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. Group Editor Lisa Townshend Tel: 020 7400 8979 Lisa@dentaltrib- uneuk.com Editorial Assistant Laura Hatton Laura..hatton@dentalt- ribuneuk.com Advertising Director Joe Aspis Tel: 020 7400 8969 Joe@dentaltribuneuk. com Sales Executive Sam Volk Tel: 020 7400 8964 Sam.volk@dentaltrib- uneuk.com Design & Production Ellen Sawle Ellen@dentaltrib- uneuk.com Dental Tribune UK Ltd 4th Floor, Treasure House, 19–21 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8BA H ave you got what it takes to help make decisions about whether a doc- tor is fit to treat patients? That is the question being asked by the General Medical Council which has embarked on a major recruit- ment campaign to find medical and non-medical panellists who will sit in judgement at its fitness to practise hearings. It is the first campaign for new panellists in five years. The panellists have a vital role in protecting patients and making sure proper standards of conduct and behaviour are maintained within the profession. They have to make independent decisions in cases where the doctor faces se- rious allegations which could af- fect their registration as a doctor. The panellists hear evidence, de- cide whether the allegations are proved, whether the doctors’ fit- ness to practise is impaired, and if so what action is required. There are normally three pan- ellists for each hearing and each panel must include at least one doctor and one non-medical per- son. Panellists come from a wide range of different professions and backgrounds, including teaching, architecture and the civil serv- ice. The GMC wants applications from candidates who are inter- ested in this area of its work and in ensuring a fair and transparent process. Panellists must have the intellectual and analytical ability to make sound judgements and they need to be open-minded and objective. Doctors and members of the public who are women, or who have black and minority ethnic backgrounds, are particularly encouraged to apply, as the GMC wishes to maintain the diversity within the pool of panellists so that it is as representative as pos- sible, both of the medical profes- sion and society in general. As most hearings take place in Manchester, the GMC is keen to hear from candidates who live within commutable distance of Manchester, although the GMC also wants to hear from suitably qualified candidates who live throughout the UK. The new panellists are being recruit- ed to replace those whose terms of office are due to expire next year. Niall Dickson, the Chief Executive of the General Medi- cal Council, said: “The work of both medical and lay panellists is crucial in maintaining public confidence in the profession. They are expected to make chal- lenging and complex decisions which protect patients and maintain proper standards of behaviour in the medical pro- fession. We need individuals of the highest calibre to apply, and for the successful candidates we will provide thorough training to make sure that they fully un- derstand their role and responsi- bilities” The GMC is holding a series of sessions where those consid- ering applying can learn more about the role of panellists and the work of the GMC. Candidates interested in attending one of the sessions should contact panelap- plications@gmc-uk.org for fur- ther details. Although in formal terms these are not public appoint- ments, the recruitment process will be carried out in line with the guidance issued by the Office of the Public Appointments Com- missioner and an independent assessor will monitor the process to ensure consistency and that it is accessible and fair for everyone who applies. The closing date for applica- tions is 19 June 2011. Candidates can obtain further information about the posts and apply online at https://jobs.gmc-uk.org. DT GMC looks for new panellists to make decisions on doctors’ fitness to practise T he British Dental Health Foundation has given its full backing to the In- fant and Toddler Forum to help achieve a major improvement in the dental health of children un- der the age of five. Previous research shows that around one third of children un- der the age of five in the UK con- tinue to suffer from dental decay and the BDHF is now working closely with the Infant and Tod- dler Forum to help raise aware- ness of the issue with health care professionals, parents, carers and guardians. With diet being an important factor for healthy teeth, the Foun- dation has already endorsed the Forum’s ‘Ten Steps for Healthy Toddlers’, which covers advice in areas such as eating, drinking and exercise. Both organisations have now combined during Na- tional Smile Month to