Ding dong

I have to admit I am a little bit worried what reaction this month’s comment might receive. The title ‘Ding dong’ is relating to the noise of a bell, as direct access arrives at the door of UK dentistry. However, events following the passing of Baroness Thatcher has added a controversial edge to the words ‘ding dong’, with a row over playing the song from The Wizard of Oz; not to mention shaking my faith in people to react to things appropriately. Firstly some people felt the need to party at the passing of an 87 year old with dementia, and then the BBC decided to censor a song legitimately in the charts. Hopefully the world of dentistry has not gone quite so mad.

The big discussion last month in the profession was over the introduction of direct access. The Office of Fair Trading report last year called on the General Dental Council to allow patients the freedom to directly make hygienist and therapist appointments. Opinion within the profession was divided, with reason and emotiveness used on both sides. The British Dental Association was opposed to the proposition and argued against it, whilst groups such as the British Society of Dental Hygienists and Therapists were in favour. Whilst it would be easy to put the division down to simple self-interest, one would hope that the arguments went beyond that and actually considered what was right for dentistry as a whole and ultimately how to best serve patient needs.