I have to admit I am a little bit worried what reaction this month’s comment might receive. The title ‘Ding dong’ is relating to the noise of a bell, as direct access arrives at the door of UK dentistry. However, events following the passing of Baroness Thatcher has added a controversial edge to the words ‘ding dong’, with a row over playing the song from The Wizard of Oz; not to mention shaking my faith in people to react to things appropriately. Firstly some people felt the need to party at the passing of an 87 year old with dementia, and then the BBC decided to censor a song legitimately in the charts. Hopefully the world of dentistry has not gone quite so mad.
The big discussion last month in the profession was over the introduction of direct access. The Office of Fair Trading report last year called on the General Dental Council to allow patients the freedom to directly make hygienist and therapist appointments. Opinion within the profession was divided, with reason and emotiveness used on both sides. The British Dental Association was opposed to the proposition and argued against it, whilst groups such as the British Society of Dental Hygienists and Therapists were in favour. Whilst it would be easy to put the division down to simple self-interest, one would hope that the arguments went beyond that and actually considered what was right for dentistry as a whole and ultimately how to best serve patient needs.
Whatever the perceived pros and cons of the decision (discussed in this issue on page 12) it has arrived. From May 1, direct access is a reality.
Headlines
Love or loathe Thatcher, one thing that is undeniable is that she was, even in death, headline news; direct access to hygienists has not been. Last year’s OFT report made the headlines in national newspapers but the passing of direct access by the GDC has gone under the radar - obviously it wasn’t negative enough to print. In fact it has been a while since dentistry hit the front pages, though at the start of last month I thought I had found one. There was a story in one of the red tops about a girl having implants on the NHS… though when looking into it they were actually talking about breast implants and it had nothing to do with dentistry (the headline of National Hooters Service probably should have been a clue).
So whilst the average dental patient may well be aware that a girl with a new large bosom has a dream of becoming the next Katie Price, I would imagine they are ignorant of the fact they can now book an appointment to see a hygienist without necessarily seeing a dentist first. And that is to say nothing of the strength of trust in the relationship between patient and dentist as a motivating factor to maintain traditional check-ups. So yes, the GDC has opened the door to direct access, but real change may still be a little way off.