Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

P roposals to introduce revalidation for dentists would be likely to in- crease paperwork, reduce the number of patients seen and add another layer of regula- tion. That’s the verdict the Brit- ish Dental Association (BDA) expressed in its response to the General Dental Council’s (GDC) consultation on revalidation for dentists. The response argues that the proposals are onerous, bureaucratic and inappropri- ate, and out of step with the GDC’s repeatedly-expressed intention to develop a system which is proportionate. Furthermore, it says that the evidence base for the propos- als is unsound and that pilots for the proposals carried out in 2009 failed to cover a repre- sentative number of practition- ers. It also calls for the pro- posals to be subjected to a full cost-benefit analysis. Dr Susie Sanderson, Chair of the BDA’s Executive Board, said: “It is important that standards for professional revalidation in dentistry are transparent, consistent, and proportionate, and offer reassurance to pa- tients. The BDA supports meas- ures that meet those criteria. We also agree with the view ex- pressed by the Working Group on Non-Medical Revalidation that the intensity and frequency of revalidation must be propor- tionate to the risks inherent in the work a practitioner is in- volved in. “The BDA supports the work of the GDC as the regulator of dentistry in the UK, but we have some serious con- cerns about the proposals put forward in this consultation and the wider context in which they have been presented. The circumstances confronting den- tistry have changed since these proposals were initially moot- ed and it would be sensible to look at them again to assess the cost of changes and the benefits they might deliver. We would welcome the opportunity to input into that process.” The BDA’s full response to the consultation can be ac- cessed at: www.bda.org/ dentists/education/revalidation. aspx. DT BDA calls for a rethink E ducation and training provider, Smile-on, is hosting this year’s Clini- cal Innovations Conference, along with the AOG, the Den- tal Directory, FGDP and the ESCD. Now in its eighth year, the Clinical Innovations Confer- ence (CIC) will be held on 6th and 7th May at the Royal Col- lege of Physicians in Regent’s Park, London. Promising to be the biggest conference yet, the CIC pro- gramme has been put together with the aim to update partici- pantsonnewtechnologies,mate- rials and techniques in dentistry. The2011conferencewillhost a line-up of highly prestigious international speakers along- side exhibitors offering the latest dental technologies from around the world. Confirmed speakers are: Nasser Barghi, Wyman Chan, Eddie Lynch, Tif Qureshi, Raj RajaRayan, Raj Rattan, Wolfgang Rich- ter, James Russell, Julian Satterthwaite, Eddie Scher, Liviu Steier, Mahesh Verma and Julian Webber. The conference holds oppor- tunities where you can: • Learn truly innovative solu- tions to achieve superior results • Gain hands-on experience in the latest techniques • Take away tips you can start putting into practice imme- diately • Question and debate all ideas • Receive your core subject ‘Medical Emergency’ certificate A spokeswoman for Smile- on said: “Together with the AOG we have brought together an impressive programme that will be both inspirational and motivating, preparing your practice for the future and en- suring that you too are at the leading edge of dentistry.” After the success of last year’s CIC, the Clinical Innovations Conference is growing and the 2011 conference is expecting delegate numbers in ex- cess of 300 highly motivated dentists who are passionate about learning. To accompany the event, Smile-on and the AOG are pleased to announce The An- nual Clinical Innovations Con- ference Charity Ball, which will be held on Friday 6th May. With more than 300 people expected this promises to be a night to remember. Traditional dress is encouraged. For more information call 020 7400 8989 or email info@ smile-on.com. DT Clinical Innovations Conference 2011 A t the start of the year Den- tal Tribune attended the launch of Wrigley’s new range of Extra ICE chewing gum, which was appropriately held at London’s Ice Bar (minus the snow but still with freezing tem- peratures!) Chilling out with a delicious lunch and ice drinks, the Wrig- ley’s presented their new range of sugar free chewing gum, Ex- tra Ice® Peppermint, Extra Ice® Spearmint and Extra Ice® White. The highlight of the launch (putting aside the Eskimo coats and gloves we had to wear to brave the -7 temperatures in the bar) was that all three of the products contained 50 per cent Xylitol, an ingredient that has been proven to prevent plaque formation. As well as the widely recog- nised benefits of sugar free gum on the production of saliva, Xylitol is an ingredient with proven den- tal benefits including preventing plaque formation, and gives it a unique role in preventive strate- gies for dental health. Adrian Toomey, Oral Care Brand Manager at The Wrigley Company said: “Chewing Extra Ice sugar free gum with Xylitol between morning and evening brushings is a great way for pa- tients to look after their teeth when they are on the go. It is proven that chewing sugar free gum like Extra Ice helps to neu- tralise plaque acids and maintain tooth mineralisation and we are very proud of our oral health- care products and their ben- efits related to maintaining good oral health.” DT Extra Ice with Xylitol A recent thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy has concluded that chil- dren and adolescents with asthma have more caries and suffer more often from gingivitis (gingival in- flammation) than people of simi- lar age without asthma. The work presented in the thesis examined children, adoles- cents and young adults in the age groups three, six, 12-16 and 18-24, with and without asthma. The first study revealed that three- year- olds who suffer from asthma have more caries than three-year-olds without asthma. The scientists have also com- pared the oral health of adoles- cents aged 12-16 years who had long-term moderate or severe asthma with that of adolescents of the same age without asthma. Ma- lin Stensson, dental hygienist and researcher at the Department of Cariology, Institute of Odontology at the Sahlgrenska Academy said: “Only 1 out of 20 in the asthma group was caries free, while 13 out of 20 were caries free in the control group. “One factor that may have in- fluenced the development of caries is somewhat lower level of saliva secretion, which was probably caused by the medication taken by those with asthma. Adolescents with asthma also suffered more often from gingivitis than those without asthma.” Theworkpresentedinthethesis also examined the oral health of young adults aged 18-24 years, with and without asthma. The results from this age group were nearly identical with those in the group of 12-16-year-olds, although the differ- ences between those with asthma and those without were not as large. Stensson points out that the numbers of participants in the studies were relatively small, and it may be difficult to gener- alise the results. What is inter- esting, however, is that young people with asthma have more caries than those without asthma. Suchresearchemphasiseshow important it is that young people with asthma receive extra den- tal care early, and that a preven- tive oral health programme be established between the health care system and the dental care system. DT Is asthma linked to caries? W hat if your tooth- paste could tell you whether you needed to leave the house carrying an um- brella? Or how hot the day was going to be? Odd as this may sound, a new product that does just this is currently being created by David Carr of MIT’s Media Lab. The prototype product, “Tastes Like Rain” is a one of a kind in- vention that uses a computer and weather information from the internet to dispense different flavours of toothpaste depending on the weather. Oneblogonthenewtoothpaste dispenser said: “The prototype is currently hooked up to a small Linux computer that pulls fore- casts, using custom software to compare previous and cur- rent temperatures and divvy up the flavours. “In this case, toothpaste is modified to dispense one of three flavours depending on the weather. If it’s mint, you know it’s colder out than yesterday. Cin- namon means it’s hotter. Blue stripes indicate precipitation.” DT Cloudy with a chance of fluoride The toothpaste dispenser delivers toothpaste according to the weather January 24-30 20114 News United Kingdom Edition