"Better oral care means six-monthly trips to dentist 'are waste of money'"

    Britain has too many dentists, and patients have their teeth checked more often
    than is necessary, a controversial report claims.

    The study, which will come as a breath of fresh air to dental-phobics, says there
    are too many dentists who provide the wrong kind of treatment and recall patients
    too often. Two key changes alone could save up to £240m and reduce "dentists'
    chairside time by one fifth", said Professor Aubrey Sheiham of University College
    London.

    The "hallowed six-monthly recall interval" could be safely extended to 18 months
    for most patients under 18 because of the "dramatic improvements in oral health".
    For healthy adults, the interval between check-ups could be as long as three to
    five years, he said.

    Another ineffective and costly practice, which sees the teeth of 13 million adults
    scaled and polished each year, could also be dropped, according to the professor.

    In a report published in Consumer Policy Review, a journal produced by the Consumers'
    Association, he said: "The money saved by not doing unnecessary procedures should be
    channelled towards some high-cost items, such as crowns, which some dentists are
    reluctant to do on the NHS.

    "That move will reduce the shift to private dentistry and solve access problems."
    He added that widespread use of fluoride toothpaste, better oral hygiene and
    baby-feeding practices had resulted in marked improvements in dental health.

    The result was that fewer dentists would be needed because today's young people
    would require relatively little dental care.

    Contrary to predictions by the British Dental Association that many more dentists
    would have to be trained, Professor Sheiham said the amount of routine dentistry
    should be greatly reduced.

    About 55 per cent of five-year-olds now have no fillings, or dental caries, and
    83 per cent of eight-year-olds have caries-free teeth. Teenagers and young adults
    also had many more sound teeth than 10 to 20 years ago, and dental caries now
    spreads much slower.

    The professor added: "These changes suggest that the need for dental care will be
    markedly reduced in about 90 per cent of the population under 40 years. Over the
    next 30 years, most of the population will need little regular dental care. Most
    dental intervention will be simple treatments."

    Professor Sheiham said that studies in Norway, where the caries rate is similar
    to Britain's, showed there was no advantage to recalling most children more
    frequently than every 18 months to two years.

    The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is reviewing recall intervals and,
    if it was to recommend 18-month recalls for children, and two to three years for
    adults, the number of dental examinations of adults would be cut by one half.
    That would be equivalent to between 6 and 10 million fewer dental visits a year.

    Professor Sheiham welcomed the increasing number of female dentists because their
    output was lower than that of men and they tended to do less unnecessary work.

    By Lorna Duckworth, Social Affairs Correspondent
    05 April 2001

    Extract from "The Independent" an English broadsheet

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    "Perceptions" note:

    It looks like the male-dominated ( and corrupted) "professions"
    are getting a bit of realism inflicted on them.

    We have stated for some years that:

    a) the professions are corrupt and not to be trusted with 'self
    -regulation - evidence from

    http://www.perceptions.couk.com/authority2.html
    http://www.perceptions.couk.com/medical.html
    http://www.perceptions.couk.com/laworjustice.html
    http://www.perceptions.couk.com/bureau.html
    http://www.perceptions.couk.com/warning.html
    http://www.perceptions.couk.com/warning2.html

    b) that women are intrinsically better suited to judge and to
    effect physical and social needs and intervention - see 
    all references above and:

    http://www.perceptions.couk.com/genes4.html
    http://www.perceptions.couk.com/genes5.html

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