02


• •


Welcome News


MAJORITY OF YOUNG DENTISTS IN ENGLAND ARE FEMALE


MORE than half of dentists under 35 in England are female, with overall numbers up by more than three per cent, a new report shows. In 2012/2013 there was a total of 10,541 female dentists, a 3.4 per cent


Welcome to your


AS a new year rapidly approaches, I am delighted to take over the role of SoundBite editor and continue what have been a varied few years since I qualified. For my first role as an associate I stayed with my VT practice before taking up position as an oral and maxillofacial surgery SHO. After a period of travel, my plan now is to return to general practice while developing my technical and clinical skills with postgraduate study. New dentists have many challenges to face and important decisions to make as we start our careers, but it’s good to know there is a world of possibilities out there. Intrepid dentist Penelope Granger has practised in Antarctica and on the world’s remotest island. She shares her adventures on page 6. Staying with career choices, we look at the opportunities in dental public health on page 8. Audit might not be a priority for


new dentists, but on page 10 MDDUS dental adviser Claire


Renton explains how it can improve care and make our busy lives a little easier. For some patients, dentures


may be the only available option, but they can be a source of dissatisfaction. MDDUS dental adviser Doug Hamilton offers advice on managing patient expectations on page 12. As we develop our skills, the last thing any dentist wants to experience is the breakage and retention of dental needles. On page 4, MDDUS dental adviser Mike Williams offers some advice. Dentists are held to high


professional standards, but sometimes fall short. On page 5, Dick Birkin offers interesting thoughts on dental ethics and the world of professional sport. And in our case study on page 14, we highlight the importance of record keeping in a case of retained roots.


• Sameera Teli Editor


INDEMNITY BENEFITS


MDDUS is reminding trainee dentists of the benefits of choosing occurrence-based indemnity rather than insurance to help protect themselves and their patients. The GDC requires all dentists to ensure that patients can “claim any


compensation they may be entitled to by making sure you are protected against claims at all times, including past periods of practice.” Occurrence- based indemnity, such as that offered by MDDUS, covers dentists no matter how long after an incident a claim is made – and with no hidden extra costs. MDDUS Head of Dental Division Aubrey Craig said most UK dentists will


EDITOR: Sameera Teli BChD MFDS


ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Joanne Curran


DENTAL CONTENT EDITOR: Claire Renton BDS FDS RCPS (Gla) MML


DESIGN: CMYK Design www.cmyk-design.co.uk


PRINT: J Thomson Colour Print www.jtcp.co.uk


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


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


have indemnity. “MDDUS provide occurrence-based discretionary indemnity which means dentists are eligible for assistance for all events that occur while you are a member, regardless of when a claim is made,” he said. “You are provided with our full support even if you are no longer a


member, have moved abroad, ceased clinical work or retired.” In contrast, he said insurance products usually only guarantee protection


if you are insured both when the incident occurred and when the claim is made. He added: “The crucial importance of this lies in the fact that medical and dental malpractice claims can be made months or even years after the events that give rise to the claim.”


increase on the previous year. Since 2006/2007 (when the new dental contract was launched), the number of women practitioners has jumped by over a third and they now make up 45 per cent of the workforce. Among practitioners under 35, there are currently 4,810 women (56 per


cent) compared to 3,656 (51.8 per cent) in 2006/2007. In comparison, the number of male dentists has remained stable in


recent years and currently sits at 12,660. They continue to make up the vast majority of older clinicians, with more than three-quarters (76.4 per cent) of the over-55s male. This represents a drop of just 0.6 percentage points on last year.


The figures are contained in the latest NHS Dental Statistics for England 2012/2013 from the Health & Social Care Information Centre.


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.


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