A dental expert has come up with an idea to extend the life of a tooth filling.
The researcher at the US Medical College of Georgia is hoping that a new nanotechnology technique will extend the fillings’ longevity.
Dr Franklin Tay, associate professor of endodontics in the MCG School of Dentistry, explains: ‘Dentin adhesives bond well initially, but then the hybrid layer between the adhesive and the dentin begins to break down in as little as one year. When that happens, the restoration will eventually fail and come off the tooth.’
Half of all tooth-coloured composite resin restorations fail within 10 years, and about 60% of all operative dentistry involves replacing them, according to research in the Journal of the American Dental Association.
Dr Tay aims to prevent the ageing and degradation of resin-dentin bonding by feeding minerals back into the collagen network.
With a two-year, $252,497 grant from the National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research, he will investigate guided tissue remineralisation, a new nanotechnology process of growing extremely small, mineral-rich crystals and guiding them into the demineralised gaps between collagen fibres.
His idea came from examining how crystals form in nature.
He says: ‘Eggshells and abalone [sea snail] shells are very strong and intriguing. We’re trying to mimic nature, and we’re learning a lot from observing how small animals make their shells.’
The crystals, called hydroxyapatite, bond when proteins and minerals interact. Dr Tay will use calcium phosphate, the primary component of dentin, enamel and bone, and two protein analogs also found in dentin so he can mimic nature while controlling the size of each crystal.
Dr Tay says: ‘When crystals are formed, they don’t have a definite shape, so they are easily guided into the nooks and crannies of the collagen matrix.’
In theory, the crystals should lock the minerals into the hybrid layer and prevent it from degrading. If Dr Tay’s concept of guided tissue remineralisation works, he will create a delivery system to apply the crystals to the hybrid layer after the acid-etching process.
‘Instead of dentists replacing the teeth with failed bonds, we’re hoping that using these crystals during the bond-making process will provide the strength to save the bonds,’ Dr. Tay says.
Our end goal is that this material will repair a cavity on its own so that dentists don’t have to fill the tooth.’
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Dental practices to fine patients for missed appointments^
Patients who skip dental appointments face a £1-a-minute fine slapped on them by an NHS practice.
Dental body corporate, Integrated Dental Holdings, runs four clinics across Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland and has been given the go-ahead to fine people £1-a-minute for the length of their appointment for every one they miss.
Health officials agreed the charge at a board meeting on Monday after figures revealed that almost 3,000 patients failed to turn up for a dentist appointment during a six-month period — costing the NHS £54,890.
• The Conservative Party published plans to introduce patient fines in England earlier this year in its proposals to shake-up NHS dentistry.
And last autumn, the Liberal Democrats announced that they would consider slapping a £10 penalty charge on patients missing their dental appointments.
Norman Lamb, the party’s shadow health secretary, said that the ‘persistent’ failure of a minority of people to attend appointments was a form of ‘irresponsible behaviour that needs tackling’ in the health service.
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Can you win this? Yes you can!^
The Preventive Practice of the Year Award 2009, in partnership with Oral-B, is designed to recognise the UK practice with the strongest, best established and well though out preventive ethos, whether it be NHS, private or mixed. As a team, you will successfully communicate the oral health message to your patients, you will work together to raise oral health standards and you will regard prevention as your number one priority above all else.
Who will be judging?
An independent panel of judges including members of the Preventive Dentistry editorial board will compile a shortlist of four finalists from all entries received, and the final say will rest with them.
How do I enter?
To enter, submit your details and 500 words explaining why your practice deserves to win. You may submit as much material as you wish to support your claims such as photographs (please send hard copies as well as electronic), patient testimonials or PR.
The more effort you make to present clear reasons why you should win, the more impressed the judges will be. The cost for entering the competition is £15 per practice.
If you would like to pre-register, please email your details to [email protected].
Is there a prize?
If you are lucky enough to win, you will be exposed as an example of excellence to dental practitioners up and down the country. You will also win £500 for your practice to spend as you wish. Perhaps you could use it for a sophisticated team night out, or that new piece of equipment you’ve had your eye on.
This Award will help you get your practice the recognition it deserves.
What is the deadline?
All entries must be received by 30 October 2009. Enter now…
Thanks to our sponsor
Finally, a special ‘thank you’ must go to our official partners, Oral-B, without whom this Award would not be possible.
