When will I see you, again?

The Three Degrees can hardly have recognised, in 1974, just how significant their chart-topping single would become for UK dentists in the years ahead. They can hardly have recognised that the controversy surrounding recall frequency would go on to become one of the central issues in dental healthcare.

Spookily, their second hit single, Take good care of yourself, might have been tailor-made for the same debate, as we've come to recognise the essential role the patient plays in the maintenance of good oral health. In the old adage; 'there is nothing the dental team can do which will overcome what the patient won't.'

Back in 1974 (or probably since a US toothpaste advertising campaign in the 1930s), the six month check-up was at the heart of dental practice. In the old fee-per-item, pre-1990 contract there was a time-bar against any check-up that dared intrude into this sacred 26-week period. Only children, pregnant and expectant mothers were permitted one additional dental examination in any 12 months.