2024 is looking promising, with a whole array of dental shows and conferences for you to sink your teeth into. It is an opportune time to collect Enhanced CPD, learn about the latest industry advancements, and discover new technology. For keen dental professionals, these events are not to be missed. You’ll also get plenty of chances to hear from some of the industry’s leading professionals, covering topics from the career pathways available for dental nurses through to the importance of patient engagement in the practice. And let’s not forget that entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den Legend, Steven Bartlett, will also be a speaker at one of the biggest events of the year! We have all the dates you need to make sure you don’t miss out. 

Between February and March 2023, stakeholders of the GDC conducted the Dental Nurse Retention Survey to try and gain an understanding of the current ‘recruitment crisis’, which is linked to the drop in dental nurse registrations in recent years. The survey aimed to establish knowledge of the current state of the registered dental nurse workforce and gain insights into the reasons for its condition. 

Over the past decade of working within the dental industry, I have heard many dental nurses express a preference for either corporate or private practice for a number of reasons; they believe that private offers bonuses and corporate doesn’t, or corporate has modern technology while private is outdated; one gives more progression and the other is too slow. In reality, these features are not specific to whether a practice is privately owned or part of a corporation – they can be true of either. Certain features of practices, whether corporate or private,  are points to consider when looking for a job, as the answers can lead to your job satisfaction and the work/life balance that suits you. 

It is no secret that dental nurses are vital to the everyday running of the practice. However, we’re also essential when it comes to patient care and comfort. It can be all too easy to think that the only ones who build a good rapport with patients are those who make and complete the appointments – the dentists, hygienists, and receptionists – but the patients also look to dental nurses for support and to help them remain calm. It’s important that you understand your role and responsibility to be able to help them effectively.

We all get introduced to the HTM 01-05 very early on in our careers, and it helps us to achieve at least essential practice (and, hopefully, best practice) standards during our infection prevention and control (IPC) procedures. This is something that is crucial if we want to keep our patients, and ourselves, safe. But with all of the guidance and procedures to follow, how do you ensure that the whole team is being consistent in their IPC standards?