^1251158400^2079^Can you win this? Yes you can!^The Preventive Practice of the Year Award 2009, in partnership with Oral-B, is designed to recognise the UK practice with the strongest, bes…^http://dev.dentistry.co.uk/sites/all/themes/dentistry/images/news_images/preventiveaward.png
Devon dental practice is cream of the crop^
Devon dental practice ‘committed to providing patients with quality gentle dentistry’ has been rewarded by the British Dental Association (BDA).
Trinity Dental Centre in Barnstaple, Devon, was accredited as a British Dental Association Good Practice and has joined its Good Practice Scheme.
As a member of the BDA’s Good Practice Scheme, each member of the practice team has signed up to the following 10-point commitment.
1. Providing a quality service
2. Meeting your needs
3. Making sure treatment is comfortable and as convenient as possible
4. Looking after your general health whilst receiving dental care
5. Following BDA guidelines on infection control
6. Checking for mouth cancer
7. Taking part in continual professional development
8. Training our team in work systems and reviewing training plans yearly
9. Welcoming feedback and dealing promptly with complaints
10. Working safely under General Dental Council guidelines.
For the last 12 months, the team at Trinity Dental Centre has been working to comply with 102 requirements of the BDA scheme.
Practice manager Julie Winfield said: ‘It has been hard work, but everyone has found
it worthwhile and we really do feel that we have improved our service to patients.’
Practice owner Donna Hill said: ‘We are committed to providing our patients with quality gentle dentistry and a kind and understanding way, and I am delighted that we have now been recognised by the British Dental Association as achieving this. Our commitment is ongoing and we will continually strive to ensure this in the dental care that we provide.’
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Obituary for Dennis Carroll ^
Dennis Carroll, 25 May 1946-10 June 2009
Dennis Carroll first burst into my life in the late 1980s when he joined the executive and finance committee of the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF), of which I was also a member.
His enthusiasm and dedication was infectious, and over the next few years he took the lead in developing the educational resource sales and leaflet range of the Foundation, bringing his knowledge of sales to the dental profession as dental manager of 3M dental to the table.
Never one to do things by halves, when Dennis felt that commitments to the British Dental Trade Association (BDTA) as a council member would detract from his work with the Foundation, he left the Foundation committees in 1993, but always remained a staunch advocate and a great supporter.
His legendary energy and enthusiasm was given for many years to the BDTA where he rapidly attained high office and was elected president in 1994. Here, he rejuvenated and reshaped the organisation, making it more inclusive and responsive and, by exerting his personal charm and magnetism, increased the membership during his presidency.
Breaking with tradition and unwilling to lose his talents, the BDTA members voted to extend his presidency for a further year and he continued to serve continuously on BDTA Council until 2004 when he retired from the dental industry. On his retirement he was elected to the BDTA roll of honour, an award reserved for very few exceptional people and a distinction of which he was very proud.
Not content with his great impact within the UK dental industry, Dennis also served as the representative of the BDTA in Europe on both FIDE and ADE where his charm and enthusiasm endeared him to colleagues from across Europe. Although he spoke no other languages, he was always able to communicate with his colleagues using his measured and clear approach.
Dennis was instrumental in developing the collection and distribution of dental market data across Europe, no mean feat when this involved sharing sensitive commercial information. He continued to fulfill this role after his retirement and it was at a press conference to launch the latest set of data in Cologne in March that I last saw Dennis. His performance as always was accomplished and entirely without notes.
Dennis was persuaded to rejoin the Trustee Board of the BDHF in 1998 and continued to provide his wise counsel until his untimely demise. He was instrumental in helping to guide the transition from a hands-on Board of Trustee to a true Governance body. He was elected president in 2006 in which role he served for two years. His passion for dentistry and for the Foundation was obvious to all who met him.
Dennis’ impact at the Foundation in his years as a trustee cannot be overstated. He was energetic and focused throughout the most recent years of the growth of the foundation and many people will recall his impassioned speeches at the launches of both National Smile Month and Mouth Cancer Awareness campaigns at the House of Commons.
Few could match Dennis’s commitment to the cause and he was a regular visitor to the Foundation’s head offices in Rugby. A telephone call would often be Dennis enquiring after the health of a staff member or simply thanking staff for their efforts. Dennis’s aversion to email was legendary – so there was a steady stream of printed emails being sent to his home by post.
