BDA
The British Dental Association (BDA) has 
set out its commitment to tackle racism 
and discrimination at all levels in dentistry, 
following international outcry initiated by 
the death of George Floyd in May.

In response the Association has set out 
a major programme of work. It will engage 
with Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic 
(BAME) dentists, as part of a research 
project to establish the views of those 
involved both in its ranks and the wider 
profession, to identify clearly those areas 
where racial disparities and racism exist 
within dentistry and on the basis of this 
develop an evidence-based action plan to 
address them.

Despite the demographic changes in 
the make-up of the dental profession, 
black people are still significantly 
underrepresented, accounting for only 
1% of the General Dental Council (GDC) 
register. While other BAME groups are 
steadily increasing in number, all remain 
underrepresented at all levels within the 
profession’s leadership.

The BDA is currently undertaking a 
comprehensive review of its governance 
structures, with an emphasis on diversity 
and ensuring that it represents the 
profession fully at its heart. Lack of 

of the general dental profession, however 
more needs to be done. It wants to be 
proactive in addressing these issues in its 
organisation and in the profession. 

The Faculty is committed to addressing 
the impact of discrimination and said 
that it will be taking the following actions 
immediately:
1. ‘We will educate ourselves about the 

issues that affect the various groups 
within the BAME community, and 
ensure our organisation actively 
promotes inclusion at every level. 
As part of this, we will review our 
ongoing equality and diversity training 
for FGDP(UK) Board members and 
educational programme leads to 
ensure that it is fit for purpose, and can 
implement positive and lasting change

2. We will invite dental healthcare 
representatives from Black, Asian, 
Chinese and other minority groups 
to join a task force, to be chaired by 
FGDP(UK) Vice Dean Onkar Dhanoya, 
to identify the areas in dentistry which 
directly or indirectly disadvantage these 
groups

3. We will collaborate with organisations 
and individuals across the profession to 
actively promote equality, diversity and 
inclusivity in general dental practice.’

BDA and FGDP(UK) commit to tackling  
racism and discrimination

diversity in leadership is an issue across 
healthcare, with research describing ‘the 
snowy white peaks’ at the top of the NHS.

There is also evidence to suggest that BAME 
patients are less likely to attend the dentist. 
The BDA has said the reasons for this need to 
be clearly understood, so that all communities 
can have access to dental services on an equal 
footing. Public Health England analysis of the 
disparities in COVID-19 outcomes related 
to ethnicity and other factors have drawn 
renewed attention to health inequalities and 
dentist leaders have said these inequalities 
must be addressed in oral health as well.

BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said: ‘The 
dental profession is guided by the principle 
of acting in the best interests of patients, 
regardless of their background. Yet it is clear, 
as recent events have highlighted, that we still 
have a long way to go before everyone in our 
society is treated equally, and with dignity 
and respect’.

 
FGDP(UK)
The FGDP(UK) is proud of its long standing 
commitment to promoting equality and 
inclusion and says that it stands in solidarity 
with the Black Lives Matter movement and is 
an anti-racist organisation. 

The Faculty said that the diversity of its 
Board is central to its effective representation 

The Faculty of Dental Surgery (FDS) at the 
Royal College of Surgeons of England has 
welcomed the Government’s commitment to 
include oral health education in its reforms 
to the early years foundation stage (EYFS) 
statutory framework.

The FDS submitted evidence to the 
Department for Education earlier this year, 
calling for a requirement on promoting 
good oral health to be included as part of its 
Safeguarding and Welfare reforms.

Child tooth decay represents a major 
public health issue, with one in five children 
in England experiencing tooth decay at the 
age of five. This has a significant impact 
on young children’s overall health and 
wellbeing due to increased difficulties 

eating and sleeping because of oral pain and 
discomfort. This in turn leads to difficulty in 
concentrating and so affects their education. 
They can experience bullying as a result 
of the appearance of their teeth, as well as 
being at an increased risk of disease in their 
adult teeth. Tooth decay is also the leading 
cause of hospital admissions amongst five- to 
nine-year-olds by some distance – there were 
25,702 such admissions in 2018–19.

In its evidence, the FDS also repeated its 
calls for supervised tooth brushing in schools 
as there is significant evidence, notably from 
Scotland and Wales, that such initiatives 
are effective in improving children’s oral 
health. However, the Government state 
that individual settings and schools will be 

able to determine how the requirement to 
promote good oral health is met. Last year’s 
Prevention Green Paper announced that 
the Government will consult on extending 
the provision of supervised tooth brushing 
programmes in England.

Mr Matthew Garrett, Dean of the 
FDS said: ‘While we would have liked to 
see supervised tooth brushing schemes 
mandated, this is a good first step in 
improving children’s oral health. During 
the pandemic, dental services have rightly 
functioned differently. This has meant that 
routine check-ups – where dental problems 
are often first spotted – have been paused, 
making this commitment to oral health in 
education settings more important than ever.’

FDS welcomes inclusion of oral health in early years curriculum

BRITISH DENTAL JOURNAL  |  VOLUME 229  NO. 2  |  JULy 24 2020  81

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