DENTISTRY INTERVIEW 2024
ACCURATE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
WITH SOLUTIONS
Background of NHS - ANSWER -1.7 million people working for the NHS, making it the fifth largest
employer in the world
-budget for NHS increasing
-prescriptions cost £9.15 in England
-people live longer than they did 70 years ago (access to clean water and construction of sewers)
-created in 1948 after years of motivation and hard work
-has experienced many issues with funding in the past but has overcome them through medical
advancements, such as vaccinations
-the 1948 allowed free necessary fillings and dentures, whilst the rest was to be paid for
Main causes of death - ANSWER -heart disease
-cancer
Main challenges faced by NHS - ANSWER An ageing population
A growing population
Evolving healthcare needs, such as the increase in cases of obesity and diabetes, or antibiotic resistance.
Medical advancements save lots of lives every year, but push up costs considerably. It is estimated that
progress in medical technology costs the NHS at least an extra £10bn a year.
-enormous pressure faced by dentists due to the UDA targets
-hard to access dental practices
-long waiting lists e.g. Cornwall
-lack of funding as patients are expected to pay more
-tooth decay is the number one reason why children end up in hospital
-lack of accessibility for special needs patients
-charges and lack of accessibility result in many visiting their GP
-UDA band lasts 3 months
,Band 1 (1 UDA) - ANSWER - £22.70 in England
-examination, diagnosis (including X-rays), advice on how to prevent future problems, a scale and polish
if needed, and application of fluoride varnish or fissure sealant
-covers emergency care such as stopping bleeding, trauma, teeth knocked out, severe pain or swelling,
even if more than one visit is required
Band 2 (3 UDA) - ANSWER -£62.10 in England
-fillings, root canal treatments, gum treatment, removal of teeth
Band 3 (12 UDAS) - ANSWER -£269.30 in England
-crowns, bridges, dentures
Advantages of NHS - ANSWER -providing patient care and treatment for those who can't afford it
-variety of treatment needed
Dental Contract - ANSWER -hitting government targets
-taking on new patients
-established in 2006
-need for a contract that prioritises prevention
-dentists are private contractors to the NHS, which means the dentists buy the building and equip the
surgery, hire all the staff and pay all of the running costs including wages, materials and insurances, to
provide an NHS dental service
-new contract being trialled
How are dentists funded? - ANSWER Department of Health allocates a certain amount to NHS boards,
which divide them into three different categories
Primary Care - ANSWER simple care, provided by a GDP in a high street dentist
, Secondary Care - ANSWER complex referred care, provided by a specialist, generally in a hospital setting
Community Dental Service - ANSWER additional needs
Prevention - ANSWER According to a study by the University of Leeds, children with cavities in their back
teeth are 4x as likely to have cavities in their front teeth
-2-15 days of school are missed for each child with dental problems
White or "composite" fillings - ANSWER -not available on NHS
-appearance
-bond to tooth, making it stronger
-set using a blue light
-takes longer
Millions 'missing out' on NHS dentistry (BBC article) - ANSWER -according to BBC analysis of GP Patient
Survey data, 2.03 million people assume no care is available, 1.45 million have been turned away, 0.73
million say it's too expensive and 0.13 million are on a waiting list
-underfunding, failed contracts and recruitment problems
-affecting everyone across the English region
-the analysis shows the level of unmet need has remained pretty consistent for the past five year
-it pointed to figures showing three-quarters of practices have experienced difficulties filling posts and a
29% fall in funding per head in seven years once inflation was taken into account
-dentists are given block contracts meaning once they have seen their quota they do not get paid any
extra
-Labour has proposed introducing free dental check-ups by scrapping band one charges - and eventually
provide free NHS dental car
-both the Tories and Liberal Democrats said they were proposing investing more money in the NHS to
improve services
-the Lib Dems in particular said it was aiming to recruit more dentists with the extra funds.
-nearly half of treatments provided on the NHS are provided free of charge because patients are exempt.
