'Oral health inequalities' Blog Posts

• BDA President: Tackling oral health inequalities is key

  Newly installed BDA President John Milne tells us what he hopes to achieve during his year and how you can help by getting involved.

  Blog Date 3 May, 2023

• Wales: Bridging the gap with our oral health manifesto

  What the next Welsh Government must do to bridge the gap in oral health inequalities and rebuild dentistry in Wales.

  Blog Date 15 April, 2021

• Northern Ireland: What’s next for children’s oral health?

  How has the pandemic impacted children’s oral health, and what can we do to improve things?

  Blog Date 15 April, 2021

• Scotland: Putting dentistry on the political agenda

  How our oral health manifesto is shaping election debate and what else the next Scottish Government needs to do to bridge oral health inequalities.

  Blog Date 15 April, 2021

• Fighting for prevention in oral health

  Chair of the BDA’s Dental Public Health Committee, Dr Robert Witton, outlines the key role that dental public health plays in oral health prevention and the need to protect this specialty.

  Blog Date 27 November, 2020

• Vigilance is essential for oral cancer detection

  Our dento-legal advisor Dr Jane Merivale outlines what it means to be vigilant for oral cancers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Blog Date 18 November, 2020

• Why we need strong dental public health messages

  Outgoing BDA Scientific Advisor, Professor Damien Walmsley reflects on the vital role of dental public health messaging.

  Blog Date 12 November, 2020

• We need urgent action on tooth extraction backlogs

  Senior Community Dentist Charlotte Waite calls on the government to take action to ensure the most vulnerable patients are not left waiting for urgent tooth extractions.

  Blog Date 17 September, 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

• 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

• 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

• 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 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

• 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

• 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

• NHS dentistry in the spotlight: AMs debate a failed contract

  We continued to highlight the failure of the NHS dental contract in Wales at a recent Welsh Assembly plenary session this week, as AMs highlighted the impact the lack of investment in dentistry is having on patients and the profession.

  Blog Date 3 October, 2019

• MPs back our calls to sweep away 'Dogs breakfast' NHS dental patient fines system

  We're pleased the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has backed our calls for nothing less than wholesale reform of a system they've dubbed "unfit for purpose", but we still need to keep up fight for a fair and focused system that works for dentists and our patients, argues community dentist, Charlotte Waite.

  Blog Date 3 October, 2019

• What’s it like being a... private dentist with a passion for reducing sugar consumption? James Goolnik

  James Goolnik is the founder and principal dentist at Bow Lane Dental Group in London and has recently channelled his entrepreneurial skills into a new charity called the 'Rewards Project', which challenges the idea of using sugary foods or drinks as a treat for children (and adults!), weaning people off sugar and encouraging healthier alternatives.

  Blog Date 27 September, 2019

• What will it take to fix NHS dentistry? Give your views

  Leah Farrell calls on LDCs to add their voice to the new inquiry into NHS dentistry by responding to the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee.

  Blog Date 22 August, 2019

• Passionate about prevention for children's teeth

  The Junction Dental Practice in Yorkshire tell us why they are passionate about prevention for children's teeth and the oral health promotion work they do in their local community.

  Blog Date 1 August, 2019

• Prevention in dentistry: A new Government, but an old problem

  Mick Armstrong explains why we will continue to make the case for prevention in dentistry backed by real investment, following the release of the Department of Health's Green Paper and the formation of a new Government.

  Blog Date 31 July, 2019

• HPV vaccinations for boys in Scotland - why a catch-up programme is needed

  Oral cancer is a serious and growing concern in Scotland – incidence rates are among the highest in Europe, we have seen a 37% increase in oral cancer deaths in the last decade, and it claims three times as many lives in Scotland as car accidents.

  Blog Date 17 July, 2019

• Dentistry, the toothbrush and sustainability

  Anyone who watched the “Blue Planet” series with David Attenborough or more recently the “War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita” (Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Anita Rani) couldn’t help but be moved by the realisation that our reliance on plastics is causing havoc to the environment.

  Blog Date 11 July, 2019

• What's it like being a... dental nurse with an interest in oral health promotion? Marijka Barber

  ​Marijka Barber is a dental nurse and works as part of a team delivering oral health education outreach activities to children and adults across Norfolk. She tells us why she is passionate about oral health promotion…

  Blog Date 9 July, 2019

• Teeth left to rot: The shocking state of oral health of people in care homes

  We responded to a new CQC report which shines a light on the lack of access to dentists and lack of support being given to care home staff. Reading the report makes for a grim and distressing read.

  Blog Date 26 June, 2019

• Advocacy learning disability group tests dental products for National Smile Month

  Special Care Dentist Simon Tiller talks about his inspiration for pairing the National Smile Month campaign with an advocacy disability group to test out dental products.

  Blog Date 20 June, 2019