Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

O ur modern-day Christ- mas can put a strain on most people. It’s sup- posed to be a time of happiness and celebration but for those already struggling financially, the ‘festive’ season can be hard to bear, heralding even further stress and hardship. With the burden of debt, ris- ing living costs and the added pressures and expectations at Christmas time, dentists who are unable to work really strug- gle to get through the cold win- ter months. Especially for those with families, who are elderly or suffer from ill health. The BDA Benevolent Fund helps UK dentists and their fam- ilies during difficult times such as these by offering vital support through grants and interest-free loans. Funded entirely through the kindness of those in the dental profession, the Ben Fund could not exist without your help. The annual Christmas Ap- peal is an important source of income for the charity. So while deciding on Christmas presents for your loved ones, please re- member your colleagues by giving generously - your valu- able support will help provide comfort, security and peace of mind. For more information please call Sally Atkinson on 020 7486 4994 email dentistshelp@bt- connect.com or go to www.bda- benevolentfund.org.uk All enquiries are considered in confidence. The BDA Benev- olent Fund is a registered char- ity no 208146 DT The nightmare of Christmas time The Benevolent Fund aims to help out dentists in need T he 2011 BADN Out- standing Contribu- tion to Dental Nurs- ing Award, sponsored by WR Berkley (Europe) Ltd, was presented to Fiona Ellwood at the sixth Honours and Awards Dinner at the Chancery Court Hotel, London on 24 November 2011. Fiona started work as a den- tal nurse in 1983 and became a BADN member when she qual- ified in 1986. She is currently a Director of the Dental Busi- ness Academy and leads their educational sector. Over the last 15 years, Fio- na has been developing educa- tional programmes for student dental nurses on a national level and is currently develop- ing international programmes. She is also a valued member of the mentoring development team and a key skills assessor for the Faculty of General Den- tal Practice, and a member of their Editorial Board, as well as BADN’s Regional Coordi- nator for the East Midlands. Fiona is an Internal Verifier and an Assessor; a member of the Institute for Learning, the Institute for Verifiers and As- sessors, and the National Oral Health Promotion Group, as well as a BADN Fellow. She is also a consultant/training ad- visor for dental corporate IDH. BADN President Nicola Docherty, who presented the Award to Fiona, said “I am de- lighted to recognise Fiona’s contribution to dental nurs- ing, and particularly to dental nurse education, over the last two decades. It is dental nurs- es like Fiona, who give freely and willingly of their time and expertise, who are the future of our profession. I should also like to thank WR Berkley, providers of indemnity cover to BADN members, for their generous sponsorship of this award.” The Dinner, organised by the BDA and sponsored by the BDTA, included the presenta- tion of awards by several den- tal associations - Peter Davey received a Fellowship from the Dental Technologists Associa- tion, Terry Abbott was awarded the British Dental Trade Asso- ciation Award, and Gail Marsh was added to the British Asso- ciation of Dental Therapists’ Roll of Distinction - together with numerous BDA awards including the 2011 BDA Good Practice Scheme Good Practice of the Year, which was award- ed to Osborne Dental in New- castle. DT BADN outstanding contribution to dental nursing award 2011 W e’ve all heard about the Lakes being the Adventure Capital of the UK, and adventure holi- days. However, Cumbria is about to be known for another very special type of holiday – Denture Holidays. Dental entrepreneur Chloe Booth and business partner Matthew Burnell have opened the doors at Grange Den- ture Centre to local people, but also hope to attract the at- tention of holiday makers. The duo are already look- ing after the local resident’s dentures and offer home vis- its to those who are unable, or find it difficult to leave the house. However, they have had visitors popping in to re- pair a denture that has bro- ken whilst away from home, and so the idea of the ‘Denture Capital of the UK’ has been born! “Grange Over Sands is a holiday hot spot for many peo- ple, and some even choose to take a coach trip to this beautiful sea-side resort,” said Chloe. ‘We are well con- nected with some of the hotels and bed and breakfasts in the area, and together will en- hance tourism opportunities for local businesses.’ “We believe that if some of Grange’s visitors can use their time not just to enjoy the scenery and shops of Grange, but to look after their mouth at the same time, it would be a very valuable trip indeed. Many denture patients aren’t aware of the options that are open to them these days, and if the pleasant trip and denture re-vamp can be complimentary to one another then it’s time well spent,” said Matthew. Matthew’s expertise in making dentures has already attracted clients from as far away as Spain, and his sights are set globally, hoping that antipodean visitors will take advantage of his proudly Cumbrian service: “I’d be ab- solutely thrilled to see a Cum- rian-made denture taking a flight to Oz!” DT A denture holiday R esearchers at Wash- ington State University have used a 3D printer to create a bone-like material structure that can be used in dental work and orthopaedic procedures; it has even been reported that it can be used to deliver medicine for treating osteoporosis. According to reports, the bone-like material acts as a scaffold for new bone to grow on; when its job has been ful- filled, the “scaffolding” dis- solves with no apparent ill ef- fects. The researchers spent a year enhancing a 3D printer that was originally designed to make metal objects, however, using inkjets, layers of pow- der about 20 microns deep and by following directions from a computer, the printer is able to create a scaffold which after a week is able to support net- works of new bone cells. The authors have reported the material’s success in the journal of Dental Materials; according to Susmita Bose, co-author and a professor in WSU’s School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering the development goes further than this however, and she states that it will be possible to create custom order replace- ment bone tissue in a matter of years! “If a doctor has a CT scan of a defect, we can convert it to a CAD file and make the scaffold according to the defect,” Bose said in a report. DT The bone maker December 12-18, 20114 News United Kingdom Edition