Latest figures say 30% of the population will get cancer at some stage in their lives.
When this happened to photographer, Keith Hern, he wrote about the experience and photographed his treatment.
Bangers & Mash is the resultant book in which Keith gives a detailed account of everything from teh mental trauma of diagnosis to the harsh side-effects, to the sheer relief of getting the all-clear.
Bangers & Mash is no ordinary life story – it’s a tourist’s guide to cancer treatment in both words and pictures.
‘Being treated for cancer is like being in a foreign country’ is how author Keith Hern puts it, ‘and what you really need is a guidebook’.
Early on in Keith’s battle against throat cancer he began to keep a diary but, being a photographer, Keith’s diary is in pictures as well as words.
Recruiting amused nurses and tolerant radiographers to hold the camera, Keith’s book de-mystifies cancer treatment and chronicles every step of the way back to health.
Not always a comfortable read, Bangers & Mash is fast-paced and completely compelling but, most importantly, is intended to help patients and their families understand what they are in for’.
The big lesson is that it’s not all bad. The book doesn’t pull any punches, but you do learn how it is possible to live through the treatment and get on with your life.
The book has already been widely circulated through the nursing staff at the Royal Marsden hospital where Keith was treated, is one of the best-selling books in the hospital’s bookshop and Macmillan cancer support have bought a dozen for their researchers.
It is available from Amazon, or personally signed copies can to obtained by using the Paypal option in the book section of www.keithhern.com.
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Suspended dentist fined £10,000 for treating patients^
A London dentist has been successfully prosecuted by the General Dental Council (GDC) and ordered to pay a total of £10,015 for the illegal practice of dentistry.
Young Jun Suh, of Camberwell Dental Surgery, 214 Coldharbour Lane, London, pleaded guilty at Tower Bridge Magistrates’ Court to practising dentistry while not registered, contrary to Section 38 (1) of the Dentists Act 1984.
The GDC’s Interim Orders Committee suspended Mr Suh’s registration in September 2009 and that suspension is still in place.
He was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge. He was also ordered to pay £6,000 towards the GDC’s costs.
The magistrates told Mr Suh: ‘You have blatantly disregarded the interim order for suspension for a period of a year.’
Chief executive of the GDC, Evlynne Gilvarry, said: ‘We are committed to taking action against people who practise dentistry illegally, whether they’ve been removed from our register or never gained the qualifications to register in the first place.
‘They are a risk to the people they treat and we will do everything we can to ensure public safety. To check that your dental professional is registered please visit our website, www.gdc-uk.org.’
^1305590400^4013^Suspended dentist fined £10,000 fo…^A London dentist has been successfully prosecuted by the General Dental Council (GDC) and ordered to pay a total of £10,015 for the il…^
Dental team! Win a luxury weekend to Paris^
Any dental professional who takes part in our online products and services survey can win a luxury weekend for two to Paris, via Eurostar, in a free prize draw.
Over the next few weeks Dentistry magazine and are conducting a mini-survey to seek your views on the equipment in the dental world.
We are asking our readers to share their views on products, services and companies from your knowledge, experience and usage.
All survey entrants in the dental profession have the chance to win a luxury weekend for two to Paris via Eurostar.
In a forthcoming edition of Dentistry and here online we will highlight the products, services and companies that have had the most impact among our readership.
We hope the results will prove to be a significant indicator to some of the dental world’s finest products and services.
Obviously, Dentistry magazine and will not have any influence over reader feedback.
Please take time out to enter our survey by clicking here.
You can also call our sales team 01923 851742 to register your choices.
^1305590400^4015^Dental team! Win a luxury weekend t…^Any dental professional who takes part in our online products and services survey can win a luxury weekend for two to Paris, via Eurostar, i…^http://dev.dentistry.co.uk/sites/all/themes/dentistry/images/news_images/eiffel.jpg
Fancy a demo of a tooth whitening system?^
Artisté in-office whitening system for dentists is so advanced, it’s easy!
Dentists interested in trialling this system can request a demonstration by simply clicking here
or by calling 0845 308 1362.
