BDTA welcomes GDC warnings on updating equipment

The British Dental Trade Association (BDTA) has welcomed the General Dental Council's (GDC's) efforts to alert dentists of the need to keep surgery equipment up to date.

In recent weeks, the GDC has been raising awareness of the need to ensure regulatory requirements are being upheld after several disciplinary issues regarding the failure to conduct and properly document the maintenance of equipment.

These include instances of gloves and impression trays being re-used or not used at all, the absence of required instruments such as defibrillators and a lack of inspections taking place on X-ray units.

Responding to this, the BDTA noted the importance of ensuring that dentists maintain their equipment properly and hire specially-trained engineers to conduct repairs.

Tony Reed, executive director for the organisation, said: "It is important to use companies who can provide the right level of service to minimise surgery downtime and who have the backing of manufacturers so they can obtain spare parts."

Earlier this year, the BDTA launched a new marketing campaign to raise awareness of the need to comply with its code of practice, which includes guidelines on how to avoid downtime and guarantee a high quality of care.