Scottish Dental Show p17 | All-on-4 p41 | Practice profile p36 |
News
PSD clawback is criticised
Registration. GDPs across Scotland receive PSD letter
The golden years CELEBRATION
Over 300 guests attended the Dental Ball in Glasgow recently – dubbed the ‘Golden Ball’ as it marked 50 years of the Glasgow Dental Students’ Society. The event, at the Glasgow Central Hotel, was attended by a number of GDSS presi- dents and alumni. Jeremy Bagg, head of the Dental
Bioteeth come closer to reality RESEARCH
Scientists have developed a new method of replacing missing teeth with a bioen- gineered material generated from a person’s own gum cells. Current implant-based methods of whole tooth replacement fail to reproduce a natural root structure, and as a consequence of the fric- tion from eating and other jaw movement, loss of jaw bone can occur around the implant. The research is led by Professor Paul Sharpe, an expert in craniofacial develop- ment and stem cell biology at King’s College London, and published in the Journal of Dental Research. Research towards achieving the aim of producing bioengineered teeth – bioteeth – has largely
School, proposed a toast to the GDSS and paid tribute to the work of the present committee, including the Staff Student President, Mr Neil Nairn.
He also referred to the ongoing work of the dental school in developing stronger links with its alumni, in conjunction with the University’s Develop- ment and Alumni Office.
focused on the generation of immature teeth (teeth primordia) that mimic those in the embryo that can be transplanted as small cell ‘pellets’ into the adult jaw to develop into functional teeth. Remarkably, despite the very different environments, embryonic teeth primordia can develop normally in the adult mouth, and thus, if suitable cells can be identi- fied that can be combined in such a way to produce an immature tooth, there is a realistic prospect bioteeth can become a clinical reality. In this new work, the researchers isolated adult human gum tissue from patients at King’s College, grew more of it in the lab, and then combined it with the cells of mice that form teeth. By transplanting this combination of cells into mice, the researchers were able to grow hybrid human/ mouse teeth containing dentine and enamel, as well as viable roots.
The Scottish Government’s decision to introduce contin- uous registration has been held up as one of the major reasons behind the recent ‘clawback’ of overpayments by Practitioner Services Division (PSD). A letter, entitled ‘Duplicate
Registrations – recoveries and underpayments’, was sent out to every GDP working in the NHS and outlined how overpayments were to be recovered. Dr Robert Donald, Chair of the BDA’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee, said: “The BDA believes PSD’s proposal to deduct monies from payments to practices to be both misguided and unfair and we are continuing to chal- lenge it with legal arguments. “We strenuously opposed
the introduction of lifelong registration – which we believe is at the heart of the problems PSD is now attempting to address. It is particularly disappointing that dentists may suffer as a result of a decision that was imposed on them.” And one West of Scotland
GDP, who doesn’t want to be named, said: “Registrations are like LIBOR; everything hangs on it. Registration, and the monthly Capitation or Contin- uing Care Payments that goes with it, form the basis of all pay calculations for associates or assistants. “It may be true that PSD
think they only need to steal back this pay from each dentist, but it affects superannuation pay, maternity pay, seniority pay, thresholds for commit- ment pay and it also affects HMRC and your tax bill.” A spokesman for Practitioner
Services said: “Continuous registration highlighted an issue and a level of error which had not previously been visible. “The Regulations require
that we recover all over- payments unless directed otherwise by Scottish Minis- ters. As part of the public services, Practitioner Services seeks value-for-money for the taxpayer. “The data on which regis-
trations are created and maintained are provided by dental practices, not PSD. “Regardless of the source
of any error, the Regulations require us to recover the over- payment.”
Scottish Dental magazine 9
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84