Shortlist of dental practices to continue trialling the new NHS dental contract

Last week, the Department of Health (DoH) announced an additional 29 practices to join the existing 70 practices for the new contract pilot scheme.

The reason for adding more practices to the scheme is to test one of the biggest changes of the new contact – how dentists are paid. Previously, this was based on the number of courses of treatments, compared with the new proposals which are based on dentists being paid for the health results they produce and the number of patients they see.

The need for this change came from criticisms of the current system, where dentists have been accused of focusing on hitting targets as opposed to the oral health of their patients. The new contract hopes to see patients as the core focus, as pressure for reaching targets is lifted. A focus on preventative dentistry was also pushed by the NHS, a main aim of the new contract is to help improve patients oral care through regular check-ups and preventative education.

The traffic light system will also be tested by the new practices, whereby patients are given ratings of green, amber or red depending on the health of their mouths. Dentists will then advise on how patients can improve their oral health relevant to their rating.

Barry Cockcroft, chief dental officer for England, said: ‘I am delighted to welcome the new practices to the pilot scheme and know they will continue with the excellent work which has been carried out so far.

‘We were inundated with applications and choosing the shortlist was very difficult but we were keen to make sure they represent a really broad spectrum of the profession. It is evidence of how positively the pilot programme has been received.

‘We are now committed to making sure the pilots form the ground work for the development of a robust new dental contract that is fully tested and fit for the future.’

Let us know your thoughts about the new dental contract and pilots by commenting or tweeting @stockdalemartin.

See below the shortlist of new practices.

The shortlisted practices

Practice name	Town	County
St Michael’s Dental Practice	Wakefield	West Yorks
Daventry Dental Practice	Daventry	Northants
Eston Dental Practice	Middlesbrough	Cleveland
Skipton Road Dental Surgery	Colne	Lancashire
Breeze Dental	Sunderland	Tyne & Wear
Church Street Dental Surgery	Hull	East Yorkshire
Noah’s Ark Dental Surgery	Fowey	Cornwall
St Georges Dental Practice	Brighton	East Sussex
Richmond Dental Care	Sheffield	South Yorkshire
Inglewood House	Whitefield	Manchester
Colney Hatch Dental Practice LTD	Muswell Hill	London
A H Trueman Ltd	Ipswich	Suffolk
Basildon Dental Practice	Basildon	Essex
Tuckton Dental Centre IDH	Bournemouth	Dorset
ADP – Avonmouth	Bristol	Avon
Shrewsbury Dental Centre (IDH)	Shrewsbury	Shropshire
Easton Dental Practice	Bristol	Bristol
Pittar Chambers Dental Practice	Exeter	Devon
Oasis Dental Care	Bognor Regis	West Sussex
Purity	Dudley	West Midlands
Minto Road Dental Care	Sheffield	South Yorkshire
Carillon Dental	Loughborough	Leicestershire
Wisdom Dental Clinic	Chesterfield	Derbyshire
The Dentists at Watling Street Road	Preston	Lancashire
St James Dental Practice	Winchester	Hampshire
Yeading Dental Care	Hayes	Middlesex
Chadwell Dental Practice	Grays	Essex
Summerstown Dental Practice	London	London
Hendon Dental Practice	Hendon	London

Digital education – improve or harm the next generation?

In the news this week a school in Bolton, ESSA Academy displayed their forward thinking teaching – every pupil and teacher has an iPad.

The traditional pen and paper method has not been completely scrapped from their classrooms but the focus of this school is certainly on the digital. The head teacher simply believes technology enhances learning and is the next step forward for education. After reading the comments on their own website from visitors – it seems the pupils are engaged and passionate about learning, suggesting the technology is spurring enthusiasm at school.

But how may this impact on our ability to undertake the basics? Technology may help to inspire on topics but ultimately the content of a piece is what ensures learning. Could basic English and Maths skills be harmed through the use of technology as opposed to the traditional ways of learning?

Increasingly in our industry people are drawn to the interactive opportunities that technology can offer – for example when trying to influence a customer or “sell” an idea. How important to do you think the format of a presentation is vs the proposition and message that it is delivering?

