Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download

Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

A nationwide survey has discovered that tooth- brushes are used for far more than an aid to keep our smiles pearly and white. The research, commissioned by the British Dental Health Foundation as part of the 35th anniversary of National Smile Month (May 15 – June 15), ques- tioned more than 1,000 people in order to try and provide an in- sight into some of the UK’s oral health habits and routines. The national survey uncov- ered that more than four in eve- ry five of us go on to reuse our old toothbrushes for another purpose. Results showed that four in ten people use an old tooth- brush for scrubbing bathroom tiles, making it by far the most popular activity. Almost a third (28 per cent) of us use our past toothbrushes to assist in clean- ing various kitchen appliances, more than a quarter (26 per cent) use them to give an extra glim- mer to our jewellery and roughly one in every five (18 per cent) of adults use the versatile oral hy- giene product to shine shoes. More uses included cleaning bikes, computer keyboards, toi- lets and toilets seats, fish tanks and finger nails. A clean sweep all-round! Results from the comprehen- sive survey found that the age of the owner plays a significant part in what happens to a tooth- brush after it is too old to care for the teeth and gums. Those of us over 75 are three times more likely to re-use their toothbrush for a different purpose than those between the ages of 16 and 34 and twice more likely than those between 35 and 44. Additionally, women are a third more likely to reuse their toothbrush for chores and other uses than their male counter- parts. Combing eyebrows, dusting archaeological artefacts, chil- dren’s painting and other various art projects also featured in what we do with an old toothbrush, while more cleaning alternatives included taps and plugholes, tools, silverware, car batteries and wheels, football boots and bird cages. Bizarrely, other uses for the oral hygiene product ranged from women who admit to us- ing it to apply their hair dye to those who use the object as a hair chopstick while some men who choose to use an old tooth- brush to clean the dog’s teeth or give the golf clubs a sharp polish. DT Bizarre uses for a toothbrush...revealed! T he BDTA has announced that the following pro- fessional dental asso- ciations will be sharing the pavilion at Showcase 2011: • BADN • BACDT • DPA • DLA • DTA • BDPMA • BADT • BSDHT • BACD • BDTA The pavilion will be located just inside the entrance of the hall and will contain a hospital- ity and lounge area. TonyReed,ExecutiveDirector of the BDTA, said: “The pavilion was a great success last year with representatives from the asso- ciations commenting that being located together on one stand communicated a positive mes- sage of working in partnership. Visitors who attended the event in groups, also commented that they were pleased that they could visit their respective as- sociations in one location of the hall. We are delighted to be able to offer this facility to our fellow associations again this year.” Alongside the pavilion, the Knowledge Hunt will once again run at this year’s Showcase. All members of the dental team whoattendShowcasewillbeable to take part in the ‘Knowledge Hunt’ which will provide one hour of verifiable CPD if the pass mark is achieved for answering 30 questions about products/ services available at Showcase. The questions will be pub- lished in the official Show Guide for the event and participants will need to search for the an- swers by visiting the exhibition stands and talking with stand representatives. “We know that visitors come to Showcase to see what’s new and gain knowledge so we are always looking for ways to deliver education in different formats to appeal to people with varying learning styles. The knowledge hunt at Showcase is a practical way of gathering in- formation as you walk around the exhibition and provides one hour of CPD which is of value to all members of the team.” Tony Reed added. BDTA Dental Showcase 2011 takes place between 20-22 October 2011 at the NEC, Birmingham. To secure your free of charge entry to the show, register for your ticket at www.dentalshowcase.com, call the registration hotline on +44 (0) 1494 729959 or text your name, address, occupation and GDC number to 07786 206 276. Advance registration clos- es on 17 October 2011. On-the- day registration: £10 per person. DT Showcase 2011 Last years BDTA showcase pavillion A recent report has stated that drug consumption continues to rise around the world, and that Africa alone remains to have the largest and best developed pharmaceuti- cal market, with drug spend- ing reaching US$2.68b in 2009. However, there is a problem as consumers can be easily led to believe that prescription drugs that have been recom- mended by their doctor are safe and that anything ‘natural’ is un- likely to work. Against the backdrop of the continuing rise of pharmaceuti- cal drug consumption through- out the world, there have been persistent warnings from both the International Narcotics Con- trol Board (INCB) and the South African Medical Nutritional In- stitute (MNI), the latter issuing an urgent call to consumers to be much more cautious and con- scious with regards to the medi- cines they purchase and use. There continues to be a blind faith towards orthodox medicine, even though prescription drugs can in fact be lethal. According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, in the United States alone prescrip- tion drugs kill more people every year than traffic accidents and Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs). The fact remains that some medicines have adverse side ef- fects that have not been detected prior to their approval, and people will continue to respond differ- ently to treatments and there can be no sure answer as to how some medicines will react with others. Undetected side effects are also included in the ‘natural’ or non-prescription category of medicines: Simply labelling a product as ‘natural’ doesn’t auto- matically mean it is safe. DT How safe is that medicine you are taking? A London-based den- tist has been success- fully prosecuted by the General Dental Council (GDC) and ordered to pay a total of £10,015 for the illegal practice of dentistry. On Thursday 4 May 2011 Mr Young Jun Suh, of Cam- berwell Dental Surgery, 214 Coldharbour Lane, London pleaded guilty at Tower Bridge Magistrates’ Court to practising dentistry while not registered, contrary to Section 38 of the Dentists Act 1984. The GDC’s Interim Or- ders Committee suspended Mr Suh’s registration in Septem- ber 2009 and that suspension is still in place. He has been fined £4,000 and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge. He has also been or- dered to pay £6,000 towards the GDC’s costs. The Magistrates told Mr Suh: “You have blatantly disregarded the interim order for suspension for a pe- riod of a year.” Chief Executive of the GDC Evlynne Gilvarry said: “We are committed to taking ac- tion against people who prac- tise dentistry illegally, whether they’ve been removed from our register or never gained the qualifications to register in the first place. They are a risk to the people they treat and we will do everything we can to ensure public safety.’’ DT General Dental Council prosecutes suspended registrant Reports suggests that prescription medicine may not be safe May 23-29, 20114 News United Kingdom Edition