Oral health ‘may prevent’ severe Covid-19 disease
The potential for healthy gums to reduce the severity of Covid-19 disease is outlined in a paper recently published in… Read more
SNP leader rejects Labour criticism of pledge to abolish dentistry charges
Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader, has rejected Labour criticism of one of the party’s key election pledges, to abolish dentistry… Read more
Plans to abolish NHS dentistry charges ‘could be counter-productive’
Nicola Sturgeon has been warned that her plan to abolish NHS dentistry charges could lead to more patients taking up… Read more
Dentists ‘ready to work with next Scottish Government to rebuild services’
The British Dental Association has indicated it is ready to work with a future SNP Government on wide-ranging pledges made… Read more
SNP pledges to abolish dental charges
The Scottish National Party has pledged to abolish dental charges if it is elected to form the next Scottish Government.… Read more
Are we training too many dentists?
A leading figure in the Scottish dental profession has questioned whether the number of dentists trained should be reduced and… Read more
Government opens talks with practice owners
An organisation representing practice owners has received an invitation from Scotland’s health minister to open talks with government officials. The… Read more
‘Be careful what you wish for’, officials warned
Practice owners in Scotland might significantly reduce their commitment to the NHS and increase their provision of private care, according… Read more
Dentists urge action on inequality in Holyrood election
The British Dental Association has urged all candidates contesting the Scottish election to pledge to tackle “the shameful inequalities in oral… Read more
Clyde Munro secures £10m in funding to support expansion
The dental group Clyde Munro has secured a £10m funding package from Investec, the corporate investment bank. Clyde Munro now… Read more
New temporary funding for NHS dentistry in Scotland
Mairi Gougeon, Minister for Public Health and Sport
Intermediate support funding arrangements for NHS dental services in the 2021/2022 financial year have been published by the Scottish Government.… Read more
Dentists lead the way in fight against antimicrobial resistance
Dentists are leading the way in the fight against antimicrobial resistance in primary care settings in Scotland, according to a… Read more
Aberdeen dental students now eligible for bursary support
Final year students at Aberdeen will be eligible to apply for the bursary support that was made available to students in Glasgow… Read more
Political parties face call for ‘effective response to the crisis facing dentistry’
The number of children seen by a dentist between May and December 2020 was around a quarter of the 2018-19 average,… Read more
Scotland’s dental school intake put on hold
Scotland’s dental schools will not be accepting new students in September because of the decision taken last week to defer… Read more
New dean appointed at Dundee’s School of Dentistry
Professor Philip Preshaw has been appointed as the new Dean of the School of Dentistry at the University of Dundee.… Read more
SDA invites profession to a summit on the future of NHS dentistry
Tom Ferris
A vision for the future of NHS dentistry in Scotland will be discussed at an event next month attended by… Read more
Scottish Government ‘must avoid two-tier support for dental students’
The British Dental Association Scotland is seeking urgent clarification from the Scottish Government, following news that final year students at… Read more
Support for dental students announced as graduations are deferred
Mairi Gougeon, Minister for Public Health and Sport
A bursary of up to £6,750 will be offered to dental students who have to repeat a year, the Scottish… Read more
Dental hospital installs ‘AGP pods’
The pods at Dundee Dental Research Hospital and School
Special pods are being installed at Dundee Dental Research Hospital and School, allowing aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) to be undertaken… Read more
Latest news
Gum disease linked to Covid-19 complications
COVID-19 patients are at least three times more likely to experience complications if they also have gum disease, according to… Read more
Merz Aesthetics to host a series of business-focus webinars
Merz Aesthetics UK and Ireland has joined forces with international marketing expert and brand strategist Adam Haroun (Branding.MD) to host… Read more
Dentistry in Scotland ‘at risk’ as dental schools face uncertain future
The British Dental Association (BDA) has urged the Scottish Government to provide a “clear safety net to protect students, universities… Read more
Scotland’s CDO says dentistry ‘will continue under the new restrictions’
Scotland’s Chief Dental Officer, Tom Ferris, has confirmed dentistry will continue under new restrictions announced by the Government on Monday.… Read more
Slower drill rotation could reduce COVID spread during dental procedures
Researchers at Imperial College London and King’s College London have measured and analysed aerosol generation during dental procedures leading to… Read more
Government ‘holds the key’ to restoring services for millions of patients
A package of capital funding offers “the only hope” of restoring routine services to millions of patients, the British Dental… Read more
Two COVID-19 diagnostic ‘megalabs’ to open in 2021
Two ‘megalabs’, one in Scotland, will open early next year and will each add 300,000 to the UK’s daily testing… Read more
Dental practice using patients’ own blood plasma to grow bone on implant
Dr Callum Graham
A dental practice in South Lanarkshire renowned for its implant work has seen a 30 per cent year-on-year increase in… Read more
Scotland’s CDO says ‘patients shouldn’t be forced into private treatment’
People in need of dental treatment should not be put in the “invidious position” of being forced to pay for… Read more
