INDUS TR Y


OPPORTUNITY & CHALLENGE


EDMUND PROFFITT, POLICY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIRECTOR AT THE BDIA, LOOKS AT WHAT AWAITS THE DENTAL INDUSTRY IN THE FUTURE


and profession. While Scotland’s own Scottish Dental Show will not take place until next May, the recent event in Birmingham allowed the temperature of the dental waters to be tested. T e result? A sense of growing optimism among both industry and profession. T ere is no doubt that dentistry


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faces many challenges, with recent surveys showing that dentists in Scotland receive the lowest levels of remuneration across the UK and, not surprisingly, this has a knock-on eff ect on morale across the sector. However, count the positives,


like a growing economy, an upturn in private dentistry and not having to live with English UDAs! So there are opportunities too. Earlier in the year, the Lloyds Commercial Banking ‘Healthcare Confi dence Index’ reported that dentists have seen an improvement in the profi tability of practices in the last 12 months (2014) and that the majority of practice owners would continue to see this growth for the foreseeable future. Mirroring the challenges facing


the profession, the industry is going through signifi cant change too and is walking hand in hand with the profession on this journey. T ere are a lot of common


t’s very apt timing to be asked to refl ect on the ‘state of the (dental) nation’ in the immediate aftermath of BDIA Dental Showcase, an accurate barometer of the wider industry


issues associated with buying outside of reputable suppliers. Financial pressures can lead


to a temptation to cut corners, so industry would urge everyone to heed the old adage, ‘If it’s too good to be true, it probably is’. T e message is quite simple


Edmund Proffi tt


issues facing us and, of course, a number of Scotland-specifi c issues as well. T ere are currently a range of initiatives launching in Scotland that colleagues south of the border will be watching expectantly to see how these develop. T ese include NHS Scotland’s


DenPro Scheme, and it will be interesting to see how this collabo- rative procurement initiative comes together prior to its planned launch in January 2016 and how it impacts on costs and remuneration there- after. T e Scottish Government’s Vision for eDentistry will also be keenly observed, along with the ensuing implementation of the ambitious eDental programme. In terms of some of the broader


challenges facing the industry, much work is being done to address the very real dangers presented by counterfeit and non-compliant dental devices and instruments appearing on the market and the


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– non-compliant and counterfeit dental instruments are potentially dangerous to patients and users and the BDIA recommends that all purchases, however small, are made from a reputable supplier and that all suspect instruments, devices and whitening products are reported at once to the appropriate authorities. Signifi cant change to the legis-


lation governing medical devices in the next few years could also have a dramatic impact on dental equipment. Changes to the Medical Devices Regulations, generally seen as a good thing in principle, also have the potential to throw up a new set of problems for us. Among the issues, current


European proposals could see the wholesale up-classifi cation (to Class III) of about 70 per cent of all dental products and eff ectively ban the use of stainless steel for medical and dental instruments, both of which would have an adverse eff ect on pretty much every aspect of clinical dental activity. We are all working hard to address this as the European Commission makes its fi nal decisions on the new legis- lation in the next few weeks and are hopeful we can ensure a positive outcome.


SCO TTISH DENT AL


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