DTUK1610

Published by Dental Tribune UK Ltd © 2010, Dental Tribune UK Ltd. All rights reserved. Dental Tribune UK Ltd makes every effort to report clinical information and manufacturer’s product news accurately, but cannot assume responsibility for the validity of product claims, or for typographical errors. The publishers also do not assume responsibility for product names or claims, or statements made by advertisers. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and may not reflect those of Dental Tribune International. Managing Director Mash Seriki Mash@dentaltribuneuk.com Director Noam Tamir Noam@dentaltribuneuk.com Editor Lisa Townshend Tel: 020 7400 8979 Lisa@dentaltribuneuk.com Features Editor Ellie Pratt Ellie.pratt@ dentaltribuneuk.com Advertising Director Joe Aspis Tel: 020 7400 8969 Joe@dentaltribuneuk.com Sales Executive Sam Volk Tel: 020 7400 8964 Sam.volk@ dentaltribuneuk.com Marketing Manager Laura McKenzie Laura@dentaltribuneuk.com Design & Production Keem Chung Keem@dentaltribuneuk.com Dental Tribune UK Ltd 4th Floor, Treasure House, 19–21 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8BA UNITED KINGDOM & THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND DENTAL ELECTRONICS IT systems Networking Digital Imaging Support & Maintenance Facial Rejuvenation Technology Audio Visual Equipment Telephony 0845 094 1090 www.microminder.com Getting IT right for the future Microminder_Ad_60_265_may09_v4.qxd 20/5/09 18:28 Page 1 D ental surgeries, schools and even zoos have been taking part in this year’s National Smile Month. The campaign, which is run by the British Dental Health Founda- tion, has the slogan ‘Teeth4Life’, highlighting the importance of looking after teeth and maintain- ing them for life. Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the Foundation, said: “A good oral healthcare routine can help guard against all sorts of oral and general health conditions from bad breath and decay to gum dis- ease, which has been linked to a number of more serious health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and strokes. “By promoting good oral healthcare in a fun and imagi- native way we hope to persuade more people of the importance of taking care of their teeth.” Even zoos have been taking part. Animals at Dudley Zoo re- ceiving check ups as part of Na- tional Smile Month included rein- deer, tapir, babirusa, alpaca and chimps, lemurs, orangutans and crocodiles. In Leicester, Smile Essential put on a series of events including special treats for children with free giveaways and balloons while all adults were invited to enter its fun- draising prize draw to win a home tooth whitening package worth £399 for £1. Patients were also given the opportunity to sample some of the latest oral health products com- pletely free of charge. Outside of the practice, the team hosted events at local schools to help pro- mote the importance of healthy teeth and healthy eating. Practice principal, Lina Ko- techa said: “We were delighted to get involved in National Smile Month and to give a little bit back to the residents of Leicester. Good oral health is very important and we are always looking for ways to help improve the dental health of our patients.” In Devon, hygienist Corinne McElligott from the Spicer Road Dental Practice, has been visiting schools with her cuddly puppet, Roo the Kangaroo. She uses Roo to teach children how to look af- ter their teeth. Ms McElligott organised brushathons at two schools and had 300 children brushing their teeth for two minutes. She said: “It’s all about getting young children to participate and introduce them to dentistry in a friendly way. The brushathons were a great chance for the chil- dren to have fun with brushing while learning some important lessons. Hopefully it will get them talking about their teeth.” Another original event took place in Manchester, where Tip- ton Training Dental School cre- ated a competition on Facebook to find the best smile. Similarly, a London clinic has been running a competition with a prize of a makeover for the winner’s teeth. Contestants had to send in a picture of their smile to make the judges laugh. Odiham Dental Care in Hook in Hampshire offered a ‘New for Old’ trade in on your toothbrush. Patients were asked to take along their old toothbush to the surgery and pick up a brand new Oral-B CrossAction tooth- brush or receive 25 per cent off a new Oral-B Professional Care 550 electric toothbrush. Along- side this they also held a ‘Name the Celebrity Smile Competition’, The surgery is offering a brand new IPod Nano for the first cor- rect entry to be drawn after the closing date on 16 June. Meanwhile over in Redditch, YMCA and Sure Start Children’s Centres have been getting in- volved. Staff have been showing youngsters how to clean their teeth properly and have put on fun activities to emphasise the importance of good oral hygiene. Anne Parker, children’s sup- port worker at Maple Trees Chil- dren’s Centre said: “The children have really enjoyed learning how to use a toothbrush properly as they have practised on a set of large teeth. We have also had a larger range of healthy snacks at break times to introduce the children to more foods which are less harmful to their teeth.” In Bolton, Cahill Dental Care had a stand at Bolton’s Market Hall offering people free dental advice. As well as offering the people of Bolton an opportunity to dis- cuss dental procedures such as implants and invisalign, there was also a competition to win a free course of tooth whitening. DT Events staged for NSM A dentist has been suspend- ed after she was charged with stealing £1m from the NHS. Dr Joyce Trail, who has run a dental practice in Handsworth for the last 12 years, has been ac- cused of submitting up to 5,000 bogus patient invoices between 2006 and 2009 and has been sus- pended from her practice in the West Midlands. She is charged with one count of obtaining a false money transfer by deception and three counts of fraud. Dr Trail has de- nied any wrongdoing. In 2008, she opened the city’s first medical spa next door to her practice, offering everything from Botox to ‘smile makeovers’. She was suspended follow- ing a lengthy investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Team and West Midlands Police, which led to her arrest. DT Dentist charged with £1m fraud June 14-20, 2010United Kingdom Edition