Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

PUBLISHED IN LONDON T he Care Quality Commis- sion (CQC) has admitted that it will not have com- pleted the registration process for a significant proportion of den- tal practices who have submit- ted their forms to the regulator. In an email sent to practices the CQC stated: We have received approximately 7,400 valid applica- tions from primary dental care and independent ambulance services. We are working hard to have those providers fully registered as soon as possible and some providers have already begun to receive their no- tices of decision (NoDs) and certifi- cates of registration. On 1 April, there will be some providers who are still in the final stages of registering. We would like to reassure any provider who has submitted a valid application to us, but has not received their NoDs or certificate, that we will consider them to be ‘in process’. Some dentists have been upset by this news, calling for the CQC to put back or even abandon its regulatory plans for practitioner until it is in a position to cope with the workload. One dentist, Dr Si- mon Thackeray, emailed CQC’s Cynthia Bower to share his views on the situation, commenting: As an organisation you are quite obvi- ously not ready for the registration of dentists. Given the tone of emails and communication received from yourselves previously, the penalties for our failure to meet the deadline set by the CQC/Government were nothing short of draconian. Accordingtotheemail,yourorg- anisation is not going to meet the deadline set. What draconian meas- ures will fall upon the CQC, and you as its Head given this admission? Dr Thackeray added: The strength of feeling within the pro- fession at the failure of the CQC to perform to its purpose is growing significantly. A CQC spokeswoman said: “Many providers may not receive their certificates or Notices of Deci- sion by 1 April because their CRB checks are still being processed. It is a legal requirement for all pro- viders to have a CRB disclosure in order to be registered. The CQC had hoped that PCTs would be able to provide evidence of these for most NHS providers, but this has not proved to be the case. “While we are encouraged by the work PCTs are doing to try to help us, sourcing confirmation about provider’s disclosures via PCTs is proving challenging. How- ever, more than 90 per cent of den- tal providers have now applied for registration and we are processing these applications. “CQC appreciates there are some practitioners in the industry who are concerned about registra- tion and that it can appear daunt- ing. However, providers should be reassured that this system will be an endorsement to many and that it both dentists and patients will ul- timately benefit from the process.” The spokeswoman contin- ued: “Providers who have applied for registration within their given timeframes can continue to pro- vide services after 1 April. If a pro- vider’s enhanced CRB check is not finalised, and the provider is not registered by 1 April, we would only bring proceedings against them if it were in the public interest to do so. We do not seek to penalise any provider who has genuinely attempted to register.” Chair of the BDA’s Executive Committee, Dr Susie Sanderson, said: “CQC registration is a fiasco that seems to lurch from one cri- sis to another, spreading discon- tent, creating stress and distracting practitioners from patient care. It is disappointing, although sadly no longer surprising, that the process has now been pitched into a new crisis. CQC’s acknowledgement of its shortcomings will do very little, if anything, to placate or reassure dentists. The organisation clearly needs time to focus on the prob- lems it is facing and get the process on track. “The dental profession in Eng- landisengagingconstructivelywith the Government on major changes to contracts and commissioning to help it deliver improvements to pa- tient care. It is important that posi- tive approach is reciprocated. The Government has previously re- fused BDA calls to exempt dentists from CQC registration and even to delay the process, arguing that it is progressing well. That is clearly not the case. It is time for Govern- ment to take action to show that it understands the concerns and halt the development of a crisis of con- fidence among dentists’’. DT FEWER THAN ONE IN THREE PEOPLE HAVE MENTIONED BLEEDING GUMS TO THEIR DENTIST OR HYGIENIST1 . With patients most likely to mention pain on a dental visit1 the early stages of gum disease may be ignored. The Corsodyl Campaign for Healthy Gums is designed to raise awareness of the risks of gum disease and the initial signs to look out for. For your free Gum Care Guidance Pack including a range