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NHS Dentistry Watch: English Continue Pulling Own Teeth as NHS System Collapses Around Them
Elizabeth Green: ‘The teeth got more and more painful and one evening I couldn’t take it any longer’
Another NHS Dentistry horror story in the UK.
Elizabeth Green, 76, telephoned 12 dental surgeries complaining of severe toothache, but was told every time that they were not accepting new NHS patients.
Finally, her two front teeth became so painful that she was forced to extract them herself.
The number of people carrying out DIY dentistry is thought to be on the rise, due to the dwindling availability of NHS dental treatment.
Mrs Green, a former chef, said it was made plain to her that treatment would be available only if she was willing to pay for it.
“I feel so angry,” she told the Daily Mail. “I’ve worked all my life and paid taxes and then when I need help I can’t get it.”
Obviously, market forces in Britain are privatizing the system while the government clings to a socialized model of dental delivery that has failed.
Maybe more stories will shame the government in working with British dentistry to facilitate a more hasty transition to private dental health care delivery while providing for the truly needy and disabled.
Previous:
NHS Dentistry Watch: English Pulling Own Teeth as NHS System Collapses
NHS Dentistry Watch: UK Dentist Faces Discipline Over Muslim Head Scarf Flap
NHS Dentistry Watch: NHS Dentists May Be Forced to Refund Government Millions
NHS Dentistry Watch: NHS Dentistry Reforms Are Failing
NHS Dentistry Watch: Do It Yourself Dentistry for NHS Dentist Short Britain
NHS Dentistry Watch: Another Desperate Dentistry Story
NHS Dentistry Watch: NHS Dental Office Queues Banned
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Shocker – Overweight Kids Have Fewer Cavities
Well, maybe not this kid with the soda
Believe it or not – Overweight Kids Have Fewer Cavities, New Study Shows
Contrary to conventional wisdom, overweight children have fewer cavities and healthier teeth compared to their normal weight peers, according to a study published in this month’s issue of Community Dentistry & Oral Epidemiology.
The study found no differences in rates of caries (tooth decay) among children ages 2-5 in all weight ranges, while children ages 6-18 who were considered overweight and at risk for becoming overweight showed a decreased risk of caries compared to their normal weight peers.
“We expected to find more oral disease in overweight children of all ages, given the similar causal factors that are generally associated with obesity and caries,” said Eastman Dental Center’s Dorota Kopycka-Kedzierawski, DDS, MPH, the lead author. “Our findings raise more questions than answers. For example, are overweight children eating foods higher in fat rather than cavity-causing sugars? Are their diets similar to normal weight peers but lead more sedentary lifestyles? Research to analyze both diet and lifestyle is needed to better understand the results.”
Stay tuned as dental caries, diet and exercise are more completely studied.
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Dental Photo of the Day
Pacific walrus calf Akituusaq, 8 1/2 months old gets his first tooth.
“Akituusaq†(pronounced ah-kee-TOO-sack) baby book and more photos are here. The baby walrus resides at the New York Aquarium.
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Tooth Loss Statistics By State
Adults aged 65+ who have had all their natural teeth extracted.
Flap has always wondered why his colleagues in other states have reported doing more extractions and complete dentures per dental practice than him.
These graphics offer a partial explanation.
But, why?
Is it dental IQ, the methods of dental treatment planning, the dentistry performed?
Probably all of the above.
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004.
Note where California is – near the bottom.
H/T to Dr. Bill Domb
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Free Market Dentistry in Europe
What a shocker?
British dentistry where the free market is constrained by the National Health Service is also the most expensive.
The United Kingdom should transition away from their government sponsored program (NHS) to a wholly private one while providing for the indigent, poor and infirm via government supported vouchers.
Flap wonders if some government official will suggest the government pay for airplane tickets for Brits to head over to Poland?
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NHS Blog Doctor is Back
William Kelly, 43, extracted part of his own tooth, leaving a black stump. He plans to pull one more.
Dr. John Crippen from the NHS Blog Doctor has returned to the blogosphere.
Flap enjoys reading about this physician’s trials and tribulations while he fights the absurdity of the National Health Service in the United Kingdom.
If Americans want an insight as to what HILLARY CARE or ARNOLD CARE would provide the United States, read Dr. Crippen’s blog.
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Dentistry Watch: Tooth Decay Worse in Children?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmaKKt0N8rQ[/youtube]
Paul Casamassimo, DDS, Chief of Dentistry at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Sadly the answer is YES.
