DTUK1110

April 26-May 2, 2010United Kingdom Edition P eople in Scotland look- ing for information on NHS dentists can now go to a website or watch a DVD available in 17 different languages. The new multi-media NHS services guide has been launched to raise the profile of all the major services offered by NHS Scotland. The ‘How to use the health service in Scotland’ initiative comprises of a website, on- line videos and resources and a DVD, available in 17 differ- ent languages including British Sign Language, giving informa- tion about dentists, family doc- tors, opticians, pharmacists, and out of hours services. There is an introduction which contains some important general information, and a short section on how to give com- ments, whether good or bad, about services. Nicola Sturgeon, the Cabi- net Secretary for Health & Well- being said: “Our aim is to put patients at the heart of the NHS and make them partners in their own care. Initiatives like this will help us achieve this. Good patient care depends on understanding patients’ needs and effective communication is key to this.” DT A dentist who refused to give a woman gas during sur- gery still represents a risk to patients, according to the Gen- eral Dental Council. David Henthorn told the wom- an she needed to have her teeth pulled out, but refused to give her gas during the procedure, despite her asking for it. Henthorn failed to notice the patient’s ‘severe’ loss of tissue and gum disease, despite her mak- ing frequent visits to his practice in Slack’s Lane Heath, Charnock, Lancashire. The patient told the General Dental Council (GDC), that her gums became ‘baggy’ in 2001 and abscesses appeared in June 2002. In May 2007, the woman changed practices after Henthorn refused her requests for sedation. She then had to have nine teeth removed, the GDC heard. In July 2008, Henthorn was only allowed to work subject to conditions, after being criticised for ‘gross negligence’. However at a new hearing Ja- son Leitch, chairman of the GDC tribunal, said the dentist still rep- resented a risk to patients. He said: “The committee has determined that it is necessary for the protec- tion of the public and in your own interests that your conditional registration should continue.” He then re-imposed 10 condi- tions on his practice for a further year. These include informing the GDC of any professional appoint- ment, allowing it to exchange information with his employer, providing the council with con- tact details of any colleague pre- pared to take on his practice and notifying the GDC of any formal disciplinary proceedings taken against him. DT Dentist ‘still poses risk to patients’ - GDC Multi-media dentist guide How to use the health service in Scotland website B REAKTHROUGH scien- tific research has suggest- ed there could be a link between having a low number of teeth and poor memory. The study, specifically relat- ed to memory decline, examined the participant’s from a series of cognitive assessments and their ability to recall words. The results showed that peo- ple with fewer teeth scored low- er than those with more teeth in the first examination and de- clined far quicker after further testing in later years. Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, says this study adds to a growing list of evidence of the wide ranging systemic links relating to poor oral health. Dr Carter said: “Heart dis- ease, strokes, diabetes, lung disease and pre and low weight babies have all been found to be linked with poor dental health. This latest research could highlight yet another wor- rying risk factor of having poor oral health.” Participants were aged be- tween 75 and 98 years old and were mostly of a high education- al background – 85 per cent had a bachelor’s degree or greater while 88 per cent were teachers by profession. They were assessed by the Delayed Word Recall test, which involved the subjects being presented with ten words, waiting five minutes and then testing them for how many they could remember. Each participant had their score recorded in three consecu- tive years. Results showed that par- ticipants with more than ten teeth achieved an average re- call of 5.5 words at age 75, while those who had less than nine teeth only averaged three. By the age of 90 those who had more than ten teeth still aver- aged 5.5 words, however, those who had between zero and nine teeth fell dramatically and could only average a recall of less than two words. Low levels of education were also associated with missing teeth. While only 14 of the 144 participants were of a lower education, 86 per cent of these individuals had less than nine teeth, compared the 30 per cent of those with a better education. The study was conducted at the University of Kentucky in America with lead author Pam Stein and published in the Jour- nal of Dental Research. They also managed to establish a link between a low number of teeth and a per- son’s genes. It has previously been proved that gum disease is the major cause of tooth loss in adults. DT Memory decline research

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