Dentistry2010 - July 30-31 - Registration now open

Get ready for ADAVB's biennial convention.

The lecture program for Dentistry2010 boasts clinically relevant topics in a wide range of areas, ensuring there is something for everyone. The program features international presenters Prof Charles Goodacre (USA) and Britain's Dr Dafydd Evans and Dr Nicola Innes, as well as many renowned Australian speakers.

And remember to register your dental team also. Dental Assisting is being held on Saturday July 31 and is a must for your dental assistants.

Be sure to register early as places will fill fast. Registrations can be made online by clicking here or by downloading the registration form on our website.

Alongside Dentistry2010 will be the Australian Dental Industry Association's expo. This will showcase the latest equipment and products. For further information on the ADIA exhibition, contact ADIA directly on (02) 9319 5631 or email adia@adia.org.au

Building starts on Melton training clinic

Building works on the 12-chair Melton Dental Service have begun. The clinic will take its first patients early next year.
The $4.9 million project will boost access to dental services in the district and provide state-of-the-art training facilities for dental students.
The project is part of the $13 million establishment of a Bachelor/Master of Dentistry course at Latrobe University.

National standards for unregulated practitioners

A meeting of Commonwealth, state and territory health ministers in Melbourne today backed a Brumby Government plan to establish new rules for unregulated health practitoners.

Victorian Health Minister Daniel Andrews said the new laws would stop sham healers from exploiting sick people seeking alternative health treatments.

“Victoria wants to ensure that there is a nationally-consistent approach to protect vulnerable patients from unethical and incompetent practitioners,” Mr Andrews said.

“This scheme will establish national standards of conduct for unregistered health practitioners and give patients a mechanism to report complaints and have them investigated.

“While the majority of unregistered health practitioners provide safe, competent and ethical services, there are instances where some unscrupulous practitioners engage in serious misconduct", he said.

“Victoria has experienced a steady increase in the number and complexity of complaints to the Department of Health, practitioner registration boards and the Health Services Commissioner."

A Code of Conduct for Health Practitioners will include requirements around informed consent and ethical practice. Mr Andrews said the public would be able to report complaints to an independent authority empowered to enforce the code.

The ADAVB will highlight the code for member information once it becomes available.

Appeal against tooth whitening conviction withdrawn

An appeal by a beauty therapist against a conviction of practising dentistry while not being registered as a dental care provider was withdrawn late on Wednesday this week.

The appeal was to have been heard yesterday. No reason was given for the appeal being withdrawn.

Magistrate Ms Crowe, in the Heidelberg Magistrates' Court, last year found the beauty therapist guilty under the Health Professions Registration Act 2005.

The Dental Practice Board of Victoria brought the charge against the beauty therapist after receiving a complaint from a customer who had undergone a tooth whitening procedure.

Minister visits Cobram's new health centre

Victoria's Health Minister, Mr Daniel Andrews, today inspected the construction site of Cobram's medical and dental clinic. "This $3 million development means local families will have first-class health facilities, close to home," he said. The new clinic will bring medical and dental services under one roof by co-locating Cobram District Hospital's existing medical clinic with the Cobram Dental Clinic. The facility - with five dental chairs - will be a training centre for Melbourne University's dental and medical students. Last year the Cobram Dental Clinic treated more than 6000 patients.

State of safety and quality of health care

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has just released its annual report on the state of health care safety and quality.
Windows into Safety and Quality in Health Care 2009 offers safety and quality insights in a number of settings and from various perspectives.
The report emphasises the three key elements of the Commission’s proposed National Safety and Quality Framework that safe high quality care is always:

• Patient focused
• Driven by information, and
• Organised for safety

Topics covered include clinical deterioration, general practice, hospital mortality rates and antimicrobial stewardship. Other chapters focus on the analysis of patient complaints, sentinel events and other forms of reporting, hospital indicators and the impact of clinical registries.