ACCURATE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
WITH SOLUTIONS
Background of NHS - ANSWER -1.7 million people working for the NHS, making it the fifth largest
employer in the world
-budget for NHS increasing
-prescriptions cost £9.15 in England
-people live longer than they did 70 years ago (access to clean water and construction of sewers)
-created in 1948 after years of motivation and hard work
-has experienced many issues with funding in the past but has overcome them through medical
advancements, such as vaccinations
-the 1948 allowed free necessary fillings and dentures, whilst the rest was to be paid for
Main causes of death - ANSWER -heart disease
-cancer
Main challenges faced by NHS - ANSWER An ageing population
A growing population
Evolving healthcare needs, such as the increase in cases of obesity and diabetes, or antibiotic resistance.
Medical advancements save lots of lives every year, but push up costs considerably. It is estimated that
progress in medical technology costs the NHS at least an extra £10bn a year.
-enormous pressure faced by dentists due to the UDA targets
-hard to access dental practices
-long waiting lists e.g. Cornwall
-lack of funding as patients are expected to pay more
-tooth decay is the number one reason why children end up in hospital
-lack of accessibility for special needs patients
-charges and lack of accessibility result in many visiting their GP
-UDA band lasts 3 months
,Band 1 (1 UDA) - ANSWER - £22.70 in England
-examination, diagnosis (including X-rays), advice on how to prevent future problems, a scale and polish
if needed, and application of fluoride varnish or fissure sealant
-covers emergency care such as stopping bleeding, trauma, teeth knocked out, severe pain or swelling,
even if more than one visit is required
Band 2 (3 UDA) - ANSWER -£62.10 in England
-fillings, root canal treatments, gum treatment, removal of teeth
Band 3 (12 UDAS) - ANSWER -£269.30 in England
-crowns, bridges, dentures
Advantages of NHS - ANSWER -providing patient care and treatment for those who can't afford it
-variety of treatment needed
Dental Contract - ANSWER -hitting government targets
-taking on new patients
-established in 2006
-need for a contract that prioritises prevention
-dentists are private contractors to the NHS, which means the dentists buy the building and equip the
surgery, hire all the staff and pay all of the running costs including wages, materials and insurances, to
provide an NHS dental service
-new contract being trialled
How are dentists funded? - ANSWER Department of Health allocates a certain amount to NHS boards,
which divide them into three different categories
Primary Care - ANSWER simple care, provided by a GDP in a high street dentist
, Secondary Care - ANSWER complex referred care, provided by a specialist, generally in a hospital setting
Community Dental Service - ANSWER additional needs
Prevention - ANSWER According to a study by the University of Leeds, children with cavities in their back
teeth are 4x as likely to have cavities in their front teeth
-2-15 days of school are missed for each child with dental problems
White or "composite" fillings - ANSWER -not available on NHS
-appearance
-bond to tooth, making it stronger
-set using a blue light
-takes longer
Millions 'missing out' on NHS dentistry (BBC article) - ANSWER -according to BBC analysis of GP Patient
Survey data, 2.03 million people assume no care is available, 1.45 million have been turned away, 0.73
million say it's too expensive and 0.13 million are on a waiting list
-underfunding, failed contracts and recruitment problems
-affecting everyone across the English region
-the analysis shows the level of unmet need has remained pretty consistent for the past five year
-it pointed to figures showing three-quarters of practices have experienced difficulties filling posts and a
29% fall in funding per head in seven years once inflation was taken into account
-dentists are given block contracts meaning once they have seen their quota they do not get paid any
extra
-Labour has proposed introducing free dental check-ups by scrapping band one charges - and eventually
provide free NHS dental car
-both the Tories and Liberal Democrats said they were proposing investing more money in the NHS to
improve services
-the Lib Dems in particular said it was aiming to recruit more dentists with the extra funds.
-nearly half of treatments provided on the NHS are provided free of charge because patients are exempt.