Tweet us your thoughts to @stockdalemartin

Our 2012 in blogging

 

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 4,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 7 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Christmas is coming!

We’re all busy working away finishing off our projects before the Christmas break and of course, getting into the Christmas spirit.

From advent calendars, biscuit boxes to decorating our trees – we’ve had it all. Even our office dog Lottie is getting into the spirit of things as you’ll see below. Doesn’t she look cute in her Santa hat!!

We’re all getting excited for the Christmas party next week, our regular trip to Luton Hoo will go down nicely after a bustling year! Our office will be closed from 5pm 21^st Dec until 9am 2^nd January but Ed can be contacted in-between times either by phone or email.

The team here wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – enjoy the festivities!!

How to drive patients to your practice

Finding out what motivates your patients to visit you and what you can do to improve this – is the key to success.

Recently, the BDTA teamed up with Ragdoll to conduct an in-depth study of how the public perceive dentistry and their dental practice. The findings were rather interesting, including:

• 25% of the UK population do not currently visit a dental surgery
• Key reasons for non-visits included: cost, fear, disinterest and access
• Key reasons for visiting the dentist included: maintaining oral health, fear of what may happen if they do not visit, always visited regularly
• 76% claimed they follow their dentists advice

• Trust in a dentist is very important, outweighing the importance of their expertise
• Awareness is a key issue, 1/5 of participants were not aware of what services their current dentist offered
• Many respondents are unclear about pricing and pricing structure at the dentist – clarity of costs is needed
• ‘Good oral health’ is the most important factor for customers – fresh breath and healthy gums are key
• Local – is the best place to promote dentist services. Word of mouth also proved to be popular

Overall, the results show that communication is vital! Communicating your services, clear prices and using communication to build a solid relationship with your patients are needed. Patients rely on word of mouth recommendations and must trust their dentist – which all comes down to effective communication. So what are you waiting for?

For more information about the survey and to download a summary of results, visit http://www.bdta.org.uk/perceptions-of-dentistry.html

To floss or not to floss – that is the question

Our mouths are like fish tanks and our teeth are the stones, as Ellie Phillips suggests. Think about it for a moment, this metaphor is somewhat true. No matter how many times we floss the ‘stones’, the water still remains dirty – so what’s the point in flossing twice a day?

The controversial topic has sparked several debates over the years and flossing has become part of a push for better oral health. Yet in studies surrounding flossing, most suggest that no amount of ‘self-flossing’ has an effect on tooth decay. For gum disease studies this has been more positive but it begs the question – why are dentists recommending floss when alternatives may prove to be more effective?

One of the alternatives is mouthwash, which again most of us mix into our daily oral health routine. But the most revolutionary alternative is xylitol. Xylitol is a natural sweetener, which dates from 2,500 years ago in a book of Chinese herbal cures. The benefits of this natural remedy is highlighted by a study of mothers who chewed xylitol gum during pregnancy, their children were 70% less likely to have tooth decay by the age of 5. Many other studies have also proven the benefits of xylitol in preventative dentistry.

If this natural sweetener can help prevent common oral diseases and improve our oral health, why do dentists not recommend it? Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation comments “The dental profession is generally slow to adapt to new ideas, on xylitol, I think it’s probably lack of knowledge”.  It seems as though all the evidence is there but many of us don’t know the benefits yet. Maybe it’s time for a fresh approach to dental health – a combination of fluoride toothpaste, mouthwash, floss and xylitol gum or mints. Let us know what you think!

The art of communicating with your patients

The simple act of communication is not always so simple to do.

Being a dental professional there is a pressure to communicate effectively with patients to recommend treatments and educate them about their oral health. Yet the truth of the matter is, taking the time to communicate effectively can be difficult, especially when we are all busy.

Dentists are often not keen to ‘sell’ to their patients, as it can feel unnatural in a healthcare environment. The real problem may be that dental professionals view communication as a sales pitch rather than an educational insight.

Here’s an example of a typical scenario:

Billy visits the dentist once a year, he doesn’t mind this because he’s in and out in around 5 minutes after a quick check-up from the dentist but he doesn’t believe he’s getting value for his money.

