Dentist celebrates boat race win

Dr Ross Hobson, a senior lecturer and consultant in orthodontics from Newcastle upon Tyne is celebrating after having tasted victory skippering his boat in this years gruelling Round Britain and Ireland 2 Handed Yacht Race. For the yachtsman, and his co-skipper Andi Newman, the achievement is just sinking in: "We have joined an elite list of yachting greats who have won the race," he said. "The boat is in amazing condition despite the severe weather encountered and loss of the bow between Lerwick and Lowestoft." For information about the race go to www.rwyc.org

Spending review's glimmer of hope

The BDA are welcoming the foundation of a new national centre of excellence for science teaching and new funding for science research, announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR).

Dr John Renshaw, chairman of the BDA's Executive Board, said that he hoped at least some of the investment in science education will reach dental schools which find themselves in a desperate situation. Dr Renshaw also urged that the increased funding for health care, previously announced in the Chancellor's Budget, would be spent on primary care as well as the hospital sector.

It is vital, he said, that as part of this review of spending for the next three years that primary care, where most patients are treated, does not lose out to its more headline-grabbing cousin acute hospital care. The BDA, he said, will continue to urge the Government to invest in family dentists and to recognise the high quality yet under-valued work of those at the frontline of primary care delivery.

Fellowship awards

Professor Anthony Blinkhorn and Dame Margaret Seward were both recipients of an honorary fellowship for non members of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine at their 30th AGM in Southport in June.

In addition Professor Blinkhorn has just been made honorary Vice President of the Association for Coaching.

Chorley's new oral health policy

Pictured at the launch of the Oral Health Policy from left to right are John Cornah, Dr Vanita Brookes, Linda Daubney and Dr Steve Charnock.

To help raise awareness of mouth care among groups of patients with systematic illness, Chorley & South Ribble NHS Trust have launched an 'Oral Health Policy' as a resource available to all wards throughout its hospitals.

The resource was developed by Dr Steve Charnock from the Department of Special Care Dentistry of Chorley & South Ribble NHS Trust in collaboration with Dr Petrina Sweeney and Professor Jeremy Bagg from the University of Glasgow Dental School.

Elderly patients, cancer patients and HIV-infected patients are considered to be most likely to reply upon nurses for the care of their mouth, teeth and dentures. The policy outlines oral hygiene protocols and includes an illustrated book, produced by the University of Glasgow, containing full colour photographs illustrating the features of a healthy mouth and some of the more common oral disorders likely to be encountered by nurses on the wards.

A word in your ear. . .

A prototype tooth implant which picks up digital signals from radios and mobile phones has been on show at the Science Museum in London.

A vibration device and a wireless receiver are contained in the implant so that sound can be transferred from the tooth into the inner ear by bone resonance, converting digital signals to audio. It requires a surgeon's skills to implant the tiny device into a patient's tooth.

This audio tooth implant is a new concept in communication – it converts data received from a mobile telephone, radio or computer into vibrations, which resonate through the jawbone into the inner ear. Only the patient can hear the information from this implant. The tooth implant is completely hidden, and the sound you hear does not travel through the air. Useful information can be sent in secret, wherever you are and whenever you need it.

The prototype, which cannot send signals, could allow spin doctors to instruct politicians while they are interviewed or Sven-Goran Eriksson to advise players without raising his voice. A city trader, for example, can hear information on the next big deal before his competitors, even if he were having a dip in the sea at the time.

The prototype tooth implants on show at the Science Museum.

It is part of the 'Future Product' awards, a collaboration between the Science Museum and Royal College of Art, that is supported by NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts).

James Auger, from Derby, who designed the concept with the help of fellow RCA graduate Jimmy Loizeau, of Rhyl says that at the moment, no working audio tooth implant exists but the idea is based on scientific principles.

He can show with simple equipment that it is possible to listen to sound resonating through your jawbone. He believes that since we already accept built-in medical technologies like artificial joints and pacemakers, implanting commercial technology into bodies may not be far away.

The Future Product awards, including the audio tooth implant, are currently being displayed on the ground floor of the Wellcome Wing in the Science Museum.

Facing rural dentistry issues

Feelings of professional isolation and lack of accessible postgraduate training for rural areas were just a couple of the issues discussed at the recent Rural Dentists Conference. The focus of the day was quality assurance, including health and safety, risk assessment and infection control.

The Welsh Rural Postgraduate Unit (WRPU), a partnership initiative of the Institute of Rural Health (IRH) and the University of Wales College of Medicine say that they are working hard to tackle such problems affecting rural dentistry. These issues, they argue, are preventing dental surgeons pursuing posts in rural areas, particularly with the new established formal requirement for CPD.

The conference attracted high profile speakers to Mid Wales and may be extended next year following its sell out success. It was attended by more than 130 dentists and members of the dental team from all over Wales and the rural parts of England.

Our teeth need your help

Further to the recent advertisement seeking volunteers for the British Dental Association Museum published in the July edition, we would like to apologise that the contact details shown were incorrect. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at the BDA Museum please contact:

Claire Sutton on 0207 535 5839 or e-mail c.sutton@bda-dentistry.org.uk

Green tea's oral health care benefits

At the recent IADR (International and American Associations for Dental Research) conference two groups of investigators from San Diego, working separately, are reporting good news about some unexpected benefits of drinking green tea.

