News

Ozonex toothbrush

Charles Taylor, (above right) co- inventor of the Ozone toothbrush thanks Dr Stephen Dunne, Senior Lecturer/Consultant at King's Dental Institute, London. The toothbrush was designed in consultation with Dr Dunne leading to the award of Millennium Product status by the Design Council.

The Ozone toothbrush will be available in the UK from August.

Riding for research

Chris Pritchard (above), a young local dentist, will be cycling in a sponsored 220 mile bike ride through Jordan in November.

He has pledged to raise £2,000 for the British Lung Foundation to fund research into diseases such as chronic bronchitis, asthma, lung cancer and emphysema. Chris will be joining 30 other cyclists from all over the UK who together hope to raise over £60,000 for new research into these disabling diseases.

If you can help, please phone Chris on 0131 466 0849 or write to him c/o the Oral Surgery Dept at Edinburgh Dental Institute on Lauriston Place.

New Dencare Chair

David Phillips OBE (above) has been appointed Chairman of Dencare. He has been a non-executive Director of the Group for two years.

Specialist List opens

On 1 July the GDC opened the Specialist List in Oral Medicine bringing the number of dental specialties to ten.

The Council approved the setting up of the List after considering the recommendations of the Additional Dental Specialties Task Group at its November 1998 meeting. The entry requirements and curriculum for specialist training in Oral Medicine were approved at the Council's May 1999 meeting.

The opening of the new specialist list means that members of the public will be able to consult the list for dentists who have met the requirements necessary to be called 'Specialist in Oral Medicine'.

My…what a large shed you've got!

Above: Cumbrian dentist David Watt has built an aeroplane in his shed. The 2-seater light aircraft was constructed in about 4 months and has a range of over 4 hours, or 500 miles.

GDSC Elections

The General Dental Services Committee elections for the 2000–2003 triennium are being held this autumn.

All dentists with a health authority list number, irrespective of BDA membership, and including vocational dental practitioners and assistants, are entitled to stand for election and to vote. Both candidates and proposers, of which six are required, must be dentists who live or practise within the constituency.

Nomination forms are available from 1st September to 15th October. Voting will take place between 25th October and 22nd November and the results will be announced on 24th November.

For a list of the fifty-two constituencies, further information about the GDSC and its working methods and for nomination forms, please contact Stathis Gould at the British Dental Association, either by telephone on 0171 9350875 ext. 239 or, by e-mail - s.gould@bda-dentistry.org.uk.

What's new

Colgate does it again!

Colgate announces the launch of new Colgate Actibrush, which they claim is the first and only battery powered toothbrush with an oscillating head.

The oscillating head action is clinically proven to give a significantly better clean than an ordinary toothbrush and because it is battery powered, it is truly portable.

Colgate Actibrush has an oscillating movement, delivering a highly effective cleaning action through 4,000 oscillations per minute, a compact small round head for effectively cleaning in hard to reach areas, a long, slim neck for easy oral access, soft filaments that are gentle on the gums and replacement heads which are available in a variety of colours for family use.

The batteries are included in the price of £12.99, which Colgate claim last for up to 250 uses.

Reader response number: 051

Austenal creates an impression

Austenal have added two new patterns to their Triple Tray range which give more accurate impressions and better fitting crowns: the Extended Quadrant and the Three Quarter Arch.

Extended Quadrant Triple Trays take impressions over a larger area, from the third molar to the contra-lateral canine, recording the full anterior bite. The new Three Quarter Arch Triple Tray is perfect for premolar to premolar impressions. It has elongated, grooved walls and a palatal extension to limit impression material flowing down the throat and causing gagging.

Reader response number: 052

Hunt the sugar and amuse your little sweeties

Above: Oral B has produced a new interactive poster including a range of activity puzzles as well as a 'hidden sugar' chart showing the average number of sugar lumps contained in a range of common grocery items.

Reader response number: 053

Cover up those exposed parts!

Dentsply is pleased to announce a treatment concept designed to protect exposed dentine from mechanical abrasion and microbial attacks. In effect, it seals dentine like a pit and fissure sealant seals enamel.

Seal & Protect offers a fourfold protection for the exposed dentine:

  • It forms a strong coat that mechanically protects the dentine from abrasion and acid erosion. The proprietary nanofiller offers mechanical protection for at least 6 months

  • It contains the effective, well established antimicrobial agent Triclosan, thus inhibiting the growth of caries-associated bacteria

  • The durable polymeric coat blocks dentine tubules, making this product ideal for long-lasting hypersensitivity treatment.

  • It releases fluoride

Seal & Protect will be available in the UK from 1st September.

Reader response number: 054