Latest Blog Posts

• Dental volunteering in Tanzania with Bridge2Aid

  Minnie Lyons Coleman shares her experience of dental volunteering in Tanzania with the charity Bridge2Aid.

  Blog Date 11 December, 2019

• Where does dentistry in Northern Ireland fit into this General Election?

  The key asks within the BDA's Manifesto for Oral Health in this upcoming General Election are applicable to dentistry across the whole of the UK – Tristen Kelso outlines the issues we have been raising in Northern Ireland.

  Blog Date 4 December, 2019

• Is NHS dentistry becoming a 'thing of the past' for many Welsh communities?

  We were pleased to see Welsh Assembly Members last week voicing the concerns we have been highlighting over the need for support for dentists in Wales who are suffering from stress and burnout, due to the increasing demands being put on dentists in their working lives.

  Blog Date 4 December, 2019

• The future of NHS dentistry relies on young dentists

  BDA Young Dentists Committee Chair Nikki Patel talks to the BBC about the falling morale of young dentists trying to work under the NHS dental contract and what is Government needs to do to ensure NHS dentistry has a future.

  Blog Date 28 November, 2019

• Election 2019: Dentistry on the doorstep

  Some top tips from our Public Affairs Adviser, Robert Cann, on making a strong case for NHS dentistry with your local candidates in this upcoming General Election.

  Blog Date 28 November, 2019

• Volunteering in Zambia: Dentistry in the Savannah

  Nisha and Nita Mandalia share their experience of volunteering as a dental students in Zambia, with the SmileStar dental charity.

  Blog Date 22 November, 2019

• The perfect storm: the 4 million being failed by NHS dentistry

  One in 10 people are losing out on dental care and they are probably the ones who need us most. Dental practices are struggling to fill vacancies, NHS charges discourage attendance, and the NHS dental contract caps our patient numbers. It's time that Government ensures NHS dentistry has a future, says Dave Cottam.

  Blog Date 20 November, 2019

• Celebrating success for BDA Northern Ireland Branch

  Claudette Christie gives a roundup of her year as BDA President and the Northern Ireland Branch events that took place during 2019.

  Blog Date 20 November, 2019

• General anaesthesia for child and adult special care dental patients: CDS Group study day 2020

  In early 2020, the BDA Community Dental Services (CDS) Study Group is holding two study days, one on the 27 January focusing on general anaesthesia for adult special dental care patients, and one on the 28 January, focusing on GAs for paediatric dental patients.

  Blog Date 19 November, 2019

• Dental Core Training: what is it really like?

  If you are thinking of doing a DCT post after DFT, what should you expect and what challenges might you face? Gurpreet Kaur Randhawa shares her experiences of doing DCT1 in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in a district general hospital and doing DCT2 in Restorative Dentistry and Child Dental Health in a dental hospital.

  Blog Date 19 November, 2019

• NHS website dental patient reviews: what you need to know

  Many dental practices raised issues with NHS Choices system of patient review, and the difficulties in moderating comments, especially those that were not related to the dental practice at all. Nick Stolls explains the work LDC members have been doing to work with NHS Digital to improve the system and make it less onerous for dentists.

  Blog Date 12 November, 2019

• The recruitment crisis in NHS dentistry needs to be addressed

  We were delighted to see Lord Colwyn addressing the House of Lords last week, raising the issue of the recruitment crisis that NHS dentistry is facing in response to proposed new legislation on public safety and regulation.

  Blog Date 7 November, 2019

• The truth behind the headlines: persistent oral health inequalities in Scotland

  Robert Donald argues that although new stats showing improvements in children's oral health in Scotland are welcome, the Scottish Government cannot rest on its laurels about the stark oral health inequalities across Scotland, and calls for more investment for dentistry.

  Blog Date 6 November, 2019

• Moving the agenda forward: prioritising oral health in Northern Ireland

  Improving the oral health of the Northern Ireland population is a key area of BDA Northern Ireland's work, and that's why we decided to bring together politicians and other key stakeholders at a recent summit in Stormont, to discuss what needs to happen to move the agenda forward.

  Blog Date 6 November, 2019

• Is the issue of stress in dentistry finally being taken seriously?

  BDA President Roz McMullan responds to the news the Department of Health in England has finally extended access to all NHS dentists to the Practitioner Health Support Programme. She also looks at what similar provision is available in the other three UK countries.

