Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

A female consultant has become the first woman to be given the job of Vice President of the Royal College of Physicians and Sur- geons of Glasgow. The institution was estab- lished more than 400 years ago in 1599 and a woman has never been given the position, until now. Dr Alyson Wray, a consultant in paediat- ric dentistry at the Royal Hospi- tal for Sick Children and Glas- gow Dental Hospital, has been awarded the prestigious title. Dr Wray said that the appointment was a “huge thing” for the organisation; she said that she has spent many years being the only woman in the room at conferences and meetings, but claimed that in recent years, thing have started to change and women are being given more opportunities. DT Consultant appointed Vice President RCPSG The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow A visit by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Dentistry al- lowed a group of MPs and Peers to see the work of a busy dental school, including its research, teaching and clinical activities. Guests were able to visit KCL- DI’s craniofacial development and stem cell research laborato- ries, tour facilities for the care of vulnerable and anxious patients, and see the state-of-the art hap- TEL technology used in teach- ing students. The visit was led by Professor Nairn Wilson, Profes- sor of Restorative Dentistry and Dean and Head of KCLDI. Parliamentarians learnt about the evolution of dental academia, including the opening of new dental schools, expan- sion of student numbers and the contribution many general den- tal practitioners are playing in educating dental students. The development of shorter courses for graduates from related dis- ciplines and the development of training for dental care profes- sionals were also highlighted. The Parliamentarians also heard from Lauren Holmes, the President of the institution’s Dental Society and a fourth-year student. She highlighted the ex- perience of dental students and stressed the importance of the reforms currently being under- taken in dentistry engaging the next generation of practitioners who will deliver care in the sys- tem that is created. DT MPs visit dental college (left to right) Professor Nairn Wilson, Baroness Masham of Ilton, Lord Colwyn, Sir Paul Beresford MP, Baroness Howe of Idlicote and Baroness Gardner of Parkes. Images courtesy of Acumen Images. D ental manufacture KaVo Group has made a lead- ership commitment to the health of the nation’s children as the newest National Children’s Oral Health Foundation: Ameri- ca’s Toothfairy (NCOHF) under- writing partner. In just five years, NCOHF affiliates have reached more than one million children with preventive, restorative, and educational oral-health services. NCOHF underwriters include leading national and interna- tional dental corporationsthat fund Foundation operating and program expenses to help ensure that 100 per cent of every addi- tional dollar donated to NCOHF provides underserved children with the care they deserve. “We are thrilled to have be- come an underwriter and advo- cate for NCOHF,” said Henk van Duijhoven, president and global group executive, KaVo Group. “The core values of the NCO- HF and the KaVo Groupare very similar. We use innovative ideas, the best team, and spirit of con- tinuous improvement to drive awareness and access to com- prehensive pediatric oral health services to eliminate this epi- demic.” “We are honored that KaVo has joined us in our mission to eliminate children’s needless suf- fering from America’s number one chronic childhood ill- ness,” said Fern Ingber, NCOHF president and CEO. “Their laud- able philanthropy makes it possi- ble for NCOHF to respond to the escalating number of children in critical need of services in 2011.” DT America’s Toothfairy R esearchers at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute have found that insuf- ficient cleaning could allow a build-up of microbes on ortho- dontic retainers. Dr Jonathan Pratten and col- leagues looked at the types of microbes which live on retainers and found that potentially patho- genic microbes were growing on at least 50 per cent of the retainers that were conducted ion the study. The results of the study, which was published in the Society for Applied Microbiology’s journal Letters in Applied Microbiology, has indicated that there is possi- bly a need for the development of improved cleaning prod- ucts for orthodontic retainers. According to reports, Dr Pratten and his team took samples from the mouths of people without retainers and those wearing ei- ther of the two most widely used types of retainers and searched for microbes which are not nor- mally found in the oral cavity. The researchers were partic- ularly interested in two species of microbes; Candida, a type of yeast, and Staphylococcus, in- cluding MRSA. The results of the study showed that species of these microorganisms were present on 66.7 per cent and 50 per cent of retainers respec- tively, regardless of the retainer type. Reports stated that these microbes were also present on the interior cheeks and tongue of retainer wearers. Living in communities, oth- erwise known as biofilms, the bacteria can be very difficult to remove, and although they pose no real threat to healthy indi- viduals, both Candida and Sta- phylococcus can be potentially dangerous to people with a low immune system. The researchers are now looking at developing effective methods of cleaning retainers; however, for the meantime it is hygiene that is the key to reduce the bacteria. DT A retainer and a whole lot of bacteria 5NewsMarch 28-April 3, 2011United Kingdom Edition