Dispatches Channel 4

Delancey

Dispatches are doing a programme about UK Dentistry at 8pm tonight ( May 23rd ) - looks interesting though it has the predictable secret filming :rolleyes:

btkm8unsl0w5r4

It should be interesting to see. English people give out long and hard about NHS dentistry and its quality, ROI people drive for hours to pay privately for it cause its cheap.

"We also visited dental laboratory workers - those responsible for creating the dentures and other dental fittings - who reported how the care of patients is now being compromised by cost cutting. Unregistered laboratory work imported from abroad, for a fraction of the market price, is becoming ever more attractive. But as our programme shows, the safety of such products is, at best, unknown."

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/articles/the-truth-about-your-dentist

swanangel

Before I watch this, can anyone explain what NHS really is or how it works, I am not too familier with English healthcare?

NeuroCat

It's basically a more efficient version of the HSE. All western healthcare systems are quite similar: I do know that in the NHS you don't pay for orthodontic work under normal circumstances.

digzy

i know i'm watching 'against the head' on rte 2.

ballsymchugh

NeuroCat wrote: »

It's basically a more efficient version of the HSE. All western healthcare systems are quite similar: I do know that in the NHS you don't pay for orthodontic work under normal circumstances.

the NHS moved the goalposts on orthodontic treatment a few years ago. now you have to be a really ugly baxtard to be guaranteed treatment, otherwise you go privately.

there may be a chance of getting it if your local area's health authority has a target to hit and needs to spend the money.
local NHS areas are great at spending money so that they'll get the same or more the next year. if they don't spend it, they'll get less.

the NHS has a massive amount of red tape though, much more than the HSE have. it's not the most pleasant environment to work in.

cyberhog

This is a bit disturbing

"The dentist has 2 choices. When a patient has gum disease and they need to have hygiene treatment. Do they send the patient to the hygienist and make a massive loss on it. Or they've got the 2nd option. They can ignore the gum disease and the patient is unaware of the gum disease.... And in that instance people would describe that as supervised neglect, where patients are not actually having the gum treatment carried out that they need to have done. Purely because it's totally unaffordable,"

http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/dispatches-investigation-reveals-dentist-overcharging

Does anyone think this is happening in Ireland?

Big_G

Yes. But what is not mentioned there is that about 90% of the success of gum treatment is down to the patient doing the aftercare, the hygiene work which 99% of the patients won't do. The whole thing is very difficult ethically and professionally.

ballsymchugh

cyberhog wrote: »

This is a bit disturbing



http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/dispatches-investigation-reveals-dentist-overcharging

Does anyone think this is happening in Ireland?

the thing is though, hygienists don't have contracts with the NHS at the moment, so if a patient has to go to them, then it's going to cost more, so i don't see where the principal dentist will lose out.
anyone on the NHS that needs extensive gum treatment should really have it done privately, because it's only when they realise what they pay for that they actually do something about it, as Big G alluded to.
if someone pays £16 for a clean every 6 months or so, then they're not going to be too bothered about it. send them to a periodontist who'll charge £120 for a consult and you'll be pretty sure they'll be flossing at least once a day from then on.