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Welcome News


ATTENTION! YEARBOOK SPONSORSHIP FROM MDDUS


MDDUS is calling on all yearbook and final year committees to contact us now to find out about the exciting sponsorship opportunities on offer. We can help with the costs of various graduation events and activities, including your yearbook. For more information on the types of sponsorship opportunities we


Welcome to your


THE BEGINNING of a young dentist’s professional career can present many exciting new opportunities. A new workplace may bring a change of location, a new team of colleagues and that long-awaited first paycheque. Although these experiences can be a source of satisfaction for many, my article on page 4 highlights the potential stresses each of these can entail, and looks at ways of dealing with them. Prison dentist Kieran Fallon talks about the rewards and challenges of treating prisoners at Scotland’s largest jail in our profile on page 6. His job regularly brings him into contact with patients who lead chaotic lifestyles, many of whom are drug abusers with serious oral health problems. The careers feature on page 8


focuses on an entirely different patient type and looks at the opportunities for making a difference to children’s health in


the field of paediatric dentistry. The issue of consent when


treating patients who lack capacity can be a tricky one and raises many dento-legal issues. MDDUS dental adviser Doug Hamilton offers some guidance on avoiding the pitfalls in his article on page 10. Another difficult issue for trainees is dental fraud. It can make for dramatic news headlines, but what is fraud and how does it affect you? An investigator from Counter Fraud Services discusses the work he does on page 12 and offers advice for new dentists on how to keep out of trouble. A leading light for women in


dentistry is Dr Alyson Wray who has become the first female vice president of the RCPSG. She talks about her achievements and her views on the future of dentistry on page 14.


• Martin Nimmo Editor


can offer your committee, contact Olivia McCulloch on omcculloch@mddus.comor call 0845 270 2034. The offer applies to all dental schools in Scotland.


ONLY DENTAL PROFESSIONALS SHOULD DO TOOTH WHITENING, POLL SAYS


TOOTH whitening should only be carried out by dental professionals, according to a survey by the General Dental Council. The regulator questioned 1,021 UK adults about their attitudes to the treatment – and 86 per cent said only registered, trained and qualified dental professionals should be allowed to carry it out. This was echoed by 89 per cent of those who have had, or planned to have, tooth whitening. Only four per cent of the public and six per cent of those who had or planned to have whitening disagreed. The GDC is taking a tough


EDITOR: Martin Nimmo


ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Joanne Curran


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CORRESPONDENCE: SoundBite Editor MDDUS Mackintosh House 120 Blythswood Street Glasgow G2 4EA


t: 0845 270 2034 e: jcurran@mddus.com w: www.mddus.com


SoundBite is published by The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, Registered in Scotland No 5093 at Mackintosh House, 120 Blythswood Street, Glasgow G2 4EA. The MDDUS is not an insurance company. All the benefits of membership of MDDUS are discretionary as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association.


stance against whitening being carried out by practitioners who are not fully registered and qualified. The survey showed strong support from the public for this position as 75 per cent of those polled thought the GDC should prosecute anyone practising whitening illegally. In the first case of its kind, the


GDC successfully prosecuted the boss of a dental clinic in March for “illegally” carrying out tooth whitening. Paul William Hill, 48, of PW Healthcare Consulting Limited in Warrington admitted four offences including practising dentistry while not registered as a dentist or dental care professional between October 2, 2010 and March 11, 2011. He has been ordered to pay £6,265 in fines and costs and PW


Healthcare Consulting Limited, which traded nationally as Style Smile Clinics, has been ordered to pay £6,765. This includes costs of £5,500 for the GDC.


The GDC launched the case last


year after receiving hundreds of complaints from members of the public and dental professionals about tooth whitening treatment being provided by individuals who are not registered dental professionals. Charges relating to two other people and one other company have been adjourned until May 18. The regulator has warned it


plans to go ahead with more prosecutions in the future. Chief Executive and Registrar of the GDC, Evlynne Gilvarry said: “This case has significant implications for the dental profession and for public protection. The General Dental Council will now consider its position carefully with regards to the hundreds of other complaints about the illegal practice of dentistry that it has received. “We are concerned about the


risk to the public posed by such potentially hazardous treatment being provided by people without the training and qualifications necessary for registration as a dental professional.” Complaints from some members


of the public who have had tooth whitening treatments include reports of burning gums, sensitivity and damaged enamel.


PHOTO: ROSLYN GAUNT


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