White Science says it can whiten teeth in only 20 minutes with a pH neutral formula and zero sensitivity.
There are no gum retractor and no gingival barrier.
Visit whitesciencedental.com for more.
^1305590400^4016^Fancy a demo of a tooth whitening s…^Artisté in-office whitening system for dentists is so advanced, it’s easy!Dentists interested in trialling this system can request a …^http://dev.dentistry.co.uk/sites/all/themes/dentistry/images/news_images/whiter.jpg
Dentists want clarification on Lockyer resignation^
The BDA is calling on clarification by the GDC at the suddenness of it chair, Alison Lockyer’s, resignation.
They want the GDC to deal with the situation ‘as a matter of urgency’.
In a statement on the BDA website, the Association says: ‘The profession’s confidence in the regulator depends upon the integrity and robustness of the decisions it makes and it is important that the chair is elected by the Council.’
Earlier this month, Ms Lockyer resigned as chair of the General Dental Council (GDC) and as a member of the Council amid rumours of divisions within the regulatory body.
In a written statement at the time, Alison said: ‘It is with regret that I have decided to resign from my post as chair of the General Dental Council.
‘It would not be appropriate at the moment for me to go into detail about my reasons for resigning suffice to say that, over the last few months, there have been issues that have caused me concern.
‘I remain passionate about the importance of protecting the public through professional self regulation.’
The GDC says it is considering the process for appointing a new chair and any interim arrangements needed to ‘ensure the continued smooth running of business’.
^1305590400^4017^Dentists want clarification on Lock…^The BDA is calling on clarification by the GDC at the suddenness of it chair, Alison Lockyer’s, resignation.They want the GDC to deal …^http://dev.dentistry.co.uk/sites/all/themes/dentistry/images/news_images/Alison-Lockyer.png
TV’s Dispatches investigates unethical dentists^
A new TV documentary being screened on Monday (23 May) promises to lift the lid on the unethical practices of some of the UK’s dentists.
As the government’s cuts to the NHS start to bite, Sam Lister, The Times‘ health editor, investigates dentistry, going undercover to reveal how some dentists are misleading patients about their rights to NHS treatment.
The programme claims it will expose dentists who are waiting until patients are ‘lying back in the chair’ before telling them they must pay hundreds of pounds for private treatment, which should be available on the NHS.
Dispatches also reveals that children’s teeth are being neglected under the NHS and that cost-cutting dentists are outsourcing lab work to countries like China where there are little or no checks on safety or quality.
During the three-month investigation, the programme claims it uncovered evidence of a system that often prevents the patient from getting the right treatment at the right price.
Channel 4 claims how the programme found some NHS patients were often none the wiser when asked to pay two or three times the amount they should.
The PR says: ‘We sent reporters undercover to identify common ways in which dentists game the system, while professionals themselves also blow the whistle on concerns about how NHS dentistry has become less about the promotion of oral health and more about the pressures of time, money and an unworkable Government contract.
‘Reforms brought in five years ago were meant to improve dental health and access to dentistry. They were meant to make life more straightforward for dentists and patients, turning a fee-per-item system into one with three bands of treatment, and three rates for the patient to pay.
‘But while the changes have increased the number of people seeing an NHS dentist, in many instances they have had damaging repercussions. Some dentists have found themselves unable to give up the time for the procedures their patients need, and out of pocket if they try.’
It adds: ‘For some, it is now simply a question of working a flawed system as best they can, but as experts and insiders show, the fundamentals of good NHS care and full disclosure are being badly compromised. Our reporter needed a root canal treatment for an infected molar tooth, one of the most common procedures on the NHS.
‘Despite checking in as an NHS patient, he was encouraged to go privately wherever he went – with dentists waiting until he was in the operating chair before advising that the only option for safe and successful care was to pay far more than the NHS rate.
‘Others warned that going on the NHS would be impossible unless a patient was referred to hospital, or if they went for the extreme fix of having the tooth extracted. None were clear about the prices that our patient should have been paying.
