Yes it’s December again and we can all look forward to the joys of short days, cold weather, and Cliff Richard on the radio. Wimbledon week and Christmas seem to be the only times we get to see him now – I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing. When it comes to Christmas music though I don’t think you can beat a bit of Dean Martin singing Let it snow. I say that honestly, in spite of the fact it is almost impossible to get a link from that song back to the world of dentistry… other songs would have been easy.
(1942) Bing Crosby; White Christmas – a look into racism in the dental profession. Maybe racism is too strong a word but there are certainly some illiberal ideas doing the rounds concerning the economic migration of dentists from Eastern Europe.
(1967) The Beatles; Hello Goodbye – Hello NHS Commissioning Board and goodbye primary care trusts… yes in April 2013 there will be a change in the way dental services in the UK are commissioned. In the coming months expect to see more on this subject and how the change will affect you.
(1968) The Scaffold; Lily the Pink – I could have explored the importance of a healthy pink gingiva and noticing the early warning signs for mouth cancer. We have a feature on aesthetic dentistry in this issue so it would have tied in nicely!
(1970) Dave Edmunds; I Hear You Knocking (But You Can’t Come In) – Direct access is a subject which has stirred quite a reaction from the profession, and it has brought me my personal highlight for the year. At a Westminster Health Forum event in the summer the Office of Fair Trading’s Tony Donaldson was giving an example of how a triage service can be successful in dealing with general health problems. He explained how he had gone to his local GP practice and was seen by a nurse, was referred to a doctor and thento a specialist. He thought it was a sensible approach and entirely comfortable with the idea of that happening in dentistry. When told by a member of the panel such a system couldn’t work in dentistry because the oral cavity was too complex he came out with the hugely unexpected line; ‘With all due respect I think my colon is pretty complex too’. It may not have convinced many people of the benefits of direct access, but at least it showed that someone at the OFT has a sense of humour.
(1981) The Human League; Don’t you want me – The Foundation Training scheme was revealed to have left 35 graduates without a place. Don’t we want them? Meredyth Bell gives her opinion on the subject on page 24 of this issue.
(1983) The Flying Pickets; Only you – Only you (dental professionals registered with the GDC) are allowed to provide tooth whitening services. The changes to the EU Council Directive, which came into force in the UK at the end of October, do not affect the GDC’s stance on who can carry out tooth whitening and will continue to prosecute individuals who carry out tooth whitening illegally under the Dentists Act 1984.
(1997) The Spice Girls; Too much – Too much regulation? The CQC Inspections got underway in late 2010 but the hostility has not seemed to die away in the last couple of years. Is the profession drowning in regulation and inspections?
(2000) Bob the Builder; Can we fix it? The pilots have been expanded as the Department of Health tries to find the best way to achieve a contract that rewards quality as well as quantity and promotes preventive dentistry.
(2001) Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman; Something Stupid – you can choose your own for this one…
(2003) Michael Andrews and Gary Jules; Mad World – A look into the recent story about a dentist who was warned about dirty magazines in the waiting room. No, not the top shelf variety – but the innocent ones that probably are seen up and down the country in waiting rooms for patients toflick through. Have you considered the cross infection risk of these issues? I hope you’ve washed your hands before reading this!
(2010) Matt Cardle; When we Collide – Had we been focusing on orthodontics this month then this would have been brilliant (that’s the closest I’ve ever put the word ‘brilliant’ to anything that came out of X-factor).
So whilst other songs may have been easier, unfortunately my favourite is still Dino. However, if I have to pick a Christmas number 1 to write this comment about I guess I’ll keep it simple and just use Slade (1973) to say, Merry Christmas Everybody!
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