"The Dentist" -Third Time Lucky

The "comment" page in "The Dentist" discusses the arrangements for developing a new dental contract. The writer is correct in criticising the Department of Health on dental policy, and indeed strategy, to date, with the Health Select Committee having provided corroboration. He or she is also correct in suggesting that the new arrangements might (in fact in my opinion definitely will not) not deliver all that we want. However, the article gives, in my opinion , a wrong impression of the input from GDPs in formulating the new contract. I totally agree with the writer that we could do with more GDPs on the over-arching programme board. However, it needs to be pointed out that the work-streams that feed into the programme board also have GDPs on them. How effective it is possible for these dentists to be against the Department of Health is unknown at the moment, at least to me. I share the writers reservations, particularly regarding expanding a service on a fixed budget. Getting rid of UDAs is a step in the right direction. But I don't think anybody believes that the new contract will be perfect, or that it will be the last one.