As an active member of the Foundation Trustee board, Dennis fought for the best interests of oral health promotion and was a passionate advocate for the Foundation at any event he attended.
In his private life he had a passion for wildlife photography, the countryside and birds. He would often arrive at Board meetings with pictures from his most recent wildlife photography trip, most notably to India to photograph wild tigers. He fulfilled a lifetime ambition of moving to Scotland where he could indulge this love of nature and could be seen binoculars in one hand and glass of red wine in the other observing the wildlife in his surroundings.
Unfortunately this sojourn in Scotland was to be short lived and Dennis was taken ill and rushed to hospital in April. Whilst he fought bravely to recover, this was not to be.
Dennis will be missed not only for his sense of humour, his wry smile and his passion for a cause, but also for the loyalty he repeatedly demonstrated to any cause or individual in which he had faith and belief.
Our sympathy goes to his partner Kath, who he always referred to as his ‘young lady’, his children Nicky and Paul and his grandchildren.
Dennis will be missed by many, but I for one have lost a valued colleague, mentor and friend.
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NHS registration figures are up, but varied^
Figures show that the number of people registered with an NHS dentist has risen 14% in a year.
However, wide variations persist across Scotland where more than 3.3 million people in Scotland had an NHS dentist, up from 2.9 million a year ago, by the end of March.
The statistics revealed that levels of registration varied around the country, with rates for adults, in some areas, dropping as low as 35%.
Published by ISD Scotland, the figures showed that 61% of adults and 80% of children were registered with a dentist at the end of March – compared with 53% and 74% a year ago.
But rates vary across the country, with a low of 54% for children in the Western Isles and a high of 90% in Greater Glasgow and Clyde. For adults, the percentage registered with an NHS dentist ranged from 35% in Grampian to a high of 75% in Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Opposition parties said parents faced a ‘postcode lottery’ when trying to secure an NHS dentist for their children. Six health boards have yet to meet a national target for 2010-11 of 80% of three-five-year-olds registering with an NHS dentist.
Almost £222 million was spent on NHS dental care in 2008-9 – up 10.2% on the previous year. The average cost of treating a child increased from £54 to £60, while the cost for an adult went up from £35 to £39.
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Dental team to log training at the click of a mouse^
Dental professionals will be able to track and submit continuing professional development (CPD) returns online for the first time next month.
Around 47,000 dental care professionals need to provide an annual declaration of continuing professional development (CPD) hours this summer – and a new section of the eGDC website aims to help.
All dental care professionals who registered before 30 July 2008 – and paid the annual retention fee by 31 July this year – will receive their Annual Practicing Certificate and a letter with instructions on how they can log on to the eGDC website to fill in their annual CPD hours electronically.
DCPs will also still be able to submit a return form which will be sent out with the letter this August.
A telephone helpline and email advice service will go live in August to help with any questions registrants may have in filling out their paper forms or hours online.
The new online facility will allow professionals to track and record CPD hours over their five-year cycle at the click of a mouse.
If they have previously submitted paper forms, they will be able to edit and add hours from their current five-year cycle online. Once they’ve entered their hours for this year, the site will tell them how many hours they have left to do.
The deadline for professionals to submit their hours is the end of September.
GDC Registration Development Manager Sarah Arnold said: ‘Lots of registrants tell us that the eGDC website is very user-friendly. As well as submitting your CPD returns you can also check and update your contact details that appear on the Register, pay your annual retention fee by credit or debit card, set up a direct debit and access your annual practising certificate.’
Professionals can contact the GDC by emailing [email protected] or calling the customer advice and information team on +44 (0) 845 222 414.
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Shoppers bag a dentist at supermarket ^
Shoppers at a supermarket can bag a place at an NHS dentist this week.
Staff from the Tewkesbury House Dental Practice still have 10,000 places to fill – and this week they are heading to the Sainsbury’s store in Gloucester to get shoppers to sign up.
With most NHS dentists in the county full to capacity, practice manager Julie King said it was a great opportunity for people without a dentist to get access to treatment.
She said: ‘We want to talk to anyone who is looking for an NHS dentist. We are taking patients from across the county. There are 10,000 spaces left because people just don’t realise we are here.’
The practice has been open for just over six months but is only running at a third of its full capacity.
