‘NHS dentists are not capable of doing extractions anymore': The harm of hearsay (23 November 2022)

Summary

This blog by a UK-based dentist, who blogs under the name Fang Farrier, highlights the dangers of popular media presenting rumour about dentistry services as fact. She refers to an incident where a presenter on the TV show Good Morning Britain said that NHS doctors were no longer trained to be able to perform tooth extractions, describing it as a "categorical fact [presented] by a private dentist."

The blog highlights four related issues concerning public perception of dentists, dentistry training and the impact of fear of complaints and litigation on NHS dentistry services:

1. We need to be more mindful about how we talk about dentistry, particularly other dentists
2. Our new graduates seem to be graduating with less experience and less confidence in most procedures, most notably extractions and root canal
3. Fear of failure and taking risks
4. The NHS question… will it stay or will it go?