A few years down the line, Billy’s diet and lifestyle changes – he starts to consume sugary foods and drinks. On his next trip to the dentist, he has to have several fillings and begins to resent visiting the dentist!

You see a pattern begins to emerge – a simple 10 minute chat at every visit, discussing Billy’s lifestyle and educating him on the effects of his diet could’ve gone a long way. Not only would Billy feel he’s received value for money but he’d also be educated and aware of how to look after his teeth. The clear message is, communication is the key – especially as preventative dentistry is becoming more and more important. It’s now time to think about patient – dentist communication as a way of building relationships, not as a tool to sell! So what are you waiting for…

Change4Life app aims to educate public on the impact of alcohol

Most of us enjoy a drink from time to time, especially when we’re celebrating birthdays, weddings, new year’s eve…the list goes on. As you soon realise, one drink turns into plenty more by the end of the night!

The Department of Health are always on the lookout for new ways to educate the public on how to live a healthy lifestyle and moderate their intake of alcohol. The latest marketing tool used by the governing body is a smartphone app – Change4Life Drinks Tracker.

 

The app is simple to use and includes tips on cutting down alcohol for both health and financial reasons. The main feature of the app is the tracker which allows you to enter your age, gender and the amount of drinks you have consumed within the past week.

Here’s a below example of consuming 6 pints of beer on a Friday night –

 

Creating the app has become part of a wider marketing campaign to help educate the public on the risks of alcohol. The campaign came to light after a YouGov survey in 2011 which found 85% of people did not realise drinking above the recommended guidelines increases – the risk of developing breast cancer; 66% the risk of bowel cancer; 59% the risk of mouth, throat and neck cancer and 30% the risk of high blood pressure.

 The question is – can the app help educate and cut the public’s weekly alcohol intake? Let us know your thoughts below!

More information on the app can be found here:

http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/understanding-alcohol.aspx

 

Money spent on treating oral health diseases exceeds cancer, heart disease, stroke and dementia

Shockingly, we spend an estimated 0.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on treating oral health diseases, in comparison with other conditions including cancer. The most shocking part is that the majority of cases are preventable!

Preventative dentistry is often at the heart of debates surrounding dental care in the UK and across the world. Simple steps such as brushing twice daily, flossing and regular dental appointments can mean the difference between preventing an oral disease or developing one.

As Labour MP for Plymouth Alison Seabeck reiterates,

‘Expenditure on treatment for oral diseases often exceeds that for other diseases, including cancer, heart disease, stroke and dementia, yet the simple fact is that the causes of most oral diseases in the UK are preventable through cost-effective measures that would ultimately save the taxpayer money. Policy needs to be designed and implemented to improve research into oral health promotion.’

The new dental contract which is focused on prevention is a step in the right direction, helping both patients and the state save money on treating oral diseases.

Health minister Daniel Poulter comments: ‘The new dental contract makes it easier to identify key prevention issues. It focuses on the desirability of spotting early symptoms of ill health –in this instance, oral ill health – rather than spotting them much too late, when a patient’s cancer is already well advanced.’

Oral health is taken seriously in the UK but continual improvements are needed to ensure we are fighting oral diseases before they occur by looking after our teeth. Over the past 30-40 years oral health has improved vastly, proof of this is highlighted by comparisons from the first dental health survey in 1968 whereby 37% of adults in England & Wales had no remaining teeth, but in 2009 only 6% did.

Through prevention methods, expenditure on oral diseases can be significantly decreased – but do dentists have enough time and resources to carry out preventative dentistry for every patient? Let us know what you think by commenting below or tweeting @stockdalemartin.

SM take to the stage for some killer karaoke songs!

Last Friday the team hit the town for a marathon sing-off!! Happy hour got us all pumped and ready for a night of singing and dancing.

Props in the room helped us feel more like rockstars, crazy wigs and cowboy hats included – the essentials of a classic karaoke night. There was no hesitation once we donned our rockstar outfits, we were all fighting for our chance on the mic.

To start the night, we sang a few classics – Bohemian Rhapsody, Walk this Way etc. Then the youngsters took over to sing/rap Superbass & Lose Yourself!

The night was very entertaining, we all sang our hearts out and deafened the bar staff – Christmas party is next on the list…