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Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

Published by Dental Tribune UK Ltd © 2011, 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. Editor Lisa Townshend Tel: 020 7400 8979 Lisa@dentaltribuneuk.com Advertising Director Joe Aspis Tel: 020 7400 8969 Joe@dentaltribuneuk.com Sales Executive Joe Ackah Tel: 020 7400 8964 Joe.ackah@ dentaltribuneuk.com Editorial Assistant Laura Hatton Laura.hatton@dentaltrib- uneuk.com Design & Production Ellen Sawle ellen@dentaltribuneuk.com Dental Tribune UK Ltd 4th Floor, Treasure House, 19–21 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8BA A OG and Smile-On, in con- junction with the Dental Directory and the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK), will again be hosting the 2011 Clinical Innovations Conference (CIC). Now in its eighth year, the CIC promises to be bigger and better than ever, with a wealth of top speakers, including the AOG’s President, Pomi Datta, who said “Last year’s conference and the dinner brought together innova- tors and thinkers of this millenni- um. We are going to build on that with our partners and friends. We want to make this the most excit- ing annual event in Europe.” The 2011 conference prom- ises to be outstanding, with an impressive line-up of speakers and guests and with the ben- efit of hands-on sessions to aid in your education, the event will be an inspirational learning experi- ence for all dental practitioners, regardless of your field or ability. In addition, attending the Clini- cal Innovations Conference will earn you up to 14 hours of verifi- able training, a good way to up- hold your CPD requirements. The 2011 Clinical Innovations Conference is due to be held on the Friday 6th and Saturday 7th May, 2011 at the Royal College of Phy- sicians, London. Due to the high demand for places in 2010, practi- tioners are advised to book early in order to ensure their attendance. Dental professionals can ex- pect to learn more about the latest developments within the field of endodontics from the likes of Ju- lian Webber, occlusion from Raj Rayan OBE as well as discover the benefits of practising mini- mally invasive orthodontics with speakers such as Tif Qureshi and James Russell. Wolfgang Richter, president of the EACD, will also be speaking at the event. His lecture entitled Esthetic Excellence with Direct Composite Restorations – The Importance of Material Knowledge will enable practition- ers to: establish their own goals on the way to dental excellence; to un- derstand the importance of knowl- edge in material properties; and learn the sensible handling of bonding materials and techni- cal sensitivity. Other confirmed speakers include the internationally ac- claimed Nasser Barghi, Joe Omar, Peet van der Vyer, Eddie Lynch, Bob McLelland and Wyman Chan, amongst many others. On Friday May 6th, attendees will also have the opportunity of attending the Conference Char- ity Ball, which will be held at the fashionable Millennium Mayfair Hotel. Last year’s proceeds went to the AOG-sponsored project in Chitrakoot to repair cleft lips and palates and provide dental treat- ment for 500 villages in one of the most rural parts of India. With an unprecedented line- up of relevant lectures and prac- tical hands-on sessions on the programme, dental professionals of all levels are bound to find the 2011 CIC a truly stimulating and motivating learning experience. So why not use this opportu- nity to keep in touch with inno- vations in this dynamic and fast- growing area of dentistry and help your practice reach its most profit- able potential? For more information, visit www.aoguk.org For early bird offers, or to book, call Jamie on 0207 400 8989 or visit www.clinicalinnovations. co.uk DT 2011 Clinical Innovations Conference: Worldwide Expertise That Will Inspire You A packed lecture from CIC 2010 S ir Rupert Jackson, a judge of the Court of Appeal has put together what has been regarded as a “comprehensive and cogently argued” Review of Civil Litigation Costs and as a re- sult, the Government is to have a consultation about civil litigation funding, marking a turning point in civil litigation. The aim of the consultation is to “strike the right balance” be- tween those are require justice and an assurance that costs are fair and appropriate, implement- ing Sir Rupert’s recommenda- tions on reforming ‘no win no fee’ conditional fee agreements (CFAs), where costs can far ex- ceed the compensation awarded. One such case recorded that a patient who claimed compensa- tion for a damaged back tooth was awarded £1,500 within five months; however the patient’s solicitor claimed costs of £29,000. To reform the costs of civil cases successfully, it has been suggested that necessary claims can be brought, reasonable claims should be settled as early as possible, and unnecessary claims should be deferred. If Sir Rupert’s First Report is implemented it could lead to a significant reduction in legal costs, for not only claimants and defendants, but also the Govern- ment and the taxpayer. This is because many disproportionate costs of defending claims are footed by the taxpayer. Rupert Hoppenbrouwers, head of the DDU said: “We be- lieve that the current system is unfair to the general dental prac- titioners we represent who are paying for these spiralling legal costs through their subscriptions as well as to taxpayers who are funding those dental cases in- demnified by NHS bodies. The DDU wholeheartedly supports the changes proposed which ad- dress the problem of excessive and disproportionate costs, with- out affecting the ability of patients to seek compensation when they have been negligently harmed. MDU Head of Claims, Jill Harding added: “We agree with the proposal that defendants will not recover costs from los- ing claimants in CFA-funded cases and in return claimants won’t need to take out insur- ance against these costs. Claim- ants themselves should be ex- pected to fund their solicitors’ success fee from any damages awarded and would then have an interest in the costs incurred on their behalf. To ensure fair- ness to claimants, we agree that the success fee needs to be capped and that there should be a 10 per cent increase in the general damages that claim- ants are awarded. We think this approach strikes the right bal- ance and hope that the proposed changes will be introduced.” Kevin Lewis, Director of Dental Protection, commented: “Recent years have seen a rapid increase in the number of UK dental claims, and in the propor- tion of overall costs that is con- sumed by the lawyers acting for the patients concerned. Overall, the claimants’ lawyers receive more than the patients they rep- resent, and in some cases a lot more. This is particularly likely when claims are being conduct- ed by certain law firms operating under Conditional Fee Arrange- ments (CFAs) – popularly de- scribed as “no win-no fee”, and this fact is starkly illustrated by two examples drawn from recent cases:- a) Patient received damages of £14,500 - claimant costs claimed £125,000 b) Patient received damages of £3,500 – claimant’s costs claimed £95,000 “We gave evidence to Lord Justice Jackson’s review of the civil justice system, and wel- comed his recommendations and the early indications since then that there is an appetite within government for these much-needed reforms which strike a fair balance for all par- ties, We particularly applaud the proposed new test of proportion- ality taking into account all the factors of the litigation, not just the fact that the costs were nec- essarily incurred. This would address the problem of very high legal fees claimed by claimants’ lawyers in connection with rela- tively modest dental claims.” DT ‘Striking the balance’ for civil litigation costs March 14-20, 20112 News United Kingdom Edition