Regulation Barriers

The Dentists Act, established in 1984, has seen only minor updates since, and has not kept pace with advances in technology. Many treatments are still required to be performed under a dentist’s supervision, known as “under prescription.”


This restricts access for the general public, despite the fact that trained dental nurses with modern skills could carry out several important preventive and assessment tasks, such as:


    1.    Taking routine dental X-rays
    2.    Applying dental varnishes
    3.    Providing remote preventive dental advice through teledentistry
    4.    Scanning the mouth for retainers and night guards
    5.    Scanning dentures for replication before loss
    6.    Conducting dental screenings in schools and care homes


Relevant instructional videos can be found on the Dental Health Service website. It shows how AI can help with dental assesments to help diagnosis, as well as how 3d-printing can help with multiple preventive dental procedures and medical devices.


Through the AI on chat GPT which looks at relevant publications, and seems relatively accurate regarding X-Rays:-


The radiation dose from a traditional dental X-ray in the 1980s was significantly higher than what we have today due to the use of older equipment and film-based technology.


In the 1980s, dental X-rays often used D-speed film (or slower), which required more radiation to produce a clear image. A single bitewing X-ray at that time could expose a patient to around 50 µSv to 100 µSv per image, roughly 5 to 10 times higher than the dose from modern digital X-ray systems, which use faster E-speed or F-speed films or, more commonly today, digital sensors.


Advances in technology, including the use of digital X-rays and high-speed film, have since greatly reduced the amount of radiation needed, improving patient safety while still providing high-quality diagnostic images.


Taking routine dental X-rays has the same exposure as a flight to Portugal and all we need is a passport, or in the case of dental X-rays, consent. We just need a GDC to keep its CPD up to date in these fields.

---

Bridging the Gap in Health Professions
Many health professions encounter similar challenges. While health regulatory bodies play a crucial role in protecting the public, it's essential to strike a balance that avoids restricting access to the majority who could benefit from a more collaborative and conciliatory approach with the public and the profession.
For a deeper understanding of this issue, we recommend reading this insightful article, which provides a clear and concise explanation of the challenges at hand.

​https://www.gdpuk.com/blogs/stephen-henderson/entry/2487-scope-of-practice-guidance-–-chaos-at-the-gmc-and-gdc-what-on-earth-is-going-on