Mandibular two implant-supported overdentures as the first choice standard of care for edentulous patients--the York Consensus Statement.

The Annual Conference of the BSSPD (British Society for the Study of Prosthetic Dentistry) was held in York on 6 and 7 April 2009. At the symposium on mandibular overdentures, presenters offered a synopsis of the research available on the efficacy of implant-supported mandibular overdentures in the edentulous mandible. Emphasis was given to both qualitative and quantitative research based on patient-centred outcomes of treatment. A draft consensus was circulated to all presenters and to the Council members of the BSSPD and to BSSPD members on the Society's website. The statement was modified in the light of their comments, audience feedback following the presentations and members' feedback. We hope that this consensus statement will be a useful guide for patients and clinicians and that it will act to stimulate wider debate. We also hope that it will prove useful to other patient and professional organisations and will inform discussions with providers of national healthcare and with independent funders.

Occupational exposures occurring among dental assistants in a UK dental school.

PURPOSE: The cross-infection risks for dentists have been well recognised, and much has been published regarding the incidence of occupational exposures to patient body fluids. Less has been reported regarding the risks to dental assistants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of occupational exposures to patient body fluids among dental assistants, to assess the rate of reporting of such incidents, and to evaluate the association of various factors with these exposures. METHOD: All 84 dental assistants working at Birmingham Dental Hospital were asked to complete a confidential questionnaire to provide retrospective information regarding the nature and incidence of any occupational exposures they had experienced. RESULTS: An overall response rate of 94% was achieved. Dental nurses experienced fewer occupational exposures than dental students at the same institution, and reported incidents more frequently. More injuries occurred after the treatment session. Handling local anaesthetic syringes was associated with more injuries, and percutaneous injuries predominated. Trainee nurses had experienced more occupational injuries in the preceding six months than their qualified colleagues. There was no significant association with any of the other factors evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: The general incidence of occupational exposures among the dental assistants in this survey was low in comparison to dental students at the same institution. A further reduction may be possible by increasing the training of unqualified nurses with particular regard to post-treatment handling of sharp dental instruments and equipment.

Endodontics and new graduates: Part I, Practice vs training.

Surveys have demonstrated that many dentists, even the recently qualified, do not carry out endodontics using currently recommended materials and techniques. To assess the scale and nature of this finding among young graduates, a questionnaire was sent to all graduates from the mainland United Kingdom dental schools qualified for either one or four years. Widespread reduction in the number of radiographs taken and rubber dam use was found. A minority had adopted techniques and materials without published guidelines. It is suggested that alterations are required in undergraduate teaching, vocational training and the United Kingdom National Health Service remuneration system in order to improve the standard of endodontics in general practice.