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For more information contact your Dealer or call SHOFU today on 01732 783580 SuperBuff Paste-impregnated felt disk for high gloss composite polishing, ideal for difficult areas Brownie & Greenie Fast results on precious metals and amalgam Super-Snap Simple, quick and reliable contouring, finishing, polishing and super-polishing of composites One Gloss Allows finishing and polishing of composite with the same instrument – just alter the contact pressure Dura-Green & Dura-White Speedy, chip-free contouring and finishing of porcelain, composites and other materials Brilliance at every turn! The SHOFU range of finishers and polishers give you the high-qulaity finish you demand for every indication - quickly and easily. Take a look at the choice! SHOFU UK Riverside House, River Lawn Road, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1EP UK Tel: 01732 783580 Fax: 01732 783581 Email: sales@shofu.co.uk Web: www.shofu.co.uk © 2006 SHOFU Dental Products Ltd. E & OE A4 - Pdf Ripper.qxd:Text pasting Document.qxd 13/04/2010 11:26 Page 1 T he first dental compari- son website, which claims to bring transparency to the private dentistry sector, has been launched. www.dentalpricecheck.com lists dental practices with their names and address. For more information, the dental practice has to submit its details which include prices for treatments that the practice offers, together with details of the dentists working there, their indemnity cover and complaints mechanisms. On the basis of this, the practice is given a star rating. The company was created as the result of a visit to the dentist by the founder Sadiq Rahman. It claims to be creating trans- parency in a sector that has been heavily criticised by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). In 2003, the OFT carried out an investigation on the private dental industry and found unfair practices by private dentists in terms of transparency and said the consumer was limited on choice and thus at a disadvantage. A spokesman for the website said: “The OFT report was pub- lished in 2003, seven years later we feel little has changed based on our own research. No real ef- fort to enact any of the recommen- dations made in the report have been followed through as much as we would like. In our opinion, today there is no visible evidence to show that anything has signifi- cantly changed. However, with the launch of dentalpricecheck.com we hope that this will be a key turning point as we are certain that our comparison service will help both the public and dentists alike raise standards in the way of transparency. dentalpricecheck. com also addresses a number of other key recommendations that were laid out in the Office of Fair Trading Report.” The website claims that dental practices will be able to adver- tise their treatments and fees for free to millions of people online and patients will be able to make bookings online. The website is also offering a free trial use of its Market In- telligence Tool which could be of use to practices especially if they are intending to set up new practices. It will be free for three months and then dentists can buy details of website hits and demographical details of the area they are investigating. DT P rof David Watts (pictured) from Manchester Univer- sity School of Dentistry has been given the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Re- search Award. The profes- sor of bioma- terials science at The Univer- sity of Man- chester School of Dentistry has been given the lifetime research achievement award, which is granted annually to academics whose research achievements involve fundamental discove- ries, new theories, or insights which have had a significant im- pact on their own discipline and who are expected to continue producing cutting-edge achieve- ments in future. It will involve Prof Watts spending a period of up to one year cooperating on a long-term research project with specialist colleagues at German research institutions, including the Uni- versities of Jena and Munich. As an award winner he will also meet the president of Germany. This is not the first inter- national accolade awarded to Prof Watts. In 2003 he was the recipient of the International Association of Dental Research (IADR’s) Distinguished Scientist Award for prestigious research in dental biomaterials. Prof Watts is head of the Ad- hesive Biomaterials and Bio- mechanics Research Group at the Dental School. Comment- ing on the award, he said: “I am thrilled to have been nomin- ated for this award and it is testament to the dental school that staff are encouraged to aim, and can achieve, excel- lence in clinical care, research and education”. Prof Iain Mackie, head of the Dental school said: “This award demonstrates the high level of research excellence we are producing at Manchester and we are delighted that Prof Watts will continue to produce outstanding work which is rec- ognised internationally.” DT A cup of tea contains fluo- ride which can help ward off tooth decay, according to a recent study. The study carried out by pub- lic health nutritionist, Dr Carrie Ruxton, and colleagues at Kings College London, looked at pub- lished studies on the health effects of tea con- sumption. She found that drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits. The study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that tea protects against plaque and decay as it contains fluoride. Tea not only rehydra- tes as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers. Experts believe flavo- noids are the key ingredient in tea that promote health. These polyphenol antioxi- dants are found in many foods and plants, including tea leaves, and have been shown to help pre- vent cell damage. They found clear evidence that drinking three to four cups of tea a day can cut the chances of having a heart attack. Dr Ruxton said: “Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water. Water is essen- tially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so it’s got two things going for it. “Also, a cup of tea contains fluoride, which is good for the teeth,” she added. DT Dental comparison website to bring ‘transparency to sector’ Prestigious award for professor Fancy a cuppa? First dental comparison website May 24-30, 2010United Kingdom Edition