The Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney TD, has announced a public consultation exercise on the proposed Health Information Bill, which will deal with the collection, use, sharing, storage, disclosure and transfer of personal health information, as well as the rights of individuals to control and access their health information. This includes information held … Continued

Barry McGonigle, a senior member of the Northern Ireland branch of the British Dental Association, has told the Western Health and Social Services Council of his concerns for the future of dentistry in the north-west of the country. At the Council’s monthly meeting, Mr McGonigle said he held deep concerns for the dental profession and … Continued

The British Dental Health Foundation has revealed that Belfast dental patients fear they are being put at risk of mouth cancer – as 76% say their dentist has never checked them for the condition and 90% say their dentist has never even spoken to them about it. According to the independent public advice charity, mouth … Continued

Figures from the Irish Dental Association (IDA) have revealed that almost one in five adults suffer from tooth sensitivity. The results also show that 70% of dentists believe that incidences of sensitive teeth are increasing and 65% warn that it is a serious oral health problem among Irish adults. The representative association of Irish dentists … Continued

Queen’s University’s School of Medicine and Dentistry is inviting people from all walks of life to work as ‘patient actors’. Also known as Standardised Patients (SPs), members of the public are being invited to act as patients in return for payment. The roles are part of Queen’s Patients as Partners (PasP) programme, a novel approach … Continued

The Western Health and Social Services Board are to try and recruit dentists from overseas in a bid to ease the dental dilemma in the North West. Judi McGaffin, director of Dental Health, informed the Board last week that it had not been possible to secure the services of six salaried dentists despite earmarked funding. … Continued

Patients suffering with nagging headaches should book a dental appointment. That’s according to a US expert, who suggests that the link between headaches and toothaches is to do with the main nerve – the trigeminal nerve – running through the face and neck. Director of the Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine Graduate Program at the … Continued