation, none more pertinent than cybersecurity.

July 23, 2020 | News

BELFAST, UK: Dentists in Northern Ireland and Scotland are struggling. Several pleas to ministers for financial support for private and mixed dental practices have gone unanswered, and BDA Northern Ireland is now calling on dentists to share their personal stories of hardship with the government. Dentists in Scotland are also struggling with increased costs, decreased revenue and patient back-logs, and the BDA has called for better communication from ministers to address patient expectations.

July 21, 2020 | News

LEIPZIG, Germany: Dentists have resumed the provision of patient care, but are experiencing great anxiety arising from extensive changes to the workflow and fear of contracting SARS-CoV-2 in the practice. Besides work-related stress, some dental professionals are burdened with personal stress related to family, finances and the current state of affairs. To help dental staff cope with the anxiety brought about by continually updated safety and cleaning protocols and changes in workplace policies, a number of dental organisations and health authorities have recently offered their guidance on lightening the load of COVID-19 and associated stress factors in the dental office.

July 13, 2020 | News

DUBLIN, Ireland: According to the Irish Cancer Society, about 550 people are affected by mouth, head and neck cancers in Ireland each year. As patients are less likely to visit their dental practice owing to SARS-CoV-2 and the associated risk of infection, dentists have warned that a high number of oral cancers could be missed or diagnosed at a very late stage.

July 10, 2020 | News

LONDON, UK: Like others grappling with the extent of systemic racism in the wake of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests held around the world, the dental community is speaking up on such social justice movements. In line with this topic, the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK)—FGDP(UK)—will be holding an event during which a number of dentists will discuss their lived experiences of racism in dentistry for the purpose of engaging on how to address this issue.

July 2, 2020 | News

GERRARDS CROSS, UK: The British Endodontic Society (BES) intends to fund new research in response to the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Proposals are invited for short-term research projects aimed at addressing and/or mitigating the impact of aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) during the pandemic.

June 25, 2020 | News

BELFAST, UK: The SARS-CoV-2 virus has not only brought with it the fear of infection, but has also caused great pain to dental patients who have had limited access to dental care during the lockdown. In addition, it has brought distress to dentists who have been concerned about the sustainability of their dental practices and have sympathised with those patients who have been left in agony. Fortunately, as the number of infections is slowly decreasing, dental professionals are resuming their practices in order to address the oral health needs of patients; however, many remain fearful of the business challenges that lie ahead of them.

June 22, 2020 | News

LONDON, UK: As a result of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, dental practices across the world have been partially or completely shut down and routine dental check-ups largely postponed. For a few unlucky people, however, widespread lockdowns have left them unable to access dental services during oral emergencies, leaving them with a single viable option: do-it-yourself (DIY) dentistry.