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Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

PUBLISHED IN LONDON I n a move which has thrown open the deep divisions with- in the General Dental Coun- cil (GDC), Alison Lockyer, Chair of the GDC, has resigned both from the position of Chair and her seat on the Council. With rumours circulating amongst dental grapevines that there was to be a vote of no con- fidence, Dr Lockyer issued the following: It is with regret that I have decided to resign from my post as Chair of the General Den- tal Council, and also from my ap- pointment on the GDC. It would not be appropriate at the moment for me to go into detail about my reasons for resigning, suffice to say that, over the last few months, there have been issues that have caused me concern. I remain passionate about the importance of protect- ing the public through pro- fessional self regulation. The situation at the GDC has caused concern amongst many of the professional organisations in dentistry, who are calling for an explanation of the situation to re- store confidence in the regulator. A statement by the British Dental Association (BDA) said: The BDA is seriously concerned at the suddenness of Dr Lockyer’s resignation and the observation she has made in the statement. We are calling for the situation to be clarified as a matter of urgency. The profession’s confidence in the regulator depends upon the integrity and robustness of the decisions it makes and it is impor- tant that the Chair is elected by the Council. Dental Protection has also voiced its concerns at the situ- ation. Kevin Lewis, Dental Di- rector, said: “Dental Protection has been voicing its concerns for some time now that certain aspects of the GDC’s work left a lot to be desired. The Fitness to Practise procedures were a case in point, as recently con- firmed by the largely critical CHRE report, while some of the recent policy decisions also suggested a fundamental lack of understanding of the dynam- ics of the profession and its relationship with the public. “The dignified departure of Alison Lockyer as GDC Chair, and the measured but pointed terms of her public comments as she left office, should set alarm bells ringing that something pro- foundly disturbing has been hap- pening at the GDC. It is clear that the departing Chair has formally raised concerns with the relevant authorities about the internal op- eration of the GDC at a senior level, and these concerns surely warrant thorough investigation if public and professional confi- dence is to be maintained. Divi- sions are self-evident between some of the lay and professional members, and also between some Council members and the GDC Executive and staff. This is not good news for patients, and coincidentally it is not good news for the profession either at a time of such enormous challenge.” The GDC is remaining tight- lipped about the current situa- tion. A statement issued on be- half of the GDC said: Alison Lockyer has resigned as Chair of the General Dental Council and as a member of the Council. We would like to thank Alison for her service as Chair since Jan- uary 2010 and as a member of the Council since 2001 and we wish her well for the future. The GDC will now consider the process for appointing a new Chair and any interim arrange- ments needed to ensure the contin- ued smooth running of business. According to reports, the GDC will meet this week to ap- point an interim chair, with a successor to be elected at the Council’s September meeting, when hustings will be held. DT May 16-22, 2011 VOL. 5 NO. 11 Recipe for success Orthodontists recommend steering clear of certain foods which are likely to damage braces; however instead of looking at this negatively, the British Orthodontic Soci- ety challenged members of the public to come up with a range of delicious and nutri- tious brace friendly recipes in a competition run dur- ing National Orthodontic Week (NOW) in February. The booklet features 22 mouth-caring recipes and is helpfully split into sections; breakfasts, starters, main courses and desserts. Most of the entries show how food can be adapted so that it suits the whole family rather than having to create special meals just for a new brace wearer. Stress linked to tumours According to a study present- ed April 28 at the Society of Behavioral Medicine annual meeting in Washington, DC stress and depression are as- sociated with tumour growth in head and neck cancer pa- tients. Previous research in- dicated that stress affects the immune system and weakens the body’s defence against infection and disease. Re- searchers at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadel- phia have now found that poor psychosocial function- ing is associated with greater vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression, a signalling protein that stimu- lates tumour growth. How- ever, it has been noted that the study cannot be used to determine any cause or ef- fect between psychosocial is- sues and disease progression. IADR Honours Professor Professor Nikos Donos, Head and Chair of Peri- odontology and Director of Research at the UCL East- man Dental Institute, has received the 2011 IADR/ Straumann Award for Regen- erative Periodontal Medicine, in recognition of his out- standing contribution to re- search in this specialist field. The prestigious award was presented at the 89th Gen- eral Session of the Interna- tional Association for Dental Research, which took place in March at the San Diego Con- vention Centre in California. The IADR/Straumann Award for Regenerative Periodon- tal Medicine was presented by Professor Ivan Darby, President of the IADR Peri- odontal Research Group, and Professor Michel Dard, Head of Preclinical Re- search at Straumann, the award’s company sponsor. www.dental-tribune.co.uk What came first? David Brewer discusses savings, deposits and mortgages Wow your patients Cathy Johnson offers some creative advice A new approach A discussion of CEREC temporary crowns News in Brief Practice Managment CinicalMoney MattersNews Conference success Smile-on plays perfect host at CIC 2011 page 3 page 12 pages 18-19 pages 20-21 Is something rotten in the state of GDC? GDC Chair resigns amidst rumours of no confidence vote, divisions within the Council causing concern amongst dental professionals