Latest Blog Posts

• Return of devolved government: An opportunity to progress dentistry in Northern Ireland

  After three years without local government in Northern Ireland, we are pleased that power-sharing has now been restored, and hopeful that much-needed progress can now start to be made for Health Service dentistry.

  Blog Date 15 January, 2020

• Understanding why patients won't attend the dentist

  Rebecca Harris from Liverpool University has been doing some research into the reasons why patients don't attend and has produced a toolkit to help encourage dental visits - she's sharing the findings at a free event in February.

  Blog Date 15 January, 2020

• Putting your money where your mouth is: funding for dentistry in Wales

  It’s great to see Assembly Members continuing to back our call for investment to end the access crisis in Wales.

  Blog Date 15 January, 2020

• Don’t let the risk of litigation cause you stress

  The risk of litigation can be a major contributor to stress. Jane Merivale thinks these Risk of Litigation seminars can help you reduce your legal risks, and avoid some of the stresses in modern dentistry.

  Blog Date 13 January, 2020

• What’s it like being a... dental hygienist in a private practice? Brooke Shipp

  Brooke Shipp is a dental hygienist working in a private practice in London. She explains why she's passionate about promoting good oral health and why no two days are ever the same…

  Blog Date 7 January, 2020

• BDA Northern Ireland: Health Service dentistry needs tangible solutions now

  A round-up of the work of the BDA Northern Ireland staff and representatives during 2019: find out what we have been calling for on behalf of dentists.

  Blog Date 18 December, 2019

• Standing up for community dentistry in Northern Ireland during 2019

  Reflecting back on 2019, Grainne Quinn celebrates the success of getting the CDS contract signed off and implemented, and looks forward to what 2020 might bring.

  Blog Date 18 December, 2019

• BDA Wales: the power to change dentistry during 2020

  BDA Wales and your representatives have been busy this year, working on a range of issues affecting dentistry in Wales - and we hope that 2020 will be a year that dentistry is finally given the recognition it deserves.

  Blog Date 18 December, 2019

• BDA Scotland: moving dentistry forward in 2019

  BDA Scotland has been busy working on your behalf this year. Our staff and committee members have been making the case for dentistry and highlighting a number of issues affecting dentists working in Scotland - here's a roundup of our activities.

  Blog Date 17 December, 2019

• Dental contract reform: our asks for 2019

  During 2019, we have continued to push for a reformed NHS dental contract that works for both patients and the profession. This is what we are asking for...

  Blog Date 12 December, 2019

• Dental contract reform: let's move forward

  We are still pushing hard to get a reformed NHS dental contract implemented from April 2021, find out what we are calling for.

  Blog Date 12 December, 2019

• 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