Sir, I assume that most readers will have seen the recent Department of Health public information leaflet What you need to know about changes to NHS dentistry in England'.1 Is it just me or has anyone else spotted a mistake (or should I say mistakes) in the pictures that appear on this leaflet? I'm afraid there are no prizes for guessing what they are, so please don't be tempted to send your answers on a postcard! In any case, I've listed them here.

First of all, in the large picture on the front cover, the dentist is wearing a wristwatch and what appears to be a ring with a stone, in spite of recommendations for 'rings and watches to be removed during clinical sessions'.2

In the same picture, the dentist is seen to be using a three in one air/water syringe but the patient is not wearing protective spectacles: this again goes against recommendations for 'patients' eyes to always be protected against foreign bodies or splatter'.2

Finally, one of the smaller pictures on the front cover features a dentist taking an intra-oral radiograph. Although it's obvious that a film holder is being used, there is a notable lack of any definitive beam-aiming device (barring the possibility that it's to be fitted on later). Guidelines for dental practitioners on the safe use of x-ray equipment3 recommend the use of rectangular collimation for bitewings and periapicals and if it is being used, a beam-aiming device is essential to ensure accurate alignment with the intra-oral film. Therefore, should we assume that rectangular collimation is not being used in this instance or is the operator just really good at taking x-rays?

To be fair, the points noted are relatively minor (some may even call it nit-picking!) and I can also appreciate that this leaflet has been produced for members of the public who are very unlikely to be aware of the sorts of issues raised. Nevertheless, cross-infection control and radiography/radiation protection are key elements of clinical dental practice, as illustrated by the GDC's recent consultation exercise on plans to include both of these as compulsory core subject areas in the verifiable CPD requirement.4 Therefore, under the circumstances, it would only have seemed right for the Department of Health to be seen to be promoting good practice, unless of course the mistakes were left in deliberately to see if anyone would notice (I doubt it!).