The investigate TV documentary also visits dental laboratory workers who reported how the care of patients is now being compromised by cost cutting.
Unregistered laboratory work imported from abroad, for a fraction of the market price, is becoming ever more attractive.
But, as the programme shows, the safety of such products is, at best, unknown.
The Truth about Your Dentist is on Dispatches on Channel 4 at 8.00pm on Monday.
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Tooth decay link to vCJD ^
A new study suggests the human form of mad cow disease could be linked to tooth decay.
Experts suggest tooth decay may be the way in which people became infected with the incurable disease as a result of eating contaminated meat during the 1980s.
Dr Roland Salmon, director of Public Health Wales’ communicable disease surveillance centre, said the hypothesis also helps to explain why there have been relatively few cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).
It may also explain the geographical spread of the disease – cases are highest in Scotland and the North-East of England, where rates of dental decay are high.
Between 1990 and the start of May 2011 there have been 171 confirmed and probable vCJD deaths reported to the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Research and Surveillance Unit in Edinburgh.
A further four people with either definite or probable vCJD are still alive.
Dr Salmon said: ‘There are three things that are difficult to explain given that, during the 1980s, we must have eaten tonnes of potentially infected meat.
‘In many ways it’s remarkable that there have been so few cases, which may be because of the difficulty the disease had of crossing the species barrier and the genetics of humans.
‘But given that we had taken all contaminated food out of the equation by 1996, we would have thought that the age of cases would be getting older – they aren’t. The median age of onset has remained at around 26.
‘Another thing, which is not so widely known, is that it’s twice as common in Scotland and North-East England.’
The correlation between tooth decay and vCJD appeared after analysing regional data on vCJD incidence and historical regional dental health data from 1992-3 in 12-year-old children collected by the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry.
Dr Salmon, who devised the hypothesis with Daniel Thomas and Nigel Monaghan, also from Public Health Wales, and with Cardiff University medical student Robert Burnie, said it appears as if infection with vCJD was via the dental route – through tiny gaps in the teeth caused by untreated decay – rather than through the stomach.
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is known as the human form of mad cow disease because it is caused by the same prion responsible for bovine spongiform encephalitis – mad cow disease.
Dr Salmon said: ‘It looks like the relationship between dental health and the risk of getting vCJD has some mileage.
‘Our research suggests that it’s not dental treatment but dental decay in the first place which is a risk factor.
‘One particularly interesting thing is that the area with the lowest numbers of filled teeth and the lowest incidence of vCJD is the West Midlands, which is also the region with the highest levels of water fluoridation.’
The hypothesis has been published in the journal Dental Hypotheses in the hope that other researchers around the world will carry out further investigations to establish the link between vCJD and tooth decay.
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Dental nurses swap clinic for catwalk^
Dental nurses swapped the clinic for the catwalk to raise much-needed funds for charity.
Shrewsbury and Stafford-based Oracle Dental Clinics has raised more than £400 for Severn Hospice by staging a glitzy charity fashion gala.
The event was held at the Lord Hill Hotel in Shrewsbury, and saw more than 60 invited guests from the region’s dental community enjoy the chance to pick up top tips from a number of fashion and beauty consultants.
For the fashion show, Oracle Dental Clinics staff donned outfits and accessories and took to the catwalk.
Attendees also got to take part in a draw to stand the chance of winning a host of prizes including a hand-crafted handbag, a fish pedicure, and a day’s pampering at a top spa, while exclusive accessories from a range of local artisan boutiques were also up for sale on the night.
Michelle Cutler, group manager of Oracle Dental Clinics, says: ‘We had such fantastic fun arranging and staging this special show. Our staff were incredibly keen to take their chance to be a model for a day – some have already been asking if we can make it a regular event!
‘But as well as having fun, the evening was also about fundraising for such a worthy cause. Many of our team have had personal experience of the wonderful work Severn Hospice does throughout the region, and we’re just so pleased that we’ve been able to raise such an amount.’
