DTUK1410

Published by Dental Tribune UK Ltd © 2010, Dental Tribune UK Ltd. All rights reserved. Dental Tribune UK Ltd makes every effort to report clinical information and manufacturer’s product news accurately, but cannot assume responsibility for the validity of product claims, or for typographical errors. The publishers also do not assume responsibility for product names or claims, or statements made by advertisers. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and may not reflect those of Dental Tribune International. Managing Director Mash Seriki Mash@dentaltribuneuk.com Director Noam Tamir Noam@dentaltribuneuk.com Editor Lisa Townshend Tel: 020 7400 8979 Lisa@dentaltribuneuk.com Features Editor Ellie Pratt Ellie.pratt@ dentaltribuneuk.com Advertising Director Joe Aspis Tel: 020 7400 8969 Joe@dentaltribuneuk.com Sales Executive Sam Volk Tel: 020 7400 8964 Sam.volk@ dentaltribuneuk.com Marketing Manager Laura McKenzie Laura@dentaltribuneuk.com Design & Production Keem Chung Keem@dentaltribuneuk.com Dental Tribune UK Ltd 4th Floor, Treasure House, 19–21 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8BA A dental receptionist, who claimed she lost her job because she was preg- nant, has been awarded over £3,000 in compensation. Saba Saeed, of Great Barr, Birmingham said her former employers, Dr Farshid Shoja and Mrs Shoja-Assadi of Broadway Dental Practice in Edgbaston had discriminated against her because she was a woman. The receptionist also claimed that she was dismissed when she revealed that she was pregnant. However, Dr Shoja said Miss Saeed had intimidated other members of staff, made personal phone calls in work hours and talked to colleagues in a rude and inappropriate manner. Miss Saeed denied the allegations. At Birmingham Employ- ment Tribunal, judge Tom Roper, said Miss Saeed had ind- eed been discriminated against due to her gender and was also unfairly dismissed on the grounds that she had an- nounced that she was pregnant and was sacked just days after the announcement. She was in- formed by her employers that ‘things between them were not working out’. The hearing lasted for two days and Miss Saeed was given compensation totalling £3,041. The sum included a 25 per- cent penalty, as Miss Saeed’s employers had not followed the correct disciplinary and dis- missal procedure under the Em- ployment Rights Act. T he British Dental Health Foundation wants oral health messages on diet and toothbrushing to be specifi- cally targeted at children. The oral health charity has expressed its concern after a new study highlighted the problems sur- rounding a ‘sweetie culture’. The BDHF claims the report has flagged up a severe lack of support for parents, with the research showing that par- ents find it particularly difficult to refuse their children’s con- stant demands for sweets, bis- cuits and chocolate - in a soc- iety where sugary snacks are so easily available. Chief executive of the Brit- ish Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, said the study highlights the need for stricter measures to be put in place so that children’s health does not deteriorate further. He said: “The research underlines the struggles parents have in to- day’s society, where sweets and sugary foods have become the norm. It also gives us an insight into why children’s dental health in the UK is so poor, despite the constant hard work we do in making information available to the public.” He added: “The UK in general has developed a very unhealthy food environment, making it even harder for us to improve the dietary habits of children in this country. Cutting sweets and high-in-sugar foods in schools is a start and a step that the govern- ment must radically think about adopting.” The research, ‘Living in a sweetie culture: Scottish parents’ difficulties in maintaining their children’s oral health’ was car- ried out by the University of Dundee’s Dental Health Services and Research Unit. The study looked at parents from varied social backgrounds with children aged three to 12 whose teeth had to be extracted. Many parents confessed to using sweets ‘to control their children’s tantrums’ and made a plea for sch- ools to ban sweets because they were ‘everywhere’. They were also found to have limited knowl- edge of oral health maintenance. Dr Carter added: “Children do not naturally have a sweet tooth and very often only de- velop this when they are offered sweets as rewards by parents and grandparents. Trying to of- fer other rewards can reap ben- efits for both dental and general health of the child.” A recent BBC1 Panorama special highlighted the tooth decay epidemic which children in the UK are facing today. The documentary featured five-year- old Kaitlyn, who had had eight molars removed due to tooth de- cay. Her mother, Sharon, said the culprits were her daughter’s love of sweets and tomato sauce. DT Oral health charity criticises ‘dangerous sweetie culture’ D ental professionals are being asked by the Gen- eral Dental Council to pay their Annual Retention Fee by di- rect debit. Once a direct debit is set up, registrants won’t have to con- tact the General Dental Council (GDC) to make a payment or write a cheque each time their An- nual Retention Fee (ARF) is due. Gurvinder Soomal, GDC head of registration said: “The annual retention fee pays for all our core regulatory activities and we al- ways want to make sure that it is spent wisely. We are committed to finding the most cost-efficient way of carrying out our work. Encour- aging dental professionals to sign up to direct debit is one way we can help reduce administration costs. It’s helpful for registrants too. Payments are made automati- cally, ensuring fees are never for- gotten and that costly restoration fees are avoided. This is also a very good time for those who have al- ready set up direct deb- its to check their details are up-to-date.” Direct debits oper- ate under a guarantee offered by all banks and building societies. There is an immediate money- back guarantee from the bank in the event of an error, advance notice if the date or amount changes and the right to cancel at any time. This year the GDC is also introducing a new solution for man- aging multiple ARF payments from a single bank account. An update will be sent to the account holder before each ARF collection. The update form shows each reg- istrant that is being paid for by di- rect debit and allows names to be easily removed or added. To set up a direct debit in time for the July 2010 ARF collection, registrants must return the com- pleted form or set up their instruc- tion on line at www.eGDC-uk.org by 14 June 2010. For further help, contact the registration team by phone on 020 7344 3740 or email registration@ gdc-uk.org. DT Dental professionals asked to sign up to direct debit Dental receptionist wins sex discrimination case T he clinical direc- tor of EndoCare successfullycom- pleted the London Mar- athon and raised £2,000 for charity. Clinical director, Dr Michael Sultan, fin- ished the marathon in four hours and 44 minutes. Dr Sultan, him- self an asthma suf- ferer, raised more than £2,000 for Asthma UK, a charity dedicated to improv- ing the health and wellbeing of those whose lives are affected by asthma. “I ran 30km well but then I started to get pain in my right hip, which eventually seized up completely,” said Dr Sultan. “There was no way I wasn’t going to finish the race so I walked and limped the last 12km. Donations for this year’s event are still rolling in and new donations are always wel- come,”he added. DT A member of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry has been chosen to train students at the Peninsula Dental School. Dominic Kiernander, from the Pearly Whites Dental Prac- tice on City Road in Truro, has been awarded full membership of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is the second mem- ber of the academy in Cornwall, and the only dentist in Truro with full membership. Professor Elizabeth Kay, Dean of Peninsula Dental School, said: “We’re delighted to have secured Dominic’s skills to give students in Years 3 and 4 a taste of some of the advanced techniques now used in dental care.” She added: “This element of their training will help equip them even more fully for a career in surgical and restorative den- tistry. “We value highly the sup- port of local dental practitioners across the region in the training of our students and the develop- ment of our curriculum, at the heart of which sits a commitment to primary dental care and the welfare of local NHS patients.” DT BACD member to train students at Peninsula EndoCare director successfully completes the London marathon Intra-oral cameras can be very helpful in selling May 24-30, 20102 News United Kingdom Edition