Your #ADAVBAdvocacy at work: National phase-down of mercury

The ADAVB has represented Victorian member dentists at a public workshop on the national phase-down of mercury. 

The forum was held to consult stakeholders on the proposed ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury by Australia, which will obligate the Government to take measures to reduce the release of mercury into the environment.

ADAVB attended the forum to ensure members have a voice in this debate. Victorian members are well placed to align with the Government’s proposal, since our 2008-2011 Dentists for Cleaner Water Program assisted members to install over 700 amalgam separators across the state. We estimate that this has prevented the release of approximately 95 kg of mercury into wastewater annually.

This program was conducted in partnership with the Victorian EPA, and an EPA-licensed mercury recycling specialist, CMA Ecocycle, and utilised $1M of Government grant funding to incentivise voluntary installation of dental amalgam traps and separators.

We encourage members to ensure that their amalgam waste is being recycled by a licensed mercury recycler. CMA Ecocycle has a container-swap program for the management of amalgam waste. They are the only company to be fully licensed by the Environmental Protection Agencies in each state to handle the entire process of recycling mercury-containing waste. 

Your #ADAVBAdvocacy at work.

Further information:

The Minamata Convention - A response to a global concern

How to make a submission on the national phase-down of mercury

Dentists for Cleaner Water Program
CMA Ecocycle

Consumers hit with another health insurance premium increase

Consumers will be faced with yet another hike in private health insurance premiums following the announcement of a 4.49% premium increase.

The Australian Dental Association (ADA) has voiced concerns about this recent premium increase and is highlighting that now is the time for consumers to check their rebates and out of pocket expenses.

The ADA has urged consumers to review their Extras policies when it comes to dental treatment at www.time2switch.com.au

The Time2Switch website includes a comparison tool that assesses rebates of private health insurance policies for general and major dental, endodontic and orthodontic services. Time2Switch also provides an opportunity for consumers to complain directly to the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman.

View ADA media release 13 February 2017
Find out more at the Time2Switch website

Don’t miss out on up to 11 free CPD hours

Did you know that ADAVB members can access up to 11 free CPD hours per year towards satisfying Dental Board of Australia requirements? That’s one per month except for January!

Your first free CPD hour for 2017 can be found in this month’s Clinical Update. Expert academic and clinical advisers prepare and review the Clinical Update each month, which outlines current published studies into a variety of dental topics.

Complete the Clinical Update online or refer to your February 2017 edition of Victorian Dentist, pages 16­–17.

ADA celebrates major victory for the oral health of Australia's children

In response to discussions with the ADA, the Federal Minister for Health advised today that the Child Dental Benefit Schedule (CDBS) cap of $1000 will be retained and not reduced to $700 as announced late last year.

In December 2016, in the wake of a concerted campaign by the ADA and the invaluable ongoing support of Labor and the Greens, the Government announced that the CDBS would be retained. The ADA welcomed this decision however voiced serious concerns about the decision to reduce the cap from $1000 to $700.

Today's announcement to retain the $1000 cap follows an urgent discussion between ADA President Hugo Sachs and the Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt.

View the ADA Inc. media release

Image: www.ada.org.au

Oral cancer risks highlighted on World Cancer Day

Three Australians are diagnosed with oral cancer every day. The Australian Dental Association (ADA) is aiming to raise awareness about oral cancer on World Cancer Day on Saturday 4 February.

Dr Michael Foley, Vice Chair of the ADA’s Oral Health Committee, said, “When Australians think of cancer it does not immediately come to mind that cancer can occur in the mouth. However, certain habits can increase a person’s risk of developing oral cancer – such as tobacco use and alcohol consumption, which increases that risk by more than 80%."

The theme for World Cancer Day 2016-18 is ‘We can. I can’, conveying the message that as individuals, families, communities and at the governmental level, we all can take action to reduce the impact of cancer.

Find out more

Beware: Scam targeting dentists

The ADAVB has been advised of a scam currently targeting dentists.

The scam involves a person contacting dental practices through email or online ‘contact us’ forms to enquire about making a group booking. This person purports to be a hearing-impaired individual – and cannot speak on the phone for this reason – interested in making whitening appointments for members of their family. They then ask if the practice accepts credit card.

At this stage, we are unaware of anyone proceeding past this point with the scammer, but experience from other industries hit in the past (such as physiotherapists, veterinarians and mechanics) tells us the scammer will pay on a stolen credit card and later request a refund. In some cases, the initial email even has a virus attached to it.

If you receive an email or web contact like this, please do not respond, and report it to Scamwatch as soon as possible.