produce a new factsheet called ‘Protect- ing Toddlers from Tooth Decay’, which provides comprehensive advice on how to care for chil- dren’s teeth – including fluoride, medicines, diet, snacking, tooth brushing and bottle-feeding. Chief Executive of the Brit- ish Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, said: “It is re- ally important children develop a good oral health routine from a very early age. It’s also impor- tant that the people who care for them have the knowledge and information to help nurture chil- dren. Our relationship with the Infant and Toddler Forum cre- ates an excellent opportunity for us to share our experience and advice directly with the people and organisations that have the most influence on children in their formative years.” Judy More, paediatric di- etician and Forum member ex- plains: “Parents often think that tooth decay in children’s first teeth is not important as they will grow their adult set in any case. However, the first teeth are just as important as adult teeth as early loss of the first teeth can lead to overcrowding when adult teeth appear. The Infant & Tod- dler Forum has produced some simple guidance and tips for par- ents to help avoid tooth decay in their little ones.” DT Protecting toddlers from dental decay Thinking of the children T he King’s College Lon- don Dental Institute is celebrating after an im- pressive triple win at the prestig- ious Medical Futures Innovation Awards, winning two awards for innovations praised by judges foraddressing major unmet needs in both dental treat- ment and dental training, as well as receiving a coveted Spe- cial Award that honours one of the Institute’s cutting-edge re- search teams. Winning the ‘Best Education- al lnnovation’ in the Dental and Oral Health Innovation category was hapTEL, a new virtual-real- ity, haptic (sense-of-touch) ‘den- tal chair’ system aimed to teach the next generation of dentists. The innovation was developed by King’s academics Professor Margaret Cox, Dr Jonathan P San Diego and Dr Barry Quinn, and a team of over 24 clinicians, psychologists, sociologists and cyberneticists, including Profes- sor William Harwin, Dr Alastair Barrow and Brian Tse from the University of Reading. Using a haptic dental drill and mirror to operate on virtual teeth shown in 3D on a screen, this system allows trainee den- tists to reflect what would be seen in real life, and features a foot pedal to control the speed and settings of the dental drill. Although there are competi- tive systems on the market, the hapTEL team’s unique software platform allows the overall unit to sell for up to £20,000 less than the nearest competitor. Haptics is already widely used in the multimillion dollar computer gaming industry. The technical and educational exper- tise and knowledge of the hap- TEL team will lead to other hap- tic applications such as therapy for stroke victims, medical ap- plications and educational aids for children with dyspraxia and other learning difficulties. The hapTEL team, led by Professor Margaret Cox, was bestowed with an additional ac- colade at the prestigious event, receiving the Special Award for the Best Educational Innovation. This award recognises an indi- vidual or team that has demon- strated a novel and outstanding initiative that has made a posi- tive impact in healthcare learn- ing amongst students at any level. The third award, for the ‘Best Translational Research Inno- vation’ in the Dental and Oral Health Innovation category, was awarded to the team behind ‘Pre- venting cavities the SMART way’, an innovative topical gel placed around the teeth to prevent infec- tion with the bacterium Strepto- coccus mutans, the main cause of dental decay. The innovation was developed by King’s Profes- sors Charles Kelly, Thomas Leh- ner and Raman Bedi, and Profes- sor Julian Ma from St George’s, University of London. The topical gel is the first pharmaceutical product specifi- cally targeted against the main bacterial cause of dental de- cay, and judges encouraged the team to pursue commerciali- sation. Patented and available for license, the team envisages a dental gel as their first product, followed by a toothpaste as the second generation of product, a market worth in excess of US $9 billion. Professor Nairn Wilson, Dean and Head of King’s Dental In- stitute, commented: “The Den- tal Institute is delighted to be in receipt of three 2011 Medical Future Innovation Awards. It’s pleasing to see our world-lead- ing research teams being recog- nised in this way, particularly for the Best Educational Innovation Special Award.” DT King’s Dental Institute wins innovation awards June 13-19, 20112 News United Kingdom Edition