Dental Technicians Association

 

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STATUTORY REGISTRATION

Want to find out more about statutory registration?

If you’ve answered yes to this question why not go along to one of the roadshows organised by the General Dental Council in conjunction with the regional postgraduate deaneries to find out more.

Attendance at the roadshows is FREE and will provide an opportunity for you and other dental team members - PCDs (professionals complementary to dentistry) - to get the answers to your questions. Most of the events will take place around 6.30 – 8.30pm, usually starting with a buffet.

For a full programme of each event you can either log onto the GDC website or phone 020 7887 3855 and speak to one of the GDC’s PCD team.

THE STATE OF THE NATION

Once every quarter two questions are being asked your input is required to assess how you, as a dental technician, feel about various issues.

For the first quarter we asked the following questions:

  1. Do you agree that Continuing Professional Development (CPD) will be an integral part of your ongoing skills development as a registered dental technician?
  2. Do you currently hold a record of your own activities that could be considered part of your CPD in the future?

The resounding response was 'YES' to both questions.

This is what Steradent said about the response.

 

"New research conducted by Steradent*, the leading denture care specialist, and the Dental Technician’s Association (DTA), has revealed that as many as 75% of dental technicians expect Continued Professional Development (CPD) to form an integral part of their ongoing progression after they’re registered."

"Statutory registration for dental technicians is not available at present. However the DTA are currently in negotiations with the General Dental Council (GDC) for mandatory registration – a change that, according to the new findings, the majority of dental technicians would welcome. "

"Steradent has discovered that even though a change in legislation may be still a little way off (mid 2004), dental technicians are not wasting any time waiting for it to be implemented. Many are keeping an unofficial record of their CPD, which the DTA has supplied to all its members. While dentists are currently the only member of the dental team legally required to keep a record of their CPD hours, it appears that many dental technicians are preparing themselves for the forthcoming changes, with a huge 42% already recording their development. "

Tony Griffin, DTA President says: “The future for the registered dental technician is about respect in the dental team and building the role of dental technicians within the modernisation of dentistry. The DTETAB/ DTA membership should be congratulated. Due to their support of the voluntary register over many decades they have managed to bring us to the point where government legislation will recognise the important role of dental technicians as professionals in the oral health care team. DTA’s support and development of educational initiatives, training logs and striving for members’ real benefits has sustained and improved membership. DTA is an organisation for dental technicians managed by dental technicians.”

The DTA and the DTETAB before them has long supported the move towards statutory registration and have been maintaining voluntary register of dental technicians for many years. These results are the first in a series of ‘State of the Nation’ research studies conducted by Steradent, which are aimed at forging ongoing relationships with key dental professionals.

DENTAL TECHNOLOGY SHOW 2004

The Dental Technology Show is being held at the Telford International Centre on 21st and 22nd May 2004

Put these dates in your diary now!

Not only will this be an opportunity to see manufacturers and dealers, it will also provide a forum for debate with other dental technicians and hear international speakers, such as Oliver Brix, August Bruguera, Don Cornell, Klaus Dittmar, Koray Feran, Anthony Laurie, Luc and Patrick Rutten, and Gerald Ubassy.

The fee to attend each session is £30 (DLA members) and £45 (non-members). There will also be a two day season ticket allowing access to all keynote speakers - £150 (DLA members) and £220 (non-members).

 

DLA Chairperson, Barbara Hibbert
DLA Chairman , Barbara Hibbert, said ‘With an event like DTS 2003, which already has an outstanding reputation and attendance. I believe we can make quality training an accessible and affordable option for all laboratory owners and dental technicians.’

To find out more contact the DTS – www.dts2004.com


Do you fancy your chances to win the DTS 2004 ‘New Speakers’ Award?

The DLA are looking for dental technicians to give a technical seminar, lasting about 30 minutes on any dental technology/laboratory related topic. There will be a trophy and cash prize for the best one! Contact the DLA on 0870 991 4525 for more details.



