Advice centre

The DBS deals with criminal records checks (now known as DBS checks) and is responsible for maintaining the Barred Lists for both children and vulnerable adults. Inclusion on the barred list precludes an individual from participating in a regulated activity with the relevant group. For the purposes of this scheme dentistry is considered to be a regulated activity and all adult patients are considered to be vulnerable. Thus inclusion on either or both lists would effectively bring an end to a dentist or dental care professionals practice.

Dental professionals are required to make and keep accurate dental records of care provided to patients, whether NHS or private. Dental Protection is frequently contacted by members who want to understand how long records should be retained by the practice.

It is important to be prepared for the possibility of oral surgery procedures in practice. Indeed, access to a basic surgical kit is essential. Dental extractions are one of the most common oral surgery procedures carried out by GDPs.

Dentistry can be a testing environment; Reena Wadia offers a selection of ideas to help you evolve into the perfect practitioner.

With the long, warm summer evenings and the smell of BBQs filling the air, it’s all too easy to open a cool beer, bottle of chilled wine or mix up the Pimms. Potential risks of alcohol on our oral and general health by Sarah Bradbury.

Stephen Henderson describes a campaign that has fundamentally changed the way in which the GDC’s Investigating Committee operates

The law on “informed” consent has changed following a recent Supreme Court judgment

The report of the Intercollegiate Advisory Committee for Sedation (IACS) in Dentistry was published in April 2015 and replaces the previous document, Conscious Sedation in the Provision of Dental Care (Department of Health 2003)

Resistance to shared decision making often revolves around a perception that dentists have many patients who wish the dentist to make the decision for them. Whatever you think best. The difficulty is that just as Dentists have preferences for their style of decision making, patients also have preferences as to their desired level of involvement.