Lucy Proctor, Severn Hospice’s community fundraising manager, adds: ‘We’re extremely grateful to Michelle and everyone at Oracle Dental Clinics for putting on the fashion show, and we’d also like to thank all the guests for their generosity.
‘The funds raised will be a huge help to our ongoing work and will make a real difference to supporting local people who are living with complex and progressive illnesses.’
Oracle Dental Clinics and Grace House operate throughout Shropshire, Staffordshire and Birmingham, providing a dedicated referral service to general dental practitioners, while offering patients improved access to a wide-range of dental treatments, including dental implants, cosmetic dentistry, endodontic and orthodontics.
^1305676800^4020^Dental nurses swap clinic for catwa…^Dental nurses swapped the clinic for the catwalk to raise much-needed funds for charity. Shrewsbury and Stafford-based Oracle Dental C…^http://dev.dentistry.co.uk/sites/all/themes/dentistry/images/news_images/Michelle.jpg
Want to be a TV dentist?^
The new series of the TV show, MyFaceMyBody, is filming across the UK and the team is selecting the show’s experts now.
The series focuses on trends and procedures popular in towns across Britain and now the Sky TV show is scouring the UK in its ‘Big Green Bus’ to find the UK’s premier clinics.
If you have a story to tell from your local region, are trained in a cutting-edge procedure, or would like some local/national media coverage then why not contact the show and get involved today?
The UK’s only TV chat show dedicated to cosmetic surgery and aesthetic treatments, MyFaceMyBody, is now filming series two and is looking to join forces with the UK’s regional cosmetic experts who are at the forefront of beauty in the UK.
Stephen Handiside, the ex-model who fronts the show, says: ‘While Harley Street, London undoubtedly has some excellent clinics, I am aware that there are a lot of exciting things going on outside of London.
‘I want the new show to reflect what the average British person thinks about beauty. What treatments they love and the experts who are quietly performing beauty miracles every day.
‘If a practitioner is looking to be seen as the expert in their local area, while at the same time gaining national exposure, then I’d love to chat to them and feature them in the show.’
The new series will be broadcast on SkyTV and streamed through 80 different online portals including www.MyFaceMyBody.com.
The MyFaceMyBody show will reach millions of viewers this year thanks to Stephen’s work with ITV and Channels 4 and 5 as well as recognised consumer magazines and newspapers.
The show counts among its sponsors industry giant, Zoom! Whitening.
As well as appearing on Sky TV, the programme is available to watch on demand on consumer website www.MyFaceMyBody.com, which launched in February 2009 and already carries over 5,000-plus pages of independent treatment advice, 600 educational videos and comprehensive news and events.
Viewers can also use the site to quiz experts and engage in discussions during or after the show.
If you would like to find out more about becoming part of the MyFaceMyBody Expert programme which will give you local and national exposure through a combination of television, online and PR and appearing on series two of MyFaceMyBody, call 07795381813 or email [email protected].
To find out more about the show’s expert programme, click here.
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New CDO for Wales^
Cardiff dentist David Thomas has been named as the new chief dental officer (CDO) for Wales.
He has already worked as the deputy CDO to the Welsh Government and as acting CDO following the retirement of the previous incumbent, Dr Paul Langmaid.
Dr Thomas will be responsible for providing high quality and professional advice to Welsh Government ministers in relation to dental policy, practice and the promotion of good oral health.
He said: ‘I am delighted to have been appointed to the role of chief dental officer and look forward to working with ministers on the many aspects of dental policy and practice, including promoting and improving the dental health of the people of Wales.’
Wales’ chief medical officer Dr Tony Jewell said: ‘David brings to the role a background in community dentistry, dental public health as well as a record in academia, in both a management and research role.
‘He has published widely in academic dental journals and has been involved in the management of dental postgraduate education.
‘I would like to thank David for his work as acting chief dental officer since the retirement of Paul Langmaid, and look forward to working with him in his new role.’
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Product recall alert!^
Sensodyne Repair & Protect recall Batch No 031G only has been recalled.
Click here for more details.