Although Americans of all ages continue to experience improvements in their dental health, tooth decay in primary (baby) teeth increased among children aged 2 to 5 years according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control.
Indeed.
One of Flap’s frustrations in his almost 30 years of dental practice is the sometimes slow progress being made in American’s dental health. Other findings of the CDC report acknowledge this:
- The prevalence of tooth decay in the permanent teeth of youths aged 6 to 11 years decreased from approximately 25 percent to 21 percent, and among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years decreased from 68 percent to 59 percent.
- The use of dental sealants increased from 22 percent to 30 percent among youths aged 6 to 11 years and from 18 percent to 38 percent among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years.
- Moderate and severe periodontitis (gum disease) decreased from 10 percent to 5 percent among adults aged 20 to 64 years and from 27 percent to 17 percent for seniors aged 65 years and older.
- Among seniors aged 65 years and older, the percentage with complete tooth loss (edentulism) decreased from 34 percent to 27 percent.
- Among adults aged 20 to 64 years, 60 percent reported having a dental visit in the past year during 1999–2004, compared with 66 percent reporting a visit in the past year during the previous survey (1988–1994).
In California, the incidence of tooth decay in young children is scandalous, particularly among Hispanic immigrant children.
There has to be better dental and diet education especially in the Hispanic communities. But, the lack of dental knowledge among the general public is striking. Just ask anyone: What causes tooth decay?
Fluoridation of the water supply will also help and believe it or not fluoridation has ONLY been recently implemented in most of Southern California (Metropolitan Water District).Access to dental and dental preventive care will continue to be issues.
Stay tuned……
Technorati Tags: Dentistry, Tooth Decay
Your comments are welcome below and at My Dental Forum
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Surgical Extractions While Dancing to “CAR WASH”
Wow!
This dentist was REALLY “work(ing) HIS fingers to the bone.”
Technorati Tags: Car Wash, dentist, oral surgery, dentistry
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NHS Dentistry Watch: English Pulling Own Teeth as NHS System Collapses
William Kelly, 43, extracted part of his own tooth, leaving a black stump. He plans to pull one more.
English ‘pull own teeth’ as dental service decays
Falling numbers of state dentists in England has led to some people taking extreme measures, including extracting their own teeth, according to a new study released Monday.
Falling numbers of state dentists in England has led to some people taking extreme measures, including extracting their own teeth, according to a new study released Monday.
Others have used superglue to stick crowns back on, rather than stumping up for private treatment, said the study. One person spoke of carrying out 14 separate extractions on himself with pliers.
More typically, a lack of publicly-funded dentists means that growing numbers go private: 78 percent of private patients said they were there because they could not find a National Health Service (NHS) dentist, and only 15 percent because of better treatment.
“This is an uncomfortable read for all of us, and poses serious questions to politicians from patients,” said Sharon Grant of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health.
Overall, six percent of patients had resorted to self-treatment, according to the survey of 5,000 patients in England, which found that one in five had decided against dental work because of the cost.
The British NHS Dental Health Care System is clearly not working. Flap has been documenting the inevitable collapse of this “SOCIALIZED” system for years now.
With only a little more than half of UK dentists participating in the NHS, the government must facilitate changes unless they prefer stories like this.
Hints to the Labor Government:
1. Eliminate the NHS dental system gradually
2. Allow dentistry to be a private system like in Australia, Canada or South Africa
3. Establish a government paid voucher system which is redeemable at ANY dental office in the UK for the truly poor, disabled or infirm.
4. Cut taxes for the dentists and patients that pay for the abysmal NHS dental system.
5. Convene a panel of dental economists to privatize the UK dental care industry, including dental education.
Stay tuned………
Previous:NHS Dentistry Watch: UK Dentist Faces Discipline Over Muslim Head Scarf Flap
NHS Dentistry Watch: NHS Dentists May Be Forced to Refund Government Millions
NHS Dentistry Watch: NHS Dentistry Reforms Are Failing
NHS Dentistry Watch: Do It Yourself Dentistry for NHS Dentist Short Britain
NHS Dentistry Watch: Another Desperate Dentistry Story
NHS Dentistry Watch: NHS Dental Office Queues Banned
Technorati Tags: dentistry, NHS, NHS dentistry, National Health Service, British Dentistry, UK Dentistry, dentist, dental
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The Need for Dentistry – OOPS
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkXuc0fWubU&eurl=[/youtube]
At least it is nice to know that you are needed.
Technorati Tags: Dentistry, Dentures, Dentist