Having qualified, and started work, you should now have an excess of income; your net pay, over expenditure.

Saleem Hasanally is in his third year post-qualification after choosing to do his vocational training over two years at Porth Dental Teaching Unit in Wales. If you're thinking DFT is the only way, read Saleem's experience of training another way.

The key to complaints handling is a flexibility of approach. The complaints handling process should adapt to the needs of a patient and not the other way round. Although there is no single way to handle a complaint, there are some key steps that should always be considered...

Clinical photography is an area within dentistry that is becoming increasingly popular amongst clinicians wanting to capture cosmetic craftsmanship to those wanting to document information to monitor dental disease such as erosion.

Associate Dentolegal Adviser Simrit Ryatt explains the help Dental Protection can offer when you receive a letter of complaint.

Associate Dentolegal Adviser Simrit Ryatt outlines the key components of a response to letter of complaint. She offers tips on the wording of your letter to maintain a professional and effective relationship with the patient making the complaint.

Receiving a letter of complaint from a patient can often come as a shock, and can be a stressful and difficult time for a dental professional.

Hannah qualified from Peninsula Dental School in 2015 and went on to complete her DF1 on the Oxford Scheme. Today she is a DCT1 in Paediatrics and Oral Surgery at Birmingham Dental Hospital, but she found the choice of applying for DCT a difficult one to make.

In addition to several references in the press to “dirty dentists” this is the month that the case of Dr D’Mello returned to the GDC. More importantly, when the case is reported in the national press it has the potential to suggest that dental surgeries may not be safe or that cross - infection standards have been disregarded. One way to avoid such suspicion is to share your infection control routines with your patients at an early stage when they first come for treatment; adopt an “open house” policy.

Learn why this raises important questions about confidentiality, and your duty of care towards other family members, in particular, children.

Surinder has worked in NHS and private practice in the UK and now practises as a general dental practitioner in Singapore. Holding a holistic view to healthcare she enjoys working with anxious patients, carrying out oral surgery and is involved with public oral health teaching.