NIMDTA - Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency

Recommended Core CPD & Resources

The GDC recommends that all Dentists and Dental Care Professionals carry out verifiable CPD in three core recommended subjects. The recommended core subjects and suggested minimum number of verifiable hours per CPD cycle that dentists and DCPs should spend on them are:

medical emergencies (at least 10 hours per CPD cycle)
disinfection and decontamination (at least 5 hours per CPD cycle)
radiography and radiation protection (at least 5 hours per CPD cycle)

The GDC recommends that all dentists and dental care professionals do CPD in medical emergencies every year. In addition, the GDC recommends that dentists and DCPs working in a clinical environment carry out CPD (verifiable or general) to make sure they are up to date in:

legal and ethical issues
handling complaints

The GDC is also recommending that all Dentists and DCPs use a personal development plan so that patients and dentists and DCPs themselves benefit as much as possible from their CPD.

Exceptions

Dental Technicians: Instead of radiography and radiation protection, dental technicians can substitute radiography and radiation protection with materials and equipment (at least five hours in every cycle) as their CPD, as the application of radiography is not covered in the curriculum for dental technicians. In all other cases, it is recommended that Dental Technicians carry out CPD in the same core verifiable CPD subjects as other Dental Care Professionals.

Dentists who first registered with the GDC before 2006 should start incorporating these core subject areas into their CPD when they begin their second CPD cycle.

If you have any questions which are not answered here, please telephone +44 (0)845 222 4141 or email gdcregistration@gdc-uk.org

Medical emergencies

Resources

Resuscitation Council UK

Medical Emergencies and Resuscitation - Standards for Clinical Practice and Training for Dental Practitioners and Dental Care Professionals in General Dental Practice

Disinfection and Decontamination

Resources

Hand Cleaning Techniques

Decontamination in Primary Care Dental Practices

Health Estates Agency has developed supplementary guidance to the Northern Ireland "Guidance for Control of Infection in Dental Practice".
This has been produced in support of the DHSSPS General Dental Services Quality Improvement Scheme and implementation of the DHSSPS Action Plan for General Dental Service Decontamination over the next three to five years. The guidance will assist General Dental Practitioners to develop bids pertinent to those areas covered by the Improvement Scheme.

Further advice on the application of guidance and the equipment specifications can be obtained from Health Estates by contacting:
Mr John Singh (AP(S))
Tel: (028) 90523802
Email: john.singh@dhsspsni.gov.uk

National Patient Safety Agency - http://www.npsa.nhs.uk/search/?q=dental

The Department of Health (DH) and the Infection Prevention Society (IPS) have published an interactive, computer based, audit tool to measure compliance with Essential Quality Requirements (EQR) and provide any necessary corrective actions and generate an action plan to achieve Best Practice. Practices should use the audit tool on a regular basis (suggested quarterly) in order to provide continued evidence of compliance and progress towards Best Practice.
http://www.ips.uk.net/template1.aspx?PageID=95&cid=19&category=Dental-Audit-Tool

Radiography and Radiation Protection

Resources

Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IR(ME)R)

Following the publication of the EU directive (Council Directive 97/43 Euratom), the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 came into force on 1 January 2001. This order sets out legislative measures for the protection of individuals against dangers of ionising radiation in relation to medical exposure.

In Northern Ireland, responsibility for monitoring, inspecting and enforcement of IR(ME)R passed from DHSSPS to RQIA on 15 March 2010.

The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000

The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure)(Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010

The National Radiological Protection Board is a UK public body set up under the Radiological Protection Act of 1970 with the purpose of disseminating information about the protection of mankind from radiation hazards. The Board consists of a chairman and between seven and twelve other members, appointed by the Department of Health. On 1 April 2005 the NRPB became the Radiation Protection Division of the Health Protection Agency.

NRPB - Guidance Notes for dental practitioners on the safe use of x-ray equipment

The Radiation Protection Implications of the Use of Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) in Dentistry - What You Need to Know

Guidance on Safe Use of Dental Cone Beam CT (Computed Tomography) Equipment

http://www.hpa.org.uk/hpr/radiation/default.htm#crce010