Dental staff will be in the foyer of Sainsbury’s today and tomorrow (Thursday 16 and Friday 17 July from 10am until 4pm).
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Report recommends canning Dental Treatment Benefits Scheme^^1247788800^2089^Report recommends canning Dental Tr…^^http://dev.dentistry.co.uk/sites/all/themes/dentistry/images/news_images/patient-in-pain.jpg
She shall go the ball!^
Elizabeth Summan from Edgbaston Dental Centre registered for tickets to BDTA Dental Showcase 2009 and was selected as the winner of 10 complimentary Bridge2Aid Charity Ball tickets.
Out of the thousands of people that have registered for tickets to this year’s BDTA Dental Showcase so far, Elizabeth Summan was picked at random and won 10 tickets for herself and members of the dental practice in which she works.
Liz Jennings, business manager at the Edgbaston Dental Centre said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to have won tickets to such a worthwhile event and our thanks go to the BDTA. I am sure the evening will be a great fundraising event and that we will all enjoy every moment of it.’
The Ball is taking place on the evening of Friday 13 November 2009 during the BDTA Dental Showcase event at the Hilton Metropole, within the grounds of the NEC, Birmingham and is sure to attract hundreds of people from the dental world.
The event is sponsored by Henry Schein, FMC and Dentsply and has been designed to raise money for Bridge2Aid, the charity running Hope Dental Centre, which is a training and community development programme in Mwanza, Tanzania.
If you would like to find out more information about the ball or book tickets, please visit: /charityball.
BDTA Dental Showcase 2009 takes place 12-14 November 2009 at NEC Birmingham. To register in advance for your complimentary ticket, visit www.dentalshowcase.com/visit, call the registration hotline on +44 (0) 1494 729959 or text your name, address, occupation and GDC number to 07786 206 276. Advance registration closes 6 November 2009. On-the-day registration: £10 per person.
^1247702400^2086^She shall go the ball!^Elizabeth Summan from Edgbaston Dental Centre registered for tickets to BDTA Dental Showcase 2009 and was selected as the winner of 10 compl…^http://dev.dentistry.co.uk/sites/all/themes/dentistry/images/news_images/B2A-Ball-logo.png
Dentistry graduates – best record for getting jobs^
Graduate unemployment may have reached a 10-year high but vocational courses – including dentistry – have the best record for getting their graduates into employment with a 99.5% success rate.
Almost one in ten are now not in jobs or further study six months after finishing university.
The recent figures on the destinations of last year’s graduates are the first evidence of the long-term impact of the recession upon university leavers.
Graduates from 86% of institutions in England found it harder to get jobs in 2008 than those who finished university in 2007.
Only 18 of 125 English universities improved their graduate employment rate — including Birmingham, Cumbria and University of the Arts London.
Sally Hunt, UCU general secretary of the University and Colleges Union, said that the figures, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, were ‘grim reading’ for the higher education sector.
The figures show that 9% of graduates in 2007-08 were without work and not on a course half a year after completing their first degree. This was a 2.8% rise on the previous year.
The graduates covered by the research began looking for employment just as jobs began to be shed at City firms and large banks. They were also the first to be hunting for a job during a downturn in numbers of graduate traineeships — which had previously been in abundance.
The study comes as prospects for this year’s finalists look bleak with 80,000 fewer vacancies for graduate-level jobs.
Vice-chancellors warned that the figures showed it was important that graduates had good quality degrees if they wanted to progress to graduate-level jobs.
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Mouth bacteria study aims to protect unborn babies^
A scientist is investigating how to halt common bacterium in a pregnant mother’s mouth which can prove deadly when it reaches an unborn child.
Yiping Han, associate professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine in the US, aims to understand how to build roadblocks for a common bacterium that’s harmless in a mother’s mouth but can become harmful when it reaches the baby.
She has received a five-year, $1.85 million grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) at the National Institutes of Health to fund the effort.
This is the professor’s second NIDCR RO1 award. She’s published more than 10 papers from previous research related to the bacterium, Fusobacterium nucleatum, that creates havoc once it leaves the mouth and enters the blood stream.
She has discovered an adhesin protein molecule, called FadA, in the genes of F. nucleatum. This adhesin, or binding agent, on the bacteria allows them to connect with receptors on epithelial cells in the mouth and later the endothelial cells of the placenta.