Dynamic, Leading and Authoritative

GDC gives Dental Technicians Advice on Advertising

The following is the guidance on advertising by dental technicians:

Under section 38 of the Dentists Act 1984, it is a criminal offence for any person who is not a registered dentist, visiting EEA practitioner,or registered medical practitioner to practise or hold himself or herself out as practising or being prepared to practise dentistry.

The practice of dentistry includes (but is not restricted to) giving treatment or advice in connection with the fitting,insertion or fixing of dentures; taking impressions or doing work in a patient's mouth constitute the practice of dentistry.

It is the General Dental Council's policy to prosecute any dental technician who holds himself or herself out in an advertisement as practising or being prepared to practise dentistry.

Richard Clifford
PCD Education Policy Manager
Education Directorate
General Dental Council

THREE NEW PUBLICATIONS FROM THE GDC

Three new General Dental Council publications are now available:

The summer 2003 of the Gazette, our regular newsletter, provides an update on what's been happening at the Council over the last few months. Inside you'll find a special feature on PCD registration, important advice on compulsory CPD, plus all the other latest GDC news.

'Regulating all members of the dental team' is a brand new leaflet. Aimed at all professionals complementary to dentistry, it explains the ins and outs of statutory registration and what it will mean for them.

We've also updated our general information leaflet. The new 'Who we are and what we do' gives a general overview of each area of the GDC's work.

All three new publications are available on our website at www.gdc-uk.org/publications.html.

Joint Statement from the BDA & DLA – Reprocessing of Plastic Dental Impression Trays

  • Commercially manufactured plastic impression trays are commonly used for the taking of dental impressions. These are Medical Devices and the manufacturer provides no information on how they may be reprocessed; consequently, they are designed for single patient use.
  • After use they should be destroyed and no attempt made to clean or reprocess them for subsequent reuse.
  • The dental laboratory that makes the model has the first opportunity to destroy used plastic impression trays and it is recommended that the laboratory should safely dispose of them.
  • Should a dentist or dental surgery require the return of used plastic impression trays then they should be returned; but the laboratory should make no attempt to remove impression material, adhesive or clean the tray in any way, as this would be construed as reprocessing for further use.
  • Plastic impression trays that have been used and returned to the dental surgery by the dental laboratory should be disposed of as clinical waste. They should never be reused on a subsequent patient.

Green light for GDC reform

New legislation, enabling the next round of General Dental Council reforms, should be in place by January 2005, the Government has confirmed. The good news was delivered to the GDC at its meeting on 11 March 2004 via a letter from the Minister of State for Health, Rosie Winterton, to David Kidney MP, who has been supportive of the GDC's reform programme.

The legislation will give the GDC new powers to:

  • extend statutory GDC registration to cover the whole dental team, including dental nurses and dental technicians;set up a complaints scheme for non-NHS dental patients;reform its procedures for dealing with misconduct and ill health amongst dental professionals, plus introduce new procedures to tackle problems of poor performance in dentists; and
  • remove the current restriction on the number of dental bodies corporate.

Once the legislation is in place, the GDC will be able to get on with the necessary implementation work during 2005 to get these initiatives up and running.

These initiatives make up the second phase of the GDC's continuing reform programme. The programme, which requires amendments to the Dentists Act, aims to make the GDC a more efficient and effective regulator with stronger powers for protecting patients.

Welcoming the Government's confirmation of the new legislation, GDC President Hew Mathewson said:

 

"This continuing Government commitment to delivering the GDC's proposed reforms, and the firm timetable for new legislation, is very welcome. We have received a green light for part two of the GDC's reform programme. We are pressing ahead with work at our end to ensure these initiatives are set to go live as soon as practicable once the legislation is in place".

For further information, please contact Katherine Vale at the GDC on 020 7887 3861.