  Blog Date 5 November, 2019

• What can dentists do to support LGBT patients?

  There are some important things that dentists can do to ensure their practices are inclusive and help to encourage LGBT patients through their doors, without fear of discrimination or judgement.

  Blog Date 4 November, 2019

• Was Jane Austen a toothbrusher? Oral health and hygiene in the Regency period

  News that a Jane Austen letter to her sister is up for sale, which includes a grisly description of a visit to the dentist, is a reminder of the poor state or oral health in the Regency period and what we can learn about people's oral hygiene routines, or lack thereof, and how far we have come today in promoting good oral health.

  Blog Date 4 November, 2019

• Stress in dentistry: How can we manage it?

  Hina Patel is a dentist, a nutritional therapist and a stress management coach. She shares some tips and tools for helping you to manage stress and highlights the resources and support available for dentists.

  Blog Date 22 October, 2019

• Dental students discuss the future of dental education and more...

  Young Dentist Committee member Amaar Hassan recently went along to the BDA Student Committee/British Dental Students Association meeting to find out what was on the agenda - including the future of dental education, stress, dental regulation, NHS dental contract reform and the issue of sustainability in dentistry.

  Blog Date 22 October, 2019

• What’s it like being a... clinical mentor, associate dentist and safeguarding lead? Trisha Patel

  Trisha Patel is an associate dentist at a large, six-surgery practice in Newham. Part of her role includes mentoring dentists from overseas and having the responsibility for being the safeguarding lead in her dental practice. She tells us about her day...

  Blog Date 15 October, 2019

• BDA Scottish Dental Conference 2019: updates from the world of clinical dentistry

  If you missed it, here are some of the highlights from our Scottish Dental Conference and Exhibition in September.

  Blog Date 15 October, 2019

• What can the GDC do to change the fear younger dentists feel?

  From her perspective as a dentist practising in Wales, Lauren Harrhy reflects on what the GDC can do to help ensure younger dentists aren't so afraid of their regulatory organisation, and feels there is hope for change.

  Blog Date 15 October, 2019

• Periodontal disease management - advice on the risks associated

  50% of the world's population suffers from periodontitis so it is vital that we continue to study the disease and promote awareness.

  Blog Date 14 October, 2019

• Do younger dentists see the value in getting politically engaged? The view from LDCs

  Leah Farrell looks at the survey responses from LDC representatives on whether they are succeeding in getting younger dentists interested in dental politics and representative roles. She feels the responses are encouraging, and says the LDC Agenda Committee will continue to work on supporting younger dentists to take part.

  Blog Date 9 October, 2019

• Has the GDC finally turned a corner? Annual Retention Fee reduced by a quarter

  The reduction in the GDC's Annual Retention Fee is welcome news, but our regulator still has a way to go in rebuilding the confidence of the dental profession, says Mick Armstrong.

  Blog Date 8 October, 2019

• What’s it like being a... head dental nurse? Amy Meier

  Amy Meier is head dental nurse for a four-surgery corporate dental practice in Warminster. Her typical day is busy juggling administrative and clinical work, as well as mentoring two student dental nurses.

  Blog Date 8 October, 2019

• Five top tips for using social media for student dentists

  Some top tips on using social media, from one our new BDA Social Media representatives, Komal Chopra.

  Blog Date 4 October, 2019

• What’s it like being a... practice manager in an NHS practice? Sheena McCormick

  ​Sheena McCormick is a practice manager for a busy NHS mixed dental practice in Buckinghamshire, based over two sites. She tells us how she manages to juggle managing a large team, as well as working on NHS procurement tenders, to ensure the business continues to thrive.

  Blog Date 4 October, 2019

• Time for commissioners to step up on care for vulnerable dental patients

  Dave Cottam and Charlotte Waite assess the news that the CQC has stated that oral health will finally feature in inspection criteria from 1 October. Will care homes be able to meet these criteria and is enough domiciliary care dentistry commissioned to help support the growing need?

  Blog Date 3 October, 2019

• Clunky IT sums up failure to invest in Scottish dentistry

  We leapt at the chance to make our case to Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee, as they held a much-needed inquiry into what the ‘next generation’ of primary care should look like.

  Blog Date 3 October, 2019