Teeth for life? Some hope...

The consequences of the 2006 contract for general dental practitioners have been frequently discussed. Recent government tinkering with it has made little difference and access to NHS dentistry is now difficult, if not impossible, in some parts of the country. The promises of the 1950s and 1960s that teeth could be saved and kept for life have been broken by the concept of 'units of dental activity.' Older generations in particular have been let down badly by their introduction.

The history of the British Dental Association Benevolent Fund: wartimes and between - Part 3.

By the end of the 1910s, the British Dental Association Benevolent Fund was well-established and financially sound. Subscriptions and donations continued to grow but were never quite enough for the treasurer or indeed the committee, who were unable to fulfil all requests for help. Wartime restrictions on paper use meant that publicity was entirely in the hands for the editor of the British Dental Journal, as no separate annual reports were produced. Call-ups to military service decreased the numbers of volunteers willing or able to serve on the committee but applications for assistance in these years continued to grow. The introduction of the 1921 Dentist Act raised issues of resourcing and the future of the Charity for the committee. Novel fundraising suggestions were rife. Volunteer almoners were needed to monitor the increasing number of grant recipients.