Throughout my life, I have had an interest in science, an ever-growing interest in healthcare, and an overwhelming urge to help others. At the tender age of 18, I reached that inevitable time of deciding what I wanted to do with my life. After months of not knowing which career to take and multiple weekends taken up by research and talking with family members (some of whom work in healthcare), I decided that dental nursing was the route for me. Now that I had my mind made up, it was time to search hard for the job that I wanted.

Public Health England (PHE) has recently published a report on water fluoridation in England. This document is published every four years and represents the findings of an ongoing study of how increased levels of fluoride in our water supplies are helping tackle the current high rate of caries.  

This article considers how clinical photographs benefit both the clinician and the patient, and looks at the key features we want to capture when taking these pictures.

The opportunities available following completion of the OHE qualification will be different for everyone. Some nurses will have their own clinics within their practice, while others might use their qualification as a stepping stone to get into university to train as a hygienist/ therapist. Whatever your goal is, make sure that you try to use your qualification to its full potential.

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.