News
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New oral cancer guide for GDPs
ADVICE
The British Dental Association (BDA) has published a new guide aimed at helping dental profession- als combat the growing problem of oral cancer. Early detection and prevention of oral cancer: a management strategy for dental practice co- written by Saman Warnakulasuriya (pic- tured) offers practical advice on preventing, detecting and managing oral cancer, addressing
both the clinical aspects of the con- dition, and the management of relationships with patients.
It explains risk factors, provides guidance on talking to patients and offers tips on medical history
taking and record keeping. Professor Damien Walmsley, the BDA’s Scientific Adviser, said: “General dental practitioners and their teams are ideally placed to lead the fight back, but they face many practi- cal difficulties, including patient resistance to practitioners’ advice on lifestyle factors.
This publication pro- vides in-depth guidance on overcoming those problems and involving the whole dental team in the effective preven-
tion, detection and treatment of the disease.”
® BDA members can access the guide free of charge at:
www.bda.org/cancerdetection
HPV status
‘predicts’ cancer survival chances
Researchers from Australia have discovered that can- cer patients with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) have a greater chance of survival from mouth cancer than those whose cancer is HPV negative. The study, carried out by scientists at the University of Sydney, monitored 198 patients suffering from mouth cancer after they had surgery or radiotherapy for two years. It was found that those with HPV posi- tive cancer were four times less likely to die than those who were HPV negative.
They also found that cancer was three times less likely to reoccur at the primary site in patients with HPV positive cancer.
Dr Angela Hong, who led the research, said: “Our study, which focused on a group of patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancer, found that those with cancer caused by HPV had a significantly better chance of survival than cancer which was not caused by HPV. “HPV status is now the strongest predictor of whether a patient will survive oropharyngeal cancer or whether the disease will return. Various clinical trials are now in development to tailor treatment according to HPV status of tumours.”
GDC under fire for increase ANNUAL RETENTION FEE
The General Dental Council’s (GDC) decision to increase the Annual Retention Fee (ARF) has come under fire from leading dental unions. As of 31 December, dentists will have to pay £576, while the DCP fee has increased to £120 – however, this is not due until 31 July. The dentist increase amounts to an extra £11.50 a month and the DCP increase £2. The GDC claims that the increase has been set due to a number of ‘sig- nificant challenges’ that will ‘place additional pressure on its resources’ in 2011. They point to a 40 per cent rise in fitness to practise cases, legal costs standing at more then £8 million and the additional costs of revalidation as its main reasons for the increase. GDC chair Alison Lockyer said: “We have looked very carefully at what it costs us to regulate dentistry. Costs include keeping our two registers, one for dentists and one for DCPs, up-to- date with people joining and leaving.
12 Scottish Dental magazine
do all we can to continue to use our resources efficiently and effectively.” However, a spokesman for the Dental Professionals Association was outspoken in his criticism, he said: “The General Dental Council seems to have finally lost the plot, with their daring daylight smash and grab on the dental profession’s income. “Instead of tackling endemic inefficiency and bloated expense allowances, it has decided help itself to a larger share of registrants’ earnings.”
“More significantly, fitness to prac- tise caseloads continue to grow and these costs are largely driven by alle- gations against dentists. Dental care professionals are now beginning to feature in fitness to practise work too. “Our strategy commits us to protecting the public, regulating the dental team. It also commits us to ensuring value for money and we will
Above: GDC headquarters
The British Dental Association spokesman was, however, a little more circumspect in his view: “This is a challenging time for dentists with growing financial pressure from regulation across the board and this is yet another burden.
“Practitioners will clearly want to understand the reasons for the application of a substantial rise in the GDC’s annual retention fees both for themselves and the dental care professionals they work with.”
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