of materials for you and your patients visit WWW.GSK-DENTALPROFESSIONALS.CO.UK/GUMCARE. Corsodyl Mint Mouthwash chlorhexidine digluconate For the treatment of gingivitis Product Information: Corsodyl Mint Mouthwash. Presentation: A colourless solution containing 0.2% w/v chlorhexidine digluconate. Indications: Plaque inhibition; gingivitis; maintenance of oral hygiene; post peridontal surgery or treatment; aphthous ulceration; oral candida. Dosage & Administration: Adults and children 12 years and over: Rinse with 10ml for 1 minute twice daily or pre-surgery. Soak dentures for 15 minutes twice daily.Treatment length: gingivitis 1 month; ulcers, oral candida 48 hours after clinical resolution. Do not use in children under 12 unless on advice of healthcare professional. Contraindications: Hypersensitivity to chlorhexidine or any of the excipients. Precautions: Keep out of eyes and ears, do not swallow, separate use from conventional dentifrices (e.g. rinse mouth between applications). In case of soreness, swelling or irritation of the mouth cease use of product. Pregnancy & Lactation: No special precautions. Side effects: Super cial discolouration of tongue, teeth and tooth-coloured restorations, usually reversible; transient taste disturbances and burning sensation of tongue on initial use; oral desquamation; parotid swelling; irritative skin reactions; extremely rare, generalised allergic reactions, hypersensitivity and anaphylaxis. Overdose: Due to the alcohol content (7%) ingestion of large amounts by children requires medical attention.Legal category: GSL.Product Licence Number and RSP (excl.VAT):PL 00079/0312 300ml £4.17, 600ml £8.17. Licence Holder: GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Brentford,TW8 9GS, U.K. Date of preparation: February 2011. CORSODYL is a registered trade mark of the GlaxoSmithKline group of companies Reference: 1. GlaxoSmithKline data on le,You Gov PLC, 2010. SM1873_22 Corsdodyl Treatment (Advert) Dental Tribune 1 PRINT READY.indd 1 14/03/2011 17:01 March 28-April 3, 2011 VOL. 5 NO. 7 Sweet tooth Scientists have discovered that taste cells have several addition sugar detectors on top of the previously known sweet receptor. This sweet re- ceptor is the primary mecha- nism in recognising sugars such as glucose and sucrose and also artificial sweeten- ers, including saccharin and aspartame. However, accord- ing to senior author Robert F Margolskee, MD, PhD, a mo- lecular neurobiologist, some aspects of sweet taste could not be explained by the pri- mary receptor. “The taste sys- tem continues to amaze me at how smart it is and how it serves to integrate taste sen- sation with digestive process- es.” Margolskee was quoted as saying. The study suggests that different sugar taste sensors have varied roles. Tobacco not displayed After much deliberation re- garding the display of tobac- co in shops it has now been passed that tobacco will no longer be displayed in shops. The new legislation, which is being implemented by the Government, will come into force for large stores on April 6 2012 and on April 6 2015 for all other shops. Accord- ing to a statement from the Department of Health only temporary displays in “cer- tain limited circumstances” will be allowed, with the rules phased in to minimise the impact on businesses. With regards to plain packag- ing for cigarettes and other tobacco products, the Gov- ernment is keeping an “open mind” and is planning a con- sultation on different options before the end of this year. Frogs have teeth! According to new research, frogs have re-evolved “lost” bottom teeth after more than 200 million years. Tree- dwelling Gastrotheca guen- theri are the only known frogs in the world with teeth on both their upper and low- er jaw. The reappearance of these lower teeth after such a long time identifies a “loop- hole” in previous theories in evolution and ultimately fu- els debate about the perma- nent loss of complex traits in evolution. Commonly known as “marsupial frogs”, the Gastrotheca genus carry have other unusual traits be- cause they carry their eggs in pouches on their backs. Dr John Wiens led a team of sci- entists from Stony Brook Uni- versity, New York to investi- gate this exceptional feature. Their findings are reported in the journal Evolution. www.dental-tribune.co.uk Love and leave you Dental Tribune looks at why patients leave you Safe or Sorry? David Hands and Neil Photay discuss nickel allergies Trek with a purpose Dentaid organises trip to North East India News in Brief Clinical EventsBusiness ManagementNews Fake pharmaceuticals Raids target gangs involved in counterfiet medicine page 6 pages 11-12 pages 19-20 page 22 Can’t Quite Complete Regulator admits to backlog in registration process