Dental Tribune United Kingdom

For 3D Imaging, please read on... www.velopex.com Call: 020 8965 2913 Email: enquiries@velopex.com let Velopex Lead You into the Digital Future... Proud of our 50 Years in Quality Imaging, DTo3ds27.04.11rpc A new study has found that the brain fails remember information as well if the person knows that the informa- tion they wish to remember is saved somewhere on a compu- ter. What the study has suggested is that people tend to remember where the information they re- quire is saved, and not what the information is about. What isn’t yet clear is how these changing memory patterns may change the brain in the long run. The author of the study, Betsy Sparrow, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at Columbia University in New York City, was quoted saying: “I think [technology] might hurt the type of memorisation that we usually think about, like remem- bering the name of an actress, but I think there might be some benefits, too.” “If you take away the mind set of memorisation, it might be that people get more information out of what they are reading, and they might better remember the concept,” she explained. Sparrow and her co-authors point out that the ways people rely on computers for informa- tion is countless: “People auto- matically think of using a search engine and computers and smart phones to find information they don’t know. It’s as if we’re using those devices as external memo- ry sources, and we wondered if by doing things this way people wouldn’t remember as well,” said Sparrow. To conduct the study, the researchers designed four ex- periments. All of the study volunteers were college stu- dents. Experiments consisted of trivia questions, identifying words and evaluating the effect of memory when the participant knew that their answers had been saved or not. Results of the study were published online in Science. DT Are computers replacing your memory? With current technology are people remembering less if they know the information has been stored on a computer? Vulnerable patients could be at risk due to cuts August 1-7, 20114 News United Kingdom Edition P ublic Health Minister Michael Matheson has launched a dental service for children with special needs. In an attempt to remove any fears children with special needs may have, particularly those with autism, Bridgeton Health Centre’s paediatric den- tal service has been re-designed especially for this purpose. The new design means the centre is calming and child-friendly, and is full of picture books and talk- ing books. The books play a vital role in the service, as they put the chil- dren as ease and allow them to become familiar with the staff, surgery and the dental experi- ence. The Glasgow centre’s rede- veloped service is the brainchild of two NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde staff: Lyndsay Ovenstone, senior dental officer, and Debbie Connelly, health improvement senior for oral health. Mr Matheson said: “Dur- ing the past decade there has been an increasing trend in the percentage of five year olds in Scotland with no obvious dental decay. However, we must con- tinue to do more, particularly to accelerate the improvements in more deprived areas and ad- dress the barriers to good dental health for children, to enable us to improve the future oral health of the nation. “That’s why I’m delighted to be in Bridgeton, Glasgow to launch this innovative new service. I want to thank every- one involved in this project for bringing it to fruition and for the support of staff and parents for making these changes a real- ity. Through their efforts we are already seeing great improve- ments in that trip-to-the-dentist experience for children with spe- cial needs in this part of the city.” Ms Connelly said: “Children with autism have difficulty un- derstanding and relating to oth- er people, as well as taking part in everyday family life. And a trip to the dentist can be terrify- ing for them. “Children with this condition like routine and find unfamiliar settings very daunting. And in a new environment they tend to experience a sensory overload as they cannot process the sheer volume of new information. Not only is this upsetting for them it is also incredibly distressing for their parents too.” With the children solely at the heart of this service, ques- tionnaires are also sent to the parent or carer before the visit, allowing the dental staff to tailor the experience to the children’s particular needs. “For example, if we know in advance what a child’s favourite cartoon character we can ar- range in advance to have this playing when the child enters the room, providing instant dis- traction so the child is relaxed,” Ms Connelly added. DT Dentist caters for special needs A n urgent survey of the dentists who treat so- ciety’s most vulnerable patients has been launched amidst fears that services are being allowed to deteriorate meaning patient care will suf- fer as a result. The British Dental Associa- tion (BDA) has issued a ques- tionnaire to salaried primary care dentists across England that seeks to gather infor- mation on whether cuts are being made to staffing, facilities and services. The survey fol- lows reports of such cuts from attendees at this year’s BDA Ac- credited Representatives Con- ference that were echoed at a recent meeting of the BDA’s Salaried Dentists Committee (SDC). Dr Peter Bateman, Chair of SDC, said: “The feedback we’re getting paints a picture of den- tal care for vulnerable people being allowed to falter, with staff and equipment not being replaced and some services and facilities even being allowed to close. If this is an accurate picture it will be a significant concern. I urge all colleagues in salaried services to respond to this survey so that we can build a fuller, accurate picture of what is happening across the country. “Salaried primary care den- tists treat vulnerable patients who are often unable to speak up for themselves. If promises that front-line patient care will not suffer are being broken then we must speak up on their behalf to ensure their care is protected.” DT Dental services deteriorate