NEWS DIGEST


so positively in the pilot process. “Oral health has improved but the risks


of decay and gum disease are still high for many people. It is now time to focus attention on achieving healthy mouths as our outcome and not just volumes of treatment provided.”


Independent tribunal service for doctors


Making oral health in children a priority


A NEW dental contract that aims to improve children’s oral health is being piloted in England.


Dentists taking part in the trial will be


paid for the number of patients they care for and the health results, rather than the number of courses of treatment performed. The old contract was criticised for encouraging clinicians to concentrate on activity with no specific rewards for high quality care. The government hopes to introduce a


new contract across the country that will improve the oral health of NHS patients – particularly children. The trials are taking place at 68 practices and will look at ways of increasing patient access and promoting preventative dental treatments like fluoride varnish. Health secretary Andrew Lansley said:


“The government believes dentists should get paid for the quality of treatment they provide rather than simply for the number of treatments. This is not only better for patients, but also a better use of NHS resources. “The pilot sites will test different ways


of putting this approach into practice. What we learn from this process will inform the new contract.” Professor Jimmy Steele, who is a member


of the National Steering Group that developed the pilot proposals, said: “It is vital that any further changes to dental contracting are piloted prior to the introduction of a new dental contract. It is heartening to see the profession engaging


IN BRIEF


l ETHICS IN CLINICAL GENETICS Ethical and medico-legal boundaries are being increasingly tested as genetic technologies lead to more and more clinical applications being employed within the NHS. New guidance published by the Royal College of Physicians


6


A NEW independent tribunal service will take over the running of doctors’ fitness to practise hearings next year, the GMC has announced. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service will be operationally separate from the GMC’s investigation arm. It will be headed by a senior judicial figure who will be expected to report to parliament every year and to the GMC twice a year. The new service aims to make the hearings process quicker and less stressful for doctors and to increase confidence in the fitness to practise adjudication process, the GMC says. In addition to making judgements in fitness to practise cases, the tribunal’s chair will deal with procedural and administration issues before the hearing date. The GMC hopes this will improve efficiency and reduce the length of the hearing itself. GMC chief executive Niall Dickson told


the BMJ: "I think it’s a very fundamental right of people who are going through a judicial process that they see a separation like this between the 'prosecution' process and the adjudication process. Increasing the separation makes the autonomy and the fairness of the system more explicit."


Poor oral health generational


MOTHERS who suffer poor oral health are likely to have children with poor oral health in adulthood, according to results from a 27-year research project. A study of over a thousand children born


in New Zealand in 1972 and 1973 assessed oral health at age five and again at age 32 and compared those findings with the self-


(RCP), Royal College of Pathologists and British Society for Human Genetics explores these issues and sets out guidelines for healthcare professionals. The report addresses the complex mix of legislation that applies to the use of genetic data and samples. Access at


www.tinyurl.com/6jhq5uk l SHARED DECISION-MAKING


A new report from the King’s Fund aims to flesh out Health Secretary Andrew Lansley’s vision of an NHS that places patients’ needs, wishes and preferences at the heart of clinical decision-making. Making


shared decision-making a reality: No decision about me, without me highlights the importance of communication skills and suggests that tools to help patients make decisions are just as important as guidelines for doctors. Access at www.tinyurl.com/3sfh8m8


SUMMONS


rated oral health of their mothers measured in 1978. Analysis indicated that 45.1 per cent of the subjects whose mothers rated their oral health as 'very poor' also had severe tooth decay as adults. The findings strengthen the notion from


previous research that adult oral health is affected by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Children's oral health has been constantly improving, with just less than one in three (31 per cent) of five-year-old children showing obvious dental decay and two thirds (66.6 per cent) of children aged 12 found to be free of visible dental decay. The new research suggests that identifying at-risk children from their mother's self- rated oral health could present a means of further reducing decay levels. Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, said: "If we can reach out to these people and


encourage them to follow the Foundation's three key messages, of brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, cutting down how often you have sugary foods and drinks and visiting the dentist regularly there is no reason the oral health of the nation and future generations cannot improve even more."


GMC proposes induction for all new registrants


A MANDATORY induction programme has been proposed for all new doctors


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