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BACDT Shows Concern for Dental School Due to Poor Leadership

The British Association of Dental Technicians (BACDT) is concerned for the students at the Queen’s University School of Dentistry after a recent report highlighted a lack of leadership and teaching.


WEBWIRE

The British Association of Dental Technicians (BACDT) is concerned for the students at the Queen’s University School of Dentistry after a recent report highlighted a lack of leadership and teaching.

An inspection from the General Dental Council (GDC), the UK body which regulates dental professionals, found that many senior clinical academic posts remained unfilled and a slow pace of progress in an environment where “staff morale was low”.

In a worrying development, the GDC reported the school’s Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree programme remains in a fragile state. The report concluded that although the programme was currently sufficient, substantial progress would have to be made if sufficiency is to be maintained.

The GDC also highlighted concerns about the level of clinical experience students were gaining in the areas of restorative dentistry and oral surgery. This time, according to the authors, they found too much observation and too few orthodontics treatment sessions.

The study follows a similar inspection at Queen’s University in October 2011 after concerns were raised about the level of funding and quality of teaching at the school.

During the same time 117 dental patients were recalled after the Belfast Health trust discovered their files had not properly been reviewed. After the investigation it was found four of the patients had died of cancer - three as a result of oral cancer.

Following the report, the BACDT revealed their disappointment in the dental school and condemned the lack of commitment to the students.

Commenting on behalf of the organisation, which highlight the dangers of poor and illegal methods of dentistry across the UK, Richard Daniels CEO stated: “The evidence provided by the GDC raises serious concerns about the level and quality of teaching for dental students at the Northern Irish university and should be a wake up call to ensure a sufficient future.”

“While we cannot relate these findings to the Belfast Health Trust’s discovery of three patients, each of whom had died of oral cancer, we are shocked and disappointed their files were failed to be reviewed properly at the time and more should be done to prevent this in the future.”

Inspectors met those involved with the management and delivery of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree programme and also met students in a two day re-inspection during March 2012.

The BACDT is a leading professional associations which promotes the advancement of ethical practice within clinical dental technology. For more information visit http://dentureprofessionals.org.uk or search through their approved dental surgeries at http://dentureprofessionals.org.uk/cdt-labs/ .



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