As from the 1st of August 2018, an enhanced continuing professional development (CPD) scheme will start for dental care professionals (DCPs).

What does this mean? It means that there will be changes to the verifiable CPD criteria, and it is extremely important that as dental nurses we familiarise ourselves with these changes to meet the General Dental Council (GDC) requirements and standards.

An index is a measure of data. In dentistry, we use different indices to measure data. As nurses, the two we are most familiar with are:

In 1932, Henry Schein and his wife Esther opened a pharmacy in Queens, New York. Over the course of the next eight decades, the company grew and Henry Schein Inc. is now the world's largest provider of healthcare products and services to office-based dental, medical and animal health practitioners. 

Well, where should we begin? I suppose it all depends on the current circumstances within your practice and on how much or how little work may be required to get your project off the ground. For example, the first practice in which I ran an oral health clinic already had a fairly well-established service. Their existing oral health educator was leaving, and it was planned that I would gain my qualification and take over from her.

During the placement of a dental implant, the implant dental nurse plays an important role within the implant team. This article discusses the different aspects of the dental nurse’s role, from cross-infection control to aftercare, and considers how these important contributions influence the success rate of dental implants.