Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

Do you have an opinion or some- thing to say on any Dental Tribune UK article? Or would you like to write your own opinion for our guest comment page? If so don’t hesitate to write to: The Editor, Dental Tribune UK Ltd, 4th Floor, Treasure House, 19-21 Hatton Garden, London, EC1 8BA Or email: lisa@dentaltribuneuk.com Editorial comment www.colgateprofessional.co.uk The 2011 CPD programme ÔPatientsÕÊPerceptionÊandÊUnderstanding ofÊPreventionÕÊproviding verifiable CPD, is available to download by visiting www.colgateprofessional.co.uk PracticeÊpacks contain educational materials, motivational stickers and patient samples to enable dental teams to create their own display to drive awareness of the Colgate Oral Health Month Campaign. TheÊentireÊdentalÊteamÊcanÊgetÊinvolvedÊinÊtheÊ2011ÊcampaignÊfocusing onÊÔTheÊImportanceÊofÊaÊGoodÊOralÊCareÊRegimeÊforÊaÊHealthyÊMouthÕ. IfÊyourÊpracticeÊhasÊnotÊpreviouslyÊbeenÊinvolvedÊinÊColgateÊOralÊHealth Month,ÊpleaseÊcallÊ0161Ê665Ê5881ÊtoÊregister. A n experiment involv- ing animal waste has shown that dental floss has the potential to capture large amounts of hazardous gases before they are released in the environment. The experiment, conduct- ed by engineers from Texas A&M University’s Department of Biological and Agricul- tural Engineering in the US, were reportedly able to extract 50 per cent of ammonia emis- sions from liquid animal ma- nure by simply using tubes based on expanded poly- tetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), a highly versatile polymer which are used to manufacture fibres for cleaning teeth. In recent years, scien- tists have recognised that the breeding of cattle and live- stock has caused a great deal of environmental problems, such as ammonia emissions being released into the atmosphere, the contamination of ground- ing water and the acidification of soil and vegetation. Figures from the US Envi- ronmental Protection Agen- cy suggest that the US and China are the two largest pro- ducers of ammonia, releasing more than 15 million tons of ammonia into to the environ- ment. According to a report, the new technology, which has been developed by Drs Sa- qib Mukhtar and MD Burhan, uses the process of diffusion to help lower ammonia emis- sion, allowing gases to move from places of higher to low- er concentration, such as the ePTFE tubes. From here the product can reportedly be put to good use, forming a chemical compound that can in fact be used to fertilise soil. Although the technology is still being tested, the scien- tists announced that the tech- nology will be able to be used on a larger scale in the near future. DT What a floss of waste I hope everyone enjoyed the ‘Summer’ we’ve had, and is now turning their minds to the busy time for conferences and ex- hibitions that seem to happen just be- fore the ‘C’ word (as I am writ- ing this it is still just about Au- gust, I can’t in good conscience talk about a certain event in De- cember!). I hope also that many of you have seen your appointment books bulging as the pre-school year checklist is being frantically ticked off by mums up and down the country (uniform – check; school shoes – check; dentist – check... you get the idea). And don’t forget, September is Colgate Oral Health Month so use it to promote good oral health to patients - for further information contact the Colgate Oral Health Month registration line on 0161 665 5881. Finally a call to arms to our readers who like to write – I am always looking for contribu- tions! From case presentations to event reviews, from user re- ports to ‘how I did it’ stories, get in touch with your ideas and you may see your labours of writing love in print! Email lisa@dentalt- ribuneuk.com with either the finished ar- ticle or a short synop- sis and I’ll get back to you. Happy writing! DT 3NewsSeptember 5-11, 2011United Kingdom Edition