Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

D ental professionals have been warned by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a batch of potentially unsafe handheld dental x-ray units that are being sold online. The warning comes after growing concerns that the devices are both unsafe and ineffective; according to one report it is believed that the devices could expose users and patients to unnecessary and potentially harmful x- rays. The safety of the devices was also alerted by The Wash- ington State Department of Health, who stated that the devices did not comply with x-ray performance standards. In a press release issued February 10, the FDA con- firmed that the handheld x- ray units did not meet FDA radiation safety requirements. As a result, the FDA is in- vestigating the devices and are continually notifying or- ganisation about the safety risks. All units that have been cleared by the FDA bear a per- manent certification label/tag and an identification (ID) la- bel/tag on the unit. It should also display a warning label, the full name and address of the manufacturer of the unit, the month and year of manu- facture, and finally the place of manufacture. “Healthcare professionals using these devices should verify they are purchasing and using those that have been reviewed and tested to meet FDA’s standards,” said Steve Silverman, director of the Office of Compliance in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health in a re- cent report. DT Illegal handheld dental x-rays flood online market The x-ray devices could prove harmful T he General Dental Council will be in De- ganwy Quay near Lla- ndudno on 21 March for the fourth of its 2012 registrant events. Dental professionals from in and around the town are being asked to come along to the Quay Hotel, Deganwy Quay, Conwy, LL31 9DJ to find out about how the GDC’s work affects them. They will also have the chance to take an active role in one of two workshops; one on the responsibilities of being a dental professional and one explaining our current fitness to practise procedures and the proposed changes to them. The event is free and par- ticipants will be awarded two hours of verifiable Continu- ing Professional Development (CPD). Director of Policy and Com- munications at the GDC Mike Browne says these events are a good chance to get face- to-face feedback: “We have already held events in Bristol and Derry/Londonderry this year and we will be in Glas- gow on 28 February. We have found that speaking directly to registrants is a valuable way for GDC staff to find out what people are concerned about. And as we continue to review CPD and Stand- ards, we’re keen to know exactly what dental profes- sionals think.” Any dental profession- als interested in attending can book online here. It should be noted that places are limited, so early booking is advised. DT GDC to meet registrants in Wales A new study published in the journal Microbiol- ogy, has suggested that stopping certain mouth bac- teria from accessing gangs of other pathogenic oral bacteria could help prevent gum dis- ease and tooth loss. The study suggests that this ‘access key’ that bacteria use, could hold the answers for people who are at high risk of developing gum disease. The study explains how oral bacteria, such as Treponema denticola, fre- quently ‘gang up’ with other pathogenic oral bacteria to produce destructive den- tal plaque, causing bleed- ing gums and gum disease. It is believed that this interaction between the bacteria is crucial to the development of peri- odontal disease. Researchers from the Uni- versity of Bristol discovered that during this interaction the molecule CTLP acts as the ac- cess key, allowing bacteria to latch onto oral bacteria, lead- ing to blood clotting and tissue destruction. Professor Howard Jenkin- son, who led the study, said in a report: “Devising new means to control these infections re- quires deeper understanding of the microbes involved, their interactions, and how they are able to become incorporated into dental plaque.” “CTLP gives Treponema ac- cess to other periodontal com- munities, allowing the bacteria to grow and survive. Inhibiting CTLP would deny Treponema access to the bacterial commu- nities responsible for dental plaque, which in turn would reduce bleeding gums and slow down the onset of perio- dontal disease and tooth loss.” “If a drug could be devel- oped to target this factor, it could be used in people who are at higher risk from devel- oping gum disease,” explained Professor Jenkinson. DT Bacteria, don’t fall in the wrong crowd Oral bacteria can ‘gang up’ with other bacteria A ccording to research in the Journal of Periodon- tology, injectable proges- terone contraceptives may be associated with poor periodontal health. The study found that women who are taking depotmedroxy- progesterone acetate (DMPA) injectable contraceptive are more likely to have indicators of poor periodontal health com- pared to women who have nev- er taken the contraceptive; the same is true for those women who have taken it in the past. In the past research has as- sociated gum disease with other chronic inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and rheumatoid arthri- tis. For the study the participants were non-pregnant, premeno- pausal women aged 15-44. Each participant provided informa- tion on whether they wereusing DMPA, had used it in the past, or had never used the contraceptive injection at all. Following this, the partici- pants received dental examina- tions; the examination noted clinical attachment (CA) loss, periodontal pocket assessment and whether there was presence of gingival bleeding. After taking into consid- eration issues such as age and smoking status, the study found that those participants who were either using or had used DMPA had a significant increase in peri- odontal pockets, gingival bleed- ing, and CA loss compared to those women who have never used DMPA. The study also found out that those women currently using DMPA were more likely to have gingivitis, while past DMPA users were more likely to have periodontitis. According to a report, Dr Pamela McClain, President of the American Academy of Periodon- tology (AAP) said: “These find- ings suggest that women that use, or have used, a hormone-based injectable contraception such as DMPA may have increased odds of poor periodontal health. DT Contraceptive injec- tion linked to poor periodontal health February 27-March 4, 20122 News United Kingdom Edition