Faculty honours Diplomates

Fifty-one Diplomates of The Faculty have been presented at The Royal College of Surgeons of England, including the first nine holders of the Diploma in Dental Therapy RCS England and a number of Fellows by Election and Ad Eundem.

Village Dental Practice recognised

The Village Dental Practice in Adlington is the first dental practice in the area to be recognised as an Investor in People.

Principal Wendy Booth said of the award, 'It has been wonderful to see everybody developing over the last six months, both as individuals and as a team. Everyone has worked very hard and are justifiably proud of achieving the standard.'

Wendy is pictured (front row, second from left) with the staff of The Village Dental Practice.

Call to end shortages in Defence Services

The British Dental Association (BDA) and The British Medical Association (BMA) have called for action to halt the decline of the Defence Medical and Dental Services.

In their oral evidence to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body, the Associations called for serving doctors and dentists to receive at least a five per cent pay lead over civilian counterparts.

Brigadier (Retd) Mike Newell, Chairman of the BDA Armed Forces Committee, said, 'Serving offices are highly skilled, in both their professions of dentistry and military service. They are a valuable resource, increasingly sought after outside the Armed Forces.

The Review Body must act now to halt the increasing decline in interest in the Dental Defence Services, where there is currently a manning shortfall of over 18 per cent – defence general dental practitioners have still not received pay equivalence with equivalent civilian practitioners. They are also seriously disadvantaged compared with their Defence GP colleagues.'

Cardiff dental school praised

Cardiff has become the first dental school in the UK to win accreditation from a top international panel for the excellence of its teaching and facilities.

A report compiled by the DentEd team of expert adjudicators, following a four day visit last year to the Dental School of UWCM and the Dental Hospital of Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, praised the dental school for fully integrating into the clinical setting of a dental hospital.

The school was opened in 1966 and trains 57 new dentists who graduate each year. Professor Malcolm Jones, Dean of the Dental School and General Manager of the Dental Services Group, said, 'We are extremely pleased that the report is so favourable.'

Dental Science degree debuts

Professor Jonathan Shepherd, a member of the BDJ's editorial board, has recently been awarded a Doctor of Dental Science (DDSc) Degree. It is the first time this degree has been awarded.

The title of Professor Shepherd's thesis was Towards Evidence-based Management of Third Molars. Many of his third molar studies have been reported in the BDJ.

Professor Shepherd is also due to be awarded the Honourary Fellowship of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine at the Royal Colleges of Physicians in June.

Professor of Oral Medicine appointed

Mike Lewis has been awarded a personal chair in oral medicine at University of Wales College of Medicine Dental School. This appointment represents the first professor of oral medicine at UWCM since Brian Cooke, founder dean of the dental school who retired in 1982.

Professor Lewis' research interests primarily involve molecular microbiology, candidal pathogenicity epidemiology, bacterial pathogenicity, antimicrobial agents and orofacial herpes simplex infections.

His personal chair recognises this research as well as Professor Lewis' work outside Wales. He is the principle investigator in a number of multicentre UK and European clinical trials assessing the efficacy of antimicrobial agents for oral infections and herpes labialis.

Have a ball

The East Midlands Branch of the BDA is organising its first regional charity ball for members.

The Smile Ball is to be held on Saturday June 16th and tickets cost £35 per person, with all profits being donated to The Rainbow Trust for terminally ill children. Over 200 tickets have already been sold.

Organisers are also looking for sponsorship to help make the event a success. To obtain tickets to the Smile Ball or receive details of sponsorship packages call Sarah Ollier at Compass Communications on 01344 668 402.

BDHA launches website

The British Dental Hygienists' Association has launched its new website at www.bdha.org.uk.

The site features information aimed at dental hygienists, dentists, practice managers and those considering a career as a hygienist. Guidance on employment issues, legal advice and details of national meetings are included in topics covered.

An on-line application form is available for anyone wishing to join the Association.