Patient expectations need managing as ‘full service’ resumes in Scotland
The British Dental Association Scotland has warned that the reintroduction of the ‘full range’ of NHS treatments this week will… Read more
Winter PPE ‘action plan’ published by Scottish Government
Providing key workers with access to personal protective equipment (PPE) to tackle the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic through winter and beyond… Read more
Jason Leitch awarded 2020 Fletcher of Saltoun Award
Professor Jason Leitch, Scotland’s National Clinical Director and a former consultant oral surgeon, has been announced as the fourth of… Read more
Concerns raised over return of full NHS treatments on 1 November
The British Dental Association Scotland has warned of the increased pressure on dental practices and their financial sustainability following the release… Read more
ARF remains unchanged for 2021
The annual retention fee (ARF) for 2021 will not change, the General Dental Council (GDC) has confirmed. At a meeting… Read more
Practice group reports ‘surge’ in buy-out enquiries
Scotland’s largest dental group is looking for new acquisitions after confirming plans to invest further in the industry. In the… Read more
Six-month dental check-ups ‘not necessary for healthy adults’, according to study
A Dundee University team, led by the School of Dentistry’s Patrick Fee, in collaboration with Manchester University and Cochrane Oral Health, has… Read more
COVID-19 testing turnaround times and capacity ‘a priority’, Government told
Chief Nursing Officer, Fiona McQueen
COVID-19 testing turnaround times and capacity must be the Scottish Government’s priority, a review of the current strategy has found.… Read more
‘Be Proud of Your Mouth’ campaign unveiled by FDI
Picture: obs/FDI World Dental Federation
Representing more than one million dentists worldwide, the FDI WorldDental Federation (FDI) has unveiled a three-year ‘Be Proud of YourMouth’… Read more
Oral health inequalities will widen ‘without clear commitment from Scottish Government’
As new data reveal that the oral health gap shows little signs of closing, the British Dental Association Scotland has… Read more
Dentists increasingly complaining to GDC about colleagues
The General Dental Council (GDC) has today published several reports which provide statistics and examples of fitness to practise case handling undertaken during 2019.… Read more
FGDP(UK) & CGDent update COVID-19 guidance synopsis
The Faculty of General Dental Practice UK and College of General Dentistry have published an updated synopsis of their guidance… Read more
Professor warns of potential dental nurse redundancies
A professor has voiced concerns about dental nurse jobs being put at risk as the profession continues to be plagued… Read more
Dental practices among ‘79,000 businesses in Scotland’ helped during pandemic, says UK Government
Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, pictured last Friday preparing to announce further financial support measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Businesses in Scotland benefitted from more than £2.9 billion of government support “to protect and support jobs across the region”,… Read more
Health minister accused of ‘disrespect’ over NHS dental announcement
The British Dental Authority’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee (SDPC) has accused Joe Fitzpatrick, the Scottish Government’s health minister, of being… Read more
Caries risk assessment joins 21st century
There are many factors that affect how likely a patient is to develop caries, and during this time when dental… Read more
New dentistry dean at leading surgical college
Professor Philip Taylor, announced as Dean Elect of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at The Royal College of Surgeons of… Read more
NHS dental services ‘to restart across Scotland from 1 November’, says Government
But the response on Twitter to Joe FitzPatrick, Scotland’s Public Health Minister, was scathing.
See also 13 October update appended to this post. NHS dentistry services in Scotland are set to resume next month,… Read more
AGPs review ‘still valid’ despite rising COVID-19 cases, says specialist adviser
The conclusions reached by the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme’s ‘rapid review’ on the use of aerosol generating procedures (AGPs)… Read more
Scottish Government faces questions over ‘neglect’ of dental profession
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at 6 October press briefing
The Scottish Government faces questions in Parliament over its “neglect” of the dental sector, with warnings that half of dental… Read more
Dental fallow time calculator launched
A free-to-use fallow time calculator has been launched to enable dental professionals to determine, justify and record the fallow period necessary following… Read more
Scottish Government legislates on St Andrews University dental degrees
St Andrews University will be able to award medical and dentistry degrees through a new Bill introduced to the Scottish… Read more
Nakao Foundation launches new research grants
Mrs Makiko Nakao, President of the Foundation Board and Mr Makoto Nakao
Dental academics and clinicians have been invited to apply for research grants from Foundation Nakao. This is the second round… Read more
Call for UK roll-out of Scots initiative to ‘stop the rot’
More than double the number of children – 23,529 – underwent hospital treatment for tooth decay, than for the second… Read more
New funding model for NHS dentistry – working group formed
The Scottish Dental Practice Committee (SDPC) has established a working group to consider options for an NHS funding model post-COVID-19. Tom… Read more
Dentists should warn patients: periodontitis increases risk of stroke
Patients with gum disease should be told that they have a higher risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases – including myocardial… Read more
