Sir, we wish to inform readers of a forthcoming Department of Health funded study to investigate the possibility of retrieving the dental case records of patients affected by CJD (sporadic and variant) and to note the types of treatment undertaken. We stress that we have no reason to suspect that dental treatment is linked in any way to the development of CJD. This work is part of a process of eliminating another potential risk factor to provide a clearer understanding of how CJD develops. This project forms part of the portfolio of work being undertaken by the National CJD Surveillance Unit (NCJDSU) investigating potential risk factors for the development of CJD.

The project is a small-scale study to identify how difficult or easy it is to access the dental records from CJD patients and a control group of unaffected people, who have given consent. If the study is successful then there is a possibility that we will examine many more case records. At present we plan to look at dental records from 16 patients who have had CJD across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 32 unaffected people as controls.

The study has full ethical approval from Lothian Multi-centre Research Ethics Committee as part of the NCJDSU's ongoing case control study examining risk factors for variant and sporadic CJD.

We would welcome any comments that readers may have on this study. Please feel free to contact us at the address below.