Good, brief paper in the current BDJ by Jim Page, John Weld & Edwina Kidd on “Caries control in health service practice.”
Summary states:It is suggested that it makes sense for dentists providing care for individual patients to take account of caries risk (as assessed by presentation of active, non-cavitated lesions) when deciding how to allocate time and effort of themselves and their staff. However, there is a question as to how realistic it is to ask the dental team to provide a full diagnostic assessment and all the preventive treatment required for a patient for the payment provided by 1 UDA. It is to be hoped that one or more of the Steele pilots will come up with a practical solution for controlling caries in NHS practice.
One sentence towards the end sums up what most of the profession know about NHS dentistry in England & Wales: “It means that the whole UDA system is founded on something that is unattainable and therefore, we consider, unethical.”
These are three eminent dentists with between them decades of clinical practice and research. Where does that leave the main promoter of the current system, the Chief Dental Officer Barry Cockcroft whose career seems to have specialised in committee work and dental politics?
The new minister responsible for dentistry is Earl Howe it is known is against the fluoridation of the water supply.
Barry, on the other hand, said that fluoridation: “is the perfect public health measure because people with the greatest need benefit most and most people benefit to some degree”.
The Chief Medical Officer has gone already surely it’s time for Barry to consider his position, he’s got his gong, his pension is safe, unlike the committed NHS practice owners who have seen their businesses effectively stolen by HMG since 2006 under Barry’s watch.
The Incisal Edge 