In tests, bacteria without FadA had less binding capability compared to those with the adhesin, Han and a team of researchers report on this finding in the July issue of the journal Infection and Immunity.
Professor Han says: ‘We want to block the bacteria before it can do any damage. It’s an upstream approach to go back to where the whole process begins and stop it from starting its destruction.’
Once it leaves the mouth, the invasion of the bacteria through the placenta allows the bacteria to multiple rapidly in the immune-free environment that protects the foetus from being rejected by the mother’s body.
The rapid bacterial growth causes the placenta to become inflamed. In turn, the inflammation can trigger pre-term birth and foetal death.
According to Professor Han, this research into the mechanisms of bacterial transport not only has potential to prevent pre-term and stillborn births, it may have implications in preventing periodontal disease.
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e-Den project blossoms for dental learning^
The national e-learning initiative encompassing dentistry’s foundation years’ curriculum – e–Den – is in its pilot phase and will be launched at The Royal College of Pathologists, London, on 15 October 2009.
The e-Den project is the first major collaboration between the four dental faculties of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow and the Department of Health.
It is one of several programmes in different specialties that are being developed as part of the
Department of Health’s e-Learning for Healthcare (e-LfH) initiative.
Registration for the launch is at 9.30am and the day will begin with a welcome from the chief dental officer for England Barry Cockcroft.
Presentations for the day will include an introduction to the programme itself from the e-Den clinical lead, Paul Brunton, a view from a trainee’s perspective and live demonstrations of
e-learning sessions.
The launch will conclude with closing comments from the DoH e-LfH National Director, Julia Moore.
The e-Den project will be available nationwide and free of charge to all NHS trainees and all relevant staff with an NHS contract, and will offer educational support for the two years after graduation.
e-Den aims to be a useful tool for deaneries and VT/GPT schemes to use as part of supporting
postgraduate training for dentistry and promoting a consistent standard of
knowledge, skills and expertise across the country.
if you would like to attend the launch, contact the e-Den project at [email protected] or call 020 7869 6815/6814.
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Aloe to healthy teeth and gums^
Aloe vera tooth gel is as effective as toothpaste to fight cavities, according to the May/June 2009 issue of General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry’s (AGD) clinical, peer-reviewed journal.
Aloe vera tooth gel is intended to perform the same function as toothpaste, eliminating pathogenic oral microflora in the mouth. The ability of aloe vera tooth gel to perform that function successfully has been a point of contention for some dental professionals. However, research presented in General Dentistry may alleviate that concern.
The study compared the germ-fighting ability of an aloe vera tooth gel with two commercially popular toothpastes and revealed that the aloe vera tooth gel was just as effective, and in some cases more effective, than the commercial brands at controlling cavity-causing organisms.
Aloe latex contains anthraquinones, which are chemical compounds that are used in healing and arresting pain because they are anti-inflammatory in nature. But, because aloe vera tooth gel tends to be less harsh on teeth, as it does not contain the abrasive elements typically found in commercial toothpaste, it is a great alternative for people with sensitive teeth or gums.
However, buyers must beware. Not all aloe vera tooth gel contains the proper form of aloe vera. Products must contain the stabilised gel that is located in the centre of the aloe vera plant in order to be effective. Products must also adhere to certain manufacturing standards.
Dilip George MDS, co-author of the study, explains that aloe ‘must not be treated with excessive heat or filtered during the manufacturing process, as this destroys or reduces the effects of certain essential compounds, such as enzymes and polysaccharides’.
Dr George suggests that consumers consult non-profit associations such as the International Aloe Science Council to see what products have received the organisation’s seal of quality.
Although there are more than 300 species of the plant, only a few have been used for medicinal purposes.
‘Thankfully, consumers with sensitive teeth or gums have a number of choices when it comes to their oral health, and aloe vera is one of them,’ says AGD spokesperson Eric Shapria. ‘If they are interested in a more alternative approach to oral hygiene, they should speak with their dentist to ensure that it meets the standards of organised dentistry, too.’
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Dental decay detector secures UK distribution deal ^
A dental technology firm has signed a £4million distribution contract with a national supply company.
CarieScan, the Dundee-based producer of hand-held devices for the early detection of tooth decay and a subsidiary of 3D Diagnostic Imaging, has struck the UK distribution deal with Clark Dental.
The agreement will see the marketing and distribution company promote the CarieScan PRO tooth decay detection system
