Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

S o, The Truth About Your Dentist has been aired and been the topic of many a conversation between colleagues in the dental practice. The Channel 4 Dispatches programme was broadcast last month and attracted a combined viewing of approximately 1.1m people between the original broadcast and +1. Despite the original misgivings of many with- in the profession, the programme was not the dentist bashing one- sided affair that was expected – in fact may dental profession- als have said that it has helped to draw attention to some of the flaws of the Unit of Dental Activ- ity (UDA) remuneration system. Dental Tribune has spoken to some of the dentists who ap- peared on the programme, as well as receiving comment from dental professionals. No sensationalist negativity Dr Gareth McAleer, dental practi- tioner and contributor to the Dis- patches programme, commented: “There were several dentists in- volved in the making of the pro- gramme. We wanted to make sure there was none of the sen- sationalist negativity often seen with other programmes; this is often because the profession doesn’t get involved in the mak- ing of programmes such as these and so there is often only one side presented. ‘‘In my opinion there seems to have been a lot of research done in the beginning; first the film- makers called a number of prac- tices, and then chose practices to send mystery shoppers to. As the research progressed, it was obvi- ous to the filmmakers that they were indeed on to something.” Dr McAleer was full of praise for his dental colleagues who agreed to be part of the pro- gramme and give the profession a voice: “It was great that the dentists who came onto the pro- gramme didn’t hold back explain- ing the problems of the system – this gave the programme balance. There was a lot of negativity from certain members of the profes- sion before the programme came out – they didn’t give it a chance. Honesty and integrity “The reason the dentists featured were chosen were because they came across with a depth of hon- esty and integrity, showing that not all dental professionals were like those who had been filmed in their practices. This was to let the public see that although there are some dentists who are not wholly ethical, there are plenty out there who are.” Dr McAleer also gave his opinion about the current state of NHS dentistry: “I believe the government needs to listen to what dentists are telling them; we told them in 2006 that the system would fail, and if they don’t listen to dentists now, that there needs to be a completely new system implemented for NHS dentistry to work, then it is a criminal waste of time and money piloting a sys- tem we already know will fail. “The issues surrounding den- tistry today are much too big to be covered in one programme – even the filmmakers acknowl- edged that – so don’t be surprised if there is a part II to this story!” Also featured in The Truth About Your Dentist was Dr Tony Kilcoyne, Specialist in Prostho- dontics based in Haworth, West Yorkshire and an elected dental member of the GDC Council. Speaking to Dental Tribune, Dr Kilcoyne said that all comments given at interview were his own personal opinion and done in isolation to other parts of the pro- gramme, so until it was broad- cast he wasn’t sure if, or what, would be included in the final programme. “Whilst the adverts for it fo- cussed on the title, The Truth about your Dentist several days beforehand, the expectation was that this would highlight dentists as being the worst cul- prit for the continuous prob- lems that beset NHS dentistry in England. However whilst the programme raised concerns whether some dentists offered everything the NHS contract requires, an equally strong theme was the failings of the existing UDA system itself, which simply isn’t designed to deliver com- plex or time-consuming dental care, such as molar endodontics or prolonged periodontal gum treatments, let alone additional time for important areas such as prevention.” Did Channel 4 Dispatch the truth? Dental Tribune looks at the latest programme to highlight NHS dentistry ‘There was a lot of negativity from certain members of the profession before the programme came out – they didn’t give it a chance’ 3386-1105©DirectaAB NEW! Work faster and safer ” NEW! Distributed in the UK by Trycare Tel. 01274-88 10 44 FenderWedge® (registered design) and FenderMate® (registered design and patent pending) are trademarks registered by Directa AB. Protects the adjacent tooth and surrounding gingiva by major preparations such as crowns, veneers and inlays. Sectional matrix for prepa- ration and restoration of primary teeth. page 12DTà June 6-12, 2011United Kingdom Edition