Foundation Degree approved for Dental Technicians

The first all new Foundation Degree (fd) for Dental Technicians has been approved and will be up and running from September 2004 at colleges up and down the country. Development of the Foundation Degree has been undertaken by a consortium from the colleges via a 'hub' at The People's College, Nottingham in conjunction with De Montfort University, Leicester.

Using college based learning and effective evidence of structured vocational training provided in the real workplace the 'fd' provides a real step forwards in dental technology education and training. Tony Griffin, co-ordinator of the team, from The People's College said "colleges will be able to offer this 'fd' at their own centres, link to the local employer Dental Laboratories work-based training and thereby provide a step ladder from GCSE's (or A Levels) through to the Foundation Degree and beyond. We believe it matches the registrable requirements set by the General Dental Council". The consortium of colleges are now completing the final editing of a specific BSc Hon's Dental Technology 'Top Up' group of degree modules which build the 'Ladders next steps' and is focused on advances in dental technology, quality, and career development beyond the foundation degree programme.

GDC consultation on new standards guidance

The General Dental Council is consulting on draft supplementary guidance to support the Council's new core standards guidance Standards for Dental Professionals. The closing date for responses is Monday 11 October 2004.

Standards for Dental Professionals will represent the Council's core statement on the standards it expects of GDC registrants and will be published in January 2005. It will replace the Council's current professional guidance Maintaining Standards

The Council has agreed that guidance supplementary to Standards for Dental Professionals will be produced on:

  • Patient consent
  • Confidentiality of patient information
  • Dental team working

The Council would welcome views on the drafts it has produced of the guidance documents on patient consent and confidentiality of patient information. It would also value views at this stage on a draft framework setting out the scope of the guidance it intends to produce on dental team working. The Council will carry out a full consultation on a draft guidance on dental team working at the end of this year.

In particular, the Council is asking:

  • whether the draft guidance on patient consent is clear
  • whether the draft guidance on confidentiality is clear
  • whether there are any major omissions in either the consent guidance or the confidentiality guidance
  • for any comments on the proposed scope of the guidance on dental team working

To download the consultation pack from the GDC website, please click on the following link http://www.gdc-uk.org/aboutus/supplementary_guidance_consultation.html.

There is an online response form provided for comments. Alternatively, comments can be emailed to rnewman@gdc-uk.org or sent to: Robin Newman, Standards Guidance Consultation, General Dental Council, 37 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8DQ, UK.

DENTAL TECHNICIAN WINS £500!

Dental Technician, Clive Adams from Flintshire, was the lucky winner of the DTA lucky draw at the Dental Technology Show 2004, winning a cheque for £500.

When informed about his good fortune, Clive asked that his prize money be donated to the Dental Technicians Association for future activities! Thank you Clive.

Richard Daniels, DLA CEO, draws the winning ticket, seen here with Sue Adams from DTA

DTA ELECTS NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS

At the DTA Annual General Meeting on Saturday 22 May, two new Council members were elected.

A total of three candidates stood for election to Council this time around. They were: Simon Butler, Stephen Harrison and Stephen Wears.

Simon Butler and Stephen Wears were first past the post and have been duly elected.

Both in their early 40's, Simon works in a dental laboratory attached to a general practice in Romsey, whilst Stephen is employed in a large commercial laboratory in the north east. We welcome them both to Council.

Simon Butler (left) with Stephen Wears

Government announce consultation for Statutory Registration

On Friday 31 July the Government published the document - Strengthening the General Dental Council. Proposals contained in the consultation document will enable the GDC to:

  • set up a complaints scheme about non-NHS treatment.
  • register and regulate the whole dental team, including dental nurses and dental technicians.
  • reform the Council's procedures for dealing with misconduct and ill health amongst dental professionals, and introduce new procedures to tackle poor performance in dentists.
  • remove the current restriction on the numbers of dental bodies corporate.

To view the document follow this link:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/Consultations/LiveConsultations/fs/en