^1305676800^4025^Product recall alert!^Sensodyne Repair & Protect recall Batch No 031G only has been recalled.Click here for more details.^http://dev.dentistry.co.uk/sites/all/themes/dentistry/images/news_images/screamer.jpg
GDC under fire for ‘Post-it note’ records^
The General Dental Council (GDC) has been officially ticked off for its shoddy handling of fitness-to-practise cases – including one incident in which Post-it notes were used to record important case details.
The criticism follows a recent audit of the UK’s healthcare regulatory bodies by super-regulator, the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE).
Other examples included one case that had two files – one marked ‘closed’ and the other ‘open’, and another case where investigation correspondence was missing.
The catalogue of disasters included poor record keeping, missing files, confusion over the status of cases, long delays and the closure of a case without a countersignature – something for which the GDC was pulled in a previous audit.
The super-regulator looked into a sample of 100 GDC fitness to practise cases during the period of September and October 2010.
It found:
• Three cases in which investigation correspondence was missing – in one case,
this was because of incomplete cross-referencing with a linked file
• One case where there was no record on file of the closure decision
• One case that had two files – one marked ‘closed’ and the other ‘open’. When the CHRE
audited the ‘closed’ file and asked why the matter had been closed, the GDC said that this was an error and that there was another ‘open’ file
• One case with two files, both of which were marked as ‘closed’. When asked why the audited file had important documents missing, the GDC said that another complete file existed
• One file in which documents were missing and where some important case information was recorded only on Post-it notes.
Time delays were another cause for concern.
In one case, there was a five-month delay between receipt of the complaint and its initial assessment by the GDC.
The case concerned an alleged breach of conditions that had been imposed on the registrant by the GDC’s professional conduct committee.
The CHRE felt the matter should have been treated as a priority but instead it took two months for the GDC to acknowledge receipt of the complaint.
In a second case, there was a period of eight months before an enquiry was made of a PCT.
The need to make the enquiry had been agreed by staff soon after the complaint had been received but there was no explanation for this delay on the file.
Other areas under fire included:
• Cases where there had been inadequate risk assessment before the case was closed
• Investigating committee decisions that were insufficiently detailed, creating a risk that complainants would not understand why their complaint had not been referred for a final fitness to practise panel hearing
• Weak record keeping, with documents missing from some files, and unco-ordinated
duplicated files for some matters
• A closure of a case by one caseworker without the authorisation or countersignature of a colleague – something for which the GDC had been criticised in its last audit
The GDC is now being called upon to improve consistency of standards achieved in casework to minimise any risk to public protection or public confidence.
The audit, released in March, says: ‘We were concerned about several weaknesses in case management, investigation, decision making and communication at the GDC.
‘We found evidence that the GDC takes a helpful approach to complainants. However, we were concerned about the standard of the GDC’s fitness to practice casework in a number of areas.’
It went on to say that, despite the fact the GDC fitness to practise team ‘went through a period of structural and management changes’, it was ‘disappointed that the GDC still displays
weaknesses in this area despite the assurance given to us when we raised the issue in last year’s audit’.
The CHRE is now recommending the GDC consider introducing a computerised casework management system that links into the regulator’s computerised registration system.
The GDC now intends to introduce changes to its fitness to practise processes that will address the concerns raised.
Its Corporate Plan 2011-2013 (available online at www.gdc-uk.org) sets out a series of objectives for the future and states that it will ‘implement a systematic process to evaluate fitness to practise procedures and outcomes. Part of this work includes carrying out audits’.
In January, the GDC began hearing appropriate Fitness to Practise cases with panels of three rather than five as has been the norm since 2003, enabling more cases to be heard more quickly, so reducing the backlog.
^1305676800^4023^GDC under fire for ‘Post-it note^The General Dental Council (GDC) has been officially ticked off for its shoddy handling of fitness-to-practise cases – including one i…^http://dev.dentistry.co.uk/sites/all/themes/dentistry/images/news_images/Post-it-note.jpg
Dental team go the extra mile for charity^
Thirteen representatives from dental equipment manufacturer, A-dec, recently took on the challenge of the infamous Coast2Coast bike ride – and fighting arduous headwinds all the way, completed the 151 mile bike ride in three days!
