key: cord-0064716-ddiskti2 authors: nan title: DCP annual registration renewal now open date: 2021-06-18 journal: BDJ Team DOI: 10.1038/s41407-021-0668-y sha: a9ee2045dd00d60577dcec694c80a1af9e93a771 doc_id: 64716 cord_uid: ddiskti2 nan General Dental Council (GDC) Executive Director, Registration and Corporate Resources, Gurvinder Soomal, said: 'Keeping skills and knowledge up to date over the course of their career is an important commitment made by all dental professionals as this helps to keep patients safe and promote public confidence in the professions. I would encourage all DCPs to think about the different options for completing their required CPD, for example completing online courses when the number of faceto-face courses are restricted. 'Every year we see thousands of DCPs not meeting the requirements around CPD, which can lead to professionals being removed from the register. More often than not, these problems arise due to an oversight or misunderstanding about what is required, which is why we really want people to double-check and make sure they know what they need to do. ' The GDC's CPD scheme is designed to provide flexibility to professional in how they manage their CPD, but the regulator recognises the challenges some may have experienced in accessing CPD due to COVID-19. If these exceptional circumstances have prevented individuals from completing enough CPD this year, the GDC has confirmed it will take this into account. Professionals must still make their declaration, however, and let the regulator know if this is the case. Visit the GDC's website for more information about annual renewal and CPD: www.gdc-uk.org. BDJ Team offers ten free hours of verifiable CPD a year: https://go.nature. com/3pEIFyd. The announcement in the Queen's Speech this month that advertising of foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) is to be restricted from April of next year is welcomed by the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD). New legislation will introduce an outright ban on online promotions and a watershed of 9pm for TV advertisements; BSPD hopes the restrictions will reduce children's exposure to advertising of products that are contributing to unacceptably high levels of childhood obesity and dental decay, especially in areas of greatest deprivation. 1 In BSPD's response to a consultation 2 last year it set out the reasons why HFSS food and drinks are detrimental at an individual level as well as having a wider long-term societal impact. Children and young people are currently consuming up to three times the recommended sugar intake, increasing their risk of dental decay, obesity and other chronic health conditions such as Type 2 diabetes. 3 The evidence underpinning BSPD's consultation response was developed into a position statement 4 by two of its members, Laura Warrilow and Jessica Large. They highlighted that children are spending more time online, a trend exacerbated during the pandemic, when schools were closed. Due to shared risk factors, there is a clear link between obesity and dental caries as set out in an earlier BSPD position statement, 5 which is why they must be addressed together. BSPD spokesperson Claire Stevens said ' Along with Jamie Oliver, Public Health England, Sustain and a plethora of other organisations wanting to reduce obesity and dental decay in children, we have been at war on sugar 6 for years. The sugar levy has had a positive impact, but more steps are needed. We would like to see greater incentivisation of healthy food and drink choices to protect our children's oral health' . The relationship between caries and body mass index. Child level analysis New public consultation on total ban of online advertising for unhealthy foods Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s -consultation document British Society of Paediatric Dentistry. BSPD Position Statement on limiting advertisement of products high in fat, sugar and salt Obesity and dental decay in children -A Position Statement I've had to remove all of a toddler's teeth. It's time for a war on sugar. The Guardian