From the Medical College of Georgia the scientists report that the 'polyphenols' in green tea (GTP) induce programmed cell death in certain types of tumor cells, including oral carcinoma cells, while normal cells evade this killing effect with the specific induction of p57, a protein that regulates cell growth and differentiation. They are currently exploring the mechanisms whereby the GTP selectively eliminate tumor cells, while normal epithelial cells survive. The researchers used tumor cell lines that either have caspase 3, a cell death 'executor protein' or lack it. They found that GTP efficiently killed only the cells with caspase 3. They also used normal epithelial cells that either express p57 or lack it. The results showed that only normal cells expressing p57 survived, while cells without p57 were killed in the same way that cancer cells were killed.

The investigators concluded that the polyphenols in green tea are able to trigger responses for either cell survival or cell death, depending on the cell types.

The investigative team at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) compared the effects of foods such as green tea products, mint, a parsley oil product and chewing gum on the bacteria that cause bad breath. The green tea dramatically reduced the concentrations of methyl mercaptan in the subjects' mouths. Also there was a significantly higher deodorant effect from the tea than from the other products. The team concluded that green tea is a promising approach to the gentle treatment of halitosis.

Practices celebrate investors success

More practices are celebrating 'Investors in People' success. In Bedfordshire, Leagrave Dental Anaesthetic Clinic (LDAC) and its sister practice Leagrave Dental Practice were both recognised as 'Investors in People'. The LDAC is dedicated to the provision of conscious sedation to all age groups with its principal dentist Michael Wood specialising in 'special care dentistry'.

Pictured above are staff at Union Wharf Dental Practice: Dr Meetal Patel, Jane Turner, Carly Almey, Debbie Jones and Seema Patel.
Pictured above are staff from Leagrave Dental Anaesthetic Clinic and Leagrave Dental Practice both recognised as 'Investors in People'.

Union Wharf Dental Practice in Market Harborough were also recognised as an 'Investor in People'. The practice embarked on the IIP initiative last year and gained sponsorship from Leicester Business Link. Practice principle Dr Meeta Patel said that the scheme has helped the practice focus on staff training and development.

Academy's new fellow

The Academy of Medical Sciences has elected Professor Jonathan Shepherd as a Fellow of the Academy. No other dentists were honoured this year although small number of around eight dentists have been made Fellows in previous years. Professor Shepherd is head of department and professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Wales College of Medicine.

Professor Jonathan Shepherd – Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences

Tackling dental caries in US

US scientists say that de ntal caries results primarily from bacteria usually acquired from the mother's mouth through close contact early in life, especially between the age of 6–30 months.

Studies also show that if the mother has low levels of the bacteria while her baby is young, there is correspondingly little infection and subsequently little caries in the child.

Eager to find a new, preventive solution to caries in young patients health boards in Portland, Oregon and Toronto, Canada have announced the initiation of a Phase III clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a topical anti-bacterial medication, in controlling the bacteria that cause caries in young children.

This clinical trial will enroll 500 mother-child pairs. The mothers will receive a total of six topical applications of the medication over an 18 month period.

The drug is currently licensed in Canada for reduction of cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth. In a previously completed clinical trial, over a one year period the medication reduced tooth decay in high-risk adults by 24.5% on all surfaces, and by 41.5% on root surfaces.

So far, the drug has been found safe in patients of all ages.

Raj Raja Rayan Stirs 'em Up

The 2nd annual NHF Wilson lecture was given by the Dean of the Faculty of General Dental Practitioners, Mr Raj Raja Rayan OBE recently.

Mr Raj Raja Rayan OBE (left) is pictured before the lecture with Joseph Rich OBE (MANDEC Chairman), Professor N H F Wilson (President of the General Dental Council) and Professor I Benington (President of the British Dental Association).

In his speech, Mr Rayan called for better cooperation between primary care and academic institutions.

Diary

September 2002

European Association for Cranio-Maxillofacial Congress 2002 Date: 03.09.02–07.09.02 Venue: Münster, Germany Contact: Ariane Minarik, ABC Congress Service, Arberstr. 18, D-81679, München. Tel: +49 (0)189 23115015 Fax: +49 (0)189 263167 Email: ABC-Congr-Service@t-online.de

BDA/MDDUS 2002 Scottish Young Dentist Conference Date: 06.09.02–07.09.02 Venue: Dunblane Hilton Hydro Contact: Fiona Angus, Deputy Scottish Secretary, 4 Atholl Place, Perth PH1 5ND. Tel: +44 (0)1738 441 040 Fax: +44 (0)1738 441042 Email: f.angus@bda-dentistry.org.uk

British Society of Paediatric Dentistry 50th Annual Scientific Meeting Date: 11.09.02–14.09.02 Venue: University of Sheffield Contact: Dr Helen Rodd, Department of Child Dental Health, School of Clinical Dentistry, Claremont Crescent, Sheffield, S10 2TA. Tel: +44 (0)114 2717885 Fax: +44 (0)114 271 7843 Email: h.d.rodd@sheffield.ac.uk

European Festival of Oral Science Joint Meeting of the IADR Date: 25.09.02–28.09.02 Venue: Cardiff, Wales Contact: PEF Conference Secretariat, World Trade Center, Cardiff International Arena, Mary Ann Street, Cardiff, CF10 2EQ. Wales. Tel: +44 (0)2920 232322 Email: PEFOFIADR@global-meeting.co.uk Website: www.global-meeting.co.uk

October 2002

Faculty of General Dental Practitioners National Study Day Date: 18.10.02 Venue: Didsbury, Manchester Contact: Janet Bradshaw, Ian Wood's Dental Practice, 45, Northenden Road, Sale, Cheshire, M33 2DL Tel: +44 (0)161 973 6356