They cycled from Whitehaven on the west coast to Tynemouth on the east coast, across the very hilly Lake District, the Pennines and the Northumberland moors.
And, despite the – at times – daunting terrain, falls, bruises, punctures, sun burn, headwinds, and Brian facing early retirement with a snapped derailleur, the team finished together in high spirits on the afternoon of Monday 2 May.
Fuelled by energy drinks, flapjacks, bananas, pain relief and deep heat, not to mention teamwork, all 11 riders completed the challenge with an immense sense of achievement and pride.
The group is raising funds for Bridge2Aid, their partner charity who carry out amazing work in the Mwanza region in Tanzania and across the area, plus other UK charities which are close to the fund-raisers hearts.
Charlotte Cligg and her partner Ben, Jo Gamble, Stacey Roberts, Tracey McCulloch and her husband David, Brian Anderson and his wife Sarah, Ashley Woodruff, Ciaran Hynes, and Charlie Cope – supported by Sarah Treble and Eugene O’Malley aim to raise more than £7,500 for Bridge2Aid, NSPCC, MS Society, Breast Cancer Campaign and Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research.
You can support the A-dec group by sponsoring the intrepid bike-riders.
Simply click here to make a donation.
The fundraising pages will remain open for a few more weeks, and any donation will be greatly received to help the A-dec team reach their money raising goal.
Bridge2Aid work in Tanzania, providing access to emergency dentistry – the largest but most under-resourced healthcare need – in the rural areas and work with the disabled and people affected by leprosy at Bukumbi Care Centre. A-dec have had a close supporting relationship with Bridge2Aid for many years, offering equipment donations and raising funds for the charity in various events and tasks.
^1305676800^4024^Dental team go the extra mile for c…^Thirteen representatives from dental equipment manufacturer, A-dec, recently took on the challenge of the infamous Coast2Coast bike ride &nd…^http://dev.dentistry.co.uk/sites/all/themes/dentistry/images/news_images/bikers.jpg
Ke$ha wants fans’ teeth for a necklace^
Ke$ha is asking her fans for their teeth so she can make a quirky necklace to wear at awards shows.
The singer is appealing to her devotees to offer up their teeth after one fan gave her inspiration for a jewellery item.
She writes on Twitter.com: ‘I’ve received 1 tooth from a fan. I made it into a necklace. But now I really wanna make a fan tooth necklace to wear to an awards show. So. What I’m getting at is please send me your teeth. I’m dead serious. I need your teeth.’
^1305676800^4026^Ke$ha wants fans’ teeth for a neckl…^Ke$ha is asking her fans for their teeth so she can make a quirky necklace to wear at awards shows.The singer is appealing to her devotees t…^http://dev.dentistry.co.uk/sites/all/themes/dentistry/images/news_images/kesha.jpg
There is no need to be scared of the dentist!^
Does the mere thought of going to the dentist make you uneasy?
Do you routinely put off important dental work because of an irrational fear about the entire process? You are not alone.
While dental anxiety often stems from a bad experience, sometimes just the sound of dental equipment or the prospect of a certain procedure can set patients on edge, even if they have no bad memories to draw from.
Dental anxiety is more common than you might think. To help patients relax and safely receive the dental treatment(s) they need, many dentists now offer sedation dentistry (also known as ‘relaxation dentistry’).
Types of dedation fentistry
Sedation dentistry is designed to help you feel completely at ease during your dental visit. Even if you have significant amount of dental work that needs to be done, sedation dentistry techniques will keep you calm and stress-free during the entire procedure.
There are three main types of sedation dentistry. Your dentist may offer one or more of the following:
Oral sedatives – The most popular method, oral sedatives are taken before your visit and wear off a few hours later. You will need to arrange to have someone else drive you home.
Nitrous oxide – Better known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide will be administered once you’re in the dentist’
