This year, we hope to see many areas of interest which have been a long time in the making finally come to fruition, with some elements promising to have a significant impact on all of our oral health for years to come. Here, Nigel Carter, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation discusses seven things to keep an eye out for in the coming year in dentistry:
1. New contract on the horizon
“A long time in the making and edging ever closer, the new dental contract is something which will undoubtedly help shape Britain’s dental health for generations to come. Although we are unlikely to see it introduced nationwide before 2018, this year we will be watching with vested interest as many of the current trails come to an end; will we finally see the focus on preventative dentistry come to fore?”
2. Will local authorities take control?
“At the very end of last year, NICE released their guidance on oral health in communities with recommendations for local authorities to become more involved in signposting available services to people in their area to help stop the spread of dental disease. This year we hope to see them show just how committed they are to oral health as we wait to see if they truly grasp the vitally important role they can play in promoting better oral health within their communities.”
3. Fight for fluoride
“In 2017, Hull is officially the UK’s ‘City of Culture’ and with it comes the prestige befitting such an accolade. Hull is also leading the way when it comes to beating tooth decay as it was approved in October last year that fluoride will be added to the local water supply. Comprehensively proven to reduce tooth decay, fluoridated water will help to protect tens of thousands of people from entirely preventable oral health problems. We can only hope that other local authorities soon see the benefit and help protect more people across the country.”
4. Children’s dental health improvements?
“Headlines about children’s dental health have made for depressing reading in recent years; last year more than 33,000 children had to be admitted to hospital to have teeth removed under general anaesthetic. What is heart breaking is that almost every single case is entirely preventable if the right education and preventive measures are in place. In 2017, we hope to see the various child dental health programmes which have been introduced in the UK in recent years finally make an impact on levels of tooth decay up and down the country.”
5. Brexit and dentistry
“The Brexit has left many things in limbo and dentistry is no different; as the year progresses we hope to find out more about just what Brexit will mean to dentistry. What impact will there be on the dental workforce in the UK in the future, particularly for corporate dentists who are traditionally large employers of EU dentists? Will it impact the cost of dental treatment or products? Most things are currently unknown and I am afraid all we can do for now is monitor developments closely.”
6. HPV jabs for the boys – will there finally be action?
“A decision on gender neutral vaccinations in the UK is predicted to be finally made in Q4 2017. As it stands this decision has already taken far too long, with successive governments delaying to such a degree that they have put hundreds of thousands of boys at risk of developing mouth cancer, as well as many other related life threatening diseases. Mouth cancer rates rose yet again last year, with Cancer Research highlighting the shocking rise over recent years; these constant delays are costing lives. We hope to finally get a decision in 2017 and, with public voices of support getting louder and louder, this is an issue we believe can no longer be ignored.”
7. Brand new Dental Showcase
“In a somewhat surprising development last year, the UK’s largest dental trade show, Dental Showcase, was sold by the BDIA to its new owners, George Warman Publications (GWP). With this unexpected change, we are excited to find out what will happen at this year’s Dental Showcase at the NEC in October. As part of the Mark Allen Group, GWP has a great pedigree in hosting trade shows with appeal for all comers and we hope that they can grow the success that the BDIA have been able to achieve already. We are also interested to discover the role the BDIA will play in the promotion of dental industry interests going forward; let’s hope together we can continue to bring dental health advice to more people than ever.
“That’s our brief run down on what we have our eyes on in 2017. On a personal level, I will also be taking up the mantle of chairman of the Platform for Better Oral Health in Europe, combined with my role at the Oral Health Foundation. I hope that we can continue to influence the public agenda and make sure dental health is part of the mainstream going forward.
“If you have any suggestions yourself about what to look out for please get in touch with us and let us know, we would be delighted to hear from you.”