Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

Published by Dental Tribune UK Ltd © 2011, 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. Editor Lisa Townshend Tel: 020 7400 8979 Lisa@dentaltribuneuk.com Advertising Director Joe Aspis Tel: 020 7400 8969 Joe@dentaltribuneuk.com Sales Executive Joe Ackah Tel: 020 7400 8964 Joe.ackah@ dentaltribuneuk.com Editorial Assistant Laura Hatton Laura.hatton@dentaltrib- uneuk.com Design & Production Ellen Sawle ellen@dentaltribuneuk.com Dental Tribune UK Ltd 4th Floor, Treasure House, 19–21 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8BA A recent study has revealed some of the bacteria found on orthodontic re- tainers, worn after orthodontic treatment is completed, can be associated with the hospital su- perbug MRSA, a condition which can lead to blood poisoning. The research, carried out by the UCL Eastman Dental Institute in London, also found a further two thirds of retainers examined contained a type of yeast con- nected with fungal infections, with both types of organism found po- tentially harmful to the population. According to the British Or- thodontic Society, nearly one million people in the UK be- gan orthodontic treatment last year, and with more adults than ever before wanting treatment, Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Ni- gel Carter, took the opportunity to encourage those who wear remov- able braces or retainers to develop high standards of oral hygiene. Dr Carter said: “If you wear a removable appliance, it’s impor- tant you take the time and effort needed to keep your teeth and braces clean. If you have good oral hygiene while wearing a brace, this will help avoid developing problems such as dental decay, gum disease and tooth decalcifi- cation, and can often be the differ- ence between a successful course of treatment or otherwise. Remov- able appliances should be cleaned with a brush soak brush method of cleaning using an effervescent denture cleaner to help remove the bacteria and other organisms from the surface of the appliance. Simple things such as washing your hands before touching any- thing that can come into contact with your mouth can go a long way to reduce the risk of infection.” Living with a brace can, at first, al- ter the foods consumed. The Foun- dation’s own ‘Tell Me About’ leaf- let range has a title devoted to the topic called ‘Living With My Brace’, which gives all the relevant infor- mation about a fixed or removable brace. The title, and many more, are also available online. Sim- ply visit www.dentalhealth.org/ tellmeabout to find out more. DT MRSA discovered on braces T he British Dental Asso- ciation (BDA) is calling on the profession to join in the government’s Red Tape Chal- lenge by drawing attention to the myriad rules and regulations that distract them from provid- ing patient care. An example is the disproportionate and dupli- cative regulation requirements now imposed by the Care Qual- ity Commission, but there are many more. The BDA welcomes this initia- tive, which government ministers say not only offers the public an opportunity to say what they re- ally think of unnecessary regula- tion, but also commits them to repealing legalisation that cannot be justified. In a new pledge to get rid of unnecessary red tape, government departments will have to justify every single set of the 21,000 statu- tory rules and regulations in force today. Taxation, national security, and EU laws, are the only areas exempt from this scrutiny which will take place over the next two years. The exercise will apply to legislation in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, where the government has jurisdiction. Commenting on the Red Tape Challenge, Dr Susie Sanderson, Chair of the British Dental Asso- ciation’s Executive Board, said: “This initiative chimes in well with the BDA’s long running cam- paign against red-tape in dental practice. Specifically, we will be asking members to suggest ex- empting dental providers from regulation by the Care Quality Commission and from licensing by the new healthcare economic regulator, Monitor. “Our members have also told us that they are fed up with the ever burgeoning, and costly leg- islation that falls into the realm of ‘law box-ticking’, rather than an evidence base for the need for compliance by dental practices. “It’s vital though that this red-tape initiative is not just win- dow dressing and that we see some real reduction in the unnec- essary and unjustified regulatory burden that hampers dentistry.” DT Responding to the Red-Tape Challenge R esearchers from Bos- ton University have found that the majority of individuals with substance dependence problems report having poor oral health. The researchers also found that over the period of a year opioid users in particular showed a decline in oral health. The find- ings appear online in the Jour- nal of Substance Abuse Treat- ment. According to reports, pub- lic health, dental medicine and internal medicine faculty from Boston University investigated the effects of different sub- stances on oral health among a sample of substance-dependent individuals. Alcohol, stimulant, opioid and marijuana users were included. The subjects were asked to self-report their oral health status on a five- point scale ranging from poor to excellent. Statistical analysis of the pa- tients’ reports found no signifi- cant associations between the types of substances used and oral health status. The results did show, however, that 60 per cent of all subjects reported fair or poor oral health. Opioid us- ers in the sample also exhibited worse oral health compared to one year ago. “We found that the major- ity of our sample reported fair or poor oral health,” said Me- redith D’Amore, MPH, a re- searcher in the Health/care Disparities Research Program at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medi- cal Center. “Thus, oral health should be considered a sig- nificant health problem among individuals with substance de- pendence and providers should be aware of potential oral health issues.” The researchers hope that their findings prompt more oral health interventions targeted to- ward indviduals with substance dependence in the future. They also suggest that engaging ad- dicts in medical care discussions may be facilitated by addressing oral health concerns. DT Substance-dependent individuals report poor oral health Substance-dependent individuals report poor oral health I t has been reported in a local newspaper that a dentist who defrauded the NHS in order to treat deprived patients has been suspended for two years and handed a 12-month jail term. It was reported that Bris- tol Crown Court heard that Dr Jonathan Hunt had a £323,000- a- year contract to provide NHS dental work at his practice in Stapleton Road, Easton; however, he claimed £77,800 to continue treating his patients. The court heard that Hunt used the money to keep his Sta- pleton Road practice afloat in order to treat people in need throughout the area, including drug addicts and an increasing number of immigrants with poor dental health. The fraud was uncovered as a result of an investigation mount- ed by NHS Dental Services. Hunt, 53, admitted seven charges of false accounting between March 2005 and October 2007. The court heard Hunt has been suspended from his job, sold his practices in Easton and North Street, Bedminster, and paid all thefraudulently claimed money back. According to reports, Judge Carol Hagen told him: “There was noelement of personal gain whatsoever. On the contrary, you subsidised staff salaries from your own salary.” “You provided treatment to a large number of patients under the NHS, at the highest standard, for many, many years. Up until the changes in remuneration in April, 2006, the StapletonRoad practice was flourishing. But the effect of those changes, com- bined with difficulties in provid- ing theservice you previously provided, led to the situation be- ing untenable.” DT Dentist defrauded NHS April 25-May 1, 20112 News United Kingdom Edition