Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

N HS Direct has launched a free mobile app so people can access its trusted and reliable health advice conven- iently from wherever they are. The app, which has made the top spot of the free iPhone apps, was launched this week, means that people with an iPhone or Android smartphone can assess advice directly from the NHS on their own or someone else’s symptoms; they can do this by answering a number of clinically designed questions. The app is also linked to NHS Directs telephone service and, if a further assessment is recom- mended, users will be able to submit their contact details so that an NHS Direct nurse advi- sor can call them back. Patients will be able to review and amend their answers at any point and expand information on specific symptoms should they need ad- ditional help identifying them. The app includes a list of 37 symptoms, including dental pain, diarrhoea and vom- iting, abdominal pain, rash- es, back pain and burns and then explains clearly what the user needs to do. It’s design is clear and concise, minus any medical jargon, and uses daily scenarios to aid any advice that is given. Patients can also get advice about how to relieve symptoms associated with specific condi- tions such as flu and hay fever. There’s also the opportunity to get more specialist advice on is- sues such as mental health, con- traception, sexual health matters and pregnancy problems. The app is available to down- load free of charge for Android™ devices from the Android™ mar- ket place: https://market.android. com/ and for the iPhone® (in- cluding the iPod Touch® and iPad® applications) through the app store. The health and symp- tom checkers that are available through the app are also available online at www.nhs.uk/nhsdirect. Additionally, NHS Direct’s on- line initial assessment symptom checker is now available on web- enabled mobile phones by typing ‘mobile.nhsdirect.nhs.uk’ into the phone web-browser. People who would prefer to speak to someone, have not got internet access or think a further discussion about their symptoms is needed can still call NHS Di- rect on 0845 46 47 any time day or night. The development of innova- tive digital services is a strong focus for NHS Direct’s five year business plan. Giving patients remote and virtual options to em- power them and encourage self- service is identified as crucial to its ambitions to provide a more valued service to patients and to support the wider NHS. DT NHS in your pocket A ccording to a recent re- port, researchers from the University of Louis- ville are closer to helping mil- lions of people who suffer from dry mouth. Douglas Darling, Depart- ment of Oral Health and Reha- bilitation, University of Louis- ville School of Dentistry, and his team have identified a protein sorting mechanism used by the salivary gland. Patients who have suffered damage to their salivary glands due to radiation therapy, pre- scription drugs or Sjogren’s Syndrome (an immune system disorder often defined by its two most common symptoms dry eyes and a dry mouth), could be of benefit to the scientific discovery. Salivary glands have mul- tiple secretion pathways: One pathway takes proteins to the salivary duct; other pathways carry different proteins into the blood or to form a supportive matrix for the cells. Transport along these pathways occurs by sorting the proteins into vesicles (hollow membrane sacs) that carry their “cargo” to the correct destination. It was believed that car- go proteins were moved into the forming vesicles by attach- ing themselves to sorting recep- tor proteins. However, Darling and his team have discovered a completely new approach, which suggests the reason no salivary sorting receptor protein has been found is that it may not exist. According to a report, Dar- ling’s new model, says that the salivary cargo protein, Parotid Secretory Protein (PSP), selec- tively and directly binds to a rare lipid, a type of fat molecule called PtdIns(3,4)P2, which is present only in certaain cell membranes; it is also only present on one side of the membrane. Darling also found PtdIns(3,4) P2 can flip to the inner part of the vesicle membrane - giving PSP the opportunity to bind it. The next step is to identify ways to test ways to manipulate this potential protein sorting mechanism. The study, Parotid Secretory Protein Binds Phosphatidyli- nositol (3,4) Bisphosphate ap- peared in the Journal of Dental Research. DT Researchers uncover therapies for dry mouth The new findings could be a great help for those suffering with dry mouth I t has been reported that Liv- erpool’s A&E dental depart- ment, which provides an emergency service performed by student dentists, is attract- ing thousands of young people as they choose to visit the den- tist there instead of registering with a regular NHS dentist. Last year alone more than 6,000 patients attended the unit, costing the NHS more money than if they had visited ordi- nary dentists. The Liverpool Primary Care Trust (PCT) investigated the issue and found that pa- tients were visiting dental hos- pitals as an alternative to other care. It is believed that patients prefer to visit dental hospitals because the care is free and there isn’t the hassle of having to register. According to the report, there are still NHS spaces across the city and even though appointments cannot be made to visit the A&E dental depart- ment, it is possible to join a queue to access care. DT Dental dilemma N ew figures that have recently been released reveal that a third of children under the age of five in Birmingham have either missing teeth or tooth decay. Although Birmingham Community Healthcare Trust has been encouraging chil- dren to take better care of their teeth and gums by using gi- ant toothbrushes, the statistics show that the amount of people visiting their dentist has dra- matically decreased. It was reported that health experts have attributed the high rates of decay and obesity to poor diets that are full of sug- ary and fatty foods. Quoted in the news release, Jasmin Frater, a postnatal coor- dinator for the under-fives pro- gramme, said that oral health- care should start from a very early age and parents need to take responsibility for their children’s oral health. DT Third of children in Birmingham have tooth decay A third of children under five in Birmingham have tooth decay or missing teeth Dental hospitals are more attractive than NHS dentists June 13-19, 20114 News United Kingdom Edition