Letters to the editor

After over 35 years as a GDP you can't help but get a little cynical, and the announcement by a government Health Secretary regarding prevention in November and the negative comments by the opposition party has a familiar ring to it. At our level, little will change. From what little information is available with the NHS 10-year plan announced this year, and outlined by the deputy CDO in December, Dentistry is not on the agenda.

Before I retire, I want to have some positive impact despite the governing body of the day. I initially made a webpage for my patients, and my hobby gradually got out of hand. The result is the teeth4life dental App. It has a scorecard and a traffic light system for early tooth loss, a score for risk of oral cancer, a video on self-monitoring, and a section for setting the appropriate monthly reminders for cancer as well as when to disclose your children's or your own teeth. It's an attempt to engage the 48% of adults who don't have a dentist but do have a phone, as the App can be easily distributed using social media on the front page.