British Dental Association Requests HTM 01-05 Review Timetable Be Set
A letter has been written by The British Dental Association (BDA) requesting that the Department of Health announce a timetable for the review of HTM 01-05, as promised by the Department in the Chief Dental Officer's Dear Colleague letters in 2009. The Department of Health guaranteed that a review would be held within two years, a deadline of December 2011 that is fast approaching. However, details of the review have not yet been laid out. The BDA is asking that the Department commit to a date to start the review, as well as providing them with details of how it will be carried out and assurance that they will be completely involved in the process.
This Is Worst Time To Be A Dentist In UK, Says Chair Of BDA
A BDA website blog written by Dr Susie Sanderson, Chair of the British Dental Association's Executive (BDA's) Board, states that 'this could be the worst time in living memory to be a general dental practitioner in England'. Dr Sanderson argues that dentist's jobs are made more and more difficult and cause low morale because of a combination of factors, such as an excessive system of regulation, ongoing existence of the flawed 2006 dental contract, threats to NHS pensions, and the government's intention of barring new entrants to the seniority pay scheme.
Mouth Bacteria Granulicatella Adjacens May Be Linked To Pancreatic Cancer
A small study published online in the journal GUT suggests that certain types of mouth bacteria, some of which are found in gum disease, for example Granulicatella adjacens, are linked to the development of pancreatic cancer. According to the authors, the findings could pave the way for new treatment approaches for pancreatic cancer, one of the hardest cancers to treat, by altering the balance of bacteria. Pancreatic cancer generally spreads rapidly with only one in twenty patients surviving longer than five years after their diagnosis.