Dental Tribune United Kindom Edition

O verseas athletes com- peting at London 2012 will receive free dental care at a specially constructed Polyclinic at the Olympic Park. The move may come as a welcome relief for some of the athletes taking part, as the clinic will aim to carry out and complete work they may not have access to in their own country. Top athletes may be put- ting their oral health at risk though frequent consumption of energy drinks, leading to the possibility of tooth decay and dental erosion. However, if they are receiving dental treat- ment while at the Olympic vil- lage, The National Dental Hel- pline, run by the British Dental Health Foundation, believe it could help them to maintain a high level of performance. Karen Coates, a Dental Advisor at the British Den- tal Health Foundation said: “Looking after your oral health not only has great benefits for your mouth, but also for your overall health too. “Athletes are in a great po- sition to begin with, as people who exercise are less likely to develop tooth-threatening problems that could lead to gum disease. Many other links between good oral health and good overall health have also been made, including diabetes, lung diseases and heart prob- lems. However, by consuming too many sports and energy drinks, athletes are at risk of dental erosion.” One dentist at the heart of the Olympics fully under- stands the pressure an ath- lete’s teeth are under. Dr Ku- nal Dattani will be the leading practitioner for athletes at the Rowing and Canoe Sprint Vil- lage at the London 2012 Olym- pics, after volunteering to be involved. He said in the Chesh- am and Buckinghamshire Examiner “I thought it would be a once in a lifetime thing and it will be an amaz- ing journey. It’s incredible and I will see the Games from a different angle.” Dr Dattani told the Ex- aminer about 40 per cent of the athletes will need dental treatment over the course of the Games. He said: “Tooth- ache is one of the worst pains you go through so I’ve got to make sure I treat them as soon as possible and relieve them of their pain. They’ve got to be on their game.” However, with the partici- pating athletes representing the height of fitness you may have presumed the Olympic organis- ers might have taken advantage of the country’s excitement by promoting a healthy lifestyle. Therefore it is a little surpris- ing that the chief sponsor of the games is McDonald’s, the world’s leading fast food outlet. It is not just the effect fast food has on our bodies that is concerning. Less healthy foods can also have detrimental consequences for oral health- periodontal disease affects 19 out of 20 people. In a study by Case Western Reserve Univer- sity, 12, 000 Americans were examined to discover how life- style can affect oral health. Re- searchers found that regular exercise and healthy eating re- duced the prevalence of gum disease, highlighting the impor- tance of a healthy lifestyle. Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of The British Dental Health Foun- dation commented: “It has been shown that the disease develops more rapidly in people whose nutrition is lacking.” A similar study was carried out earlier this year in Japan, looking at the relationships between eating habits and periodontal condition in uni- versity students. The analysis found that overweight students who frequently consumed unhealthy food and seldom ate vegetables were at a higher risk of developing gum dis- ease. Carter noted: “One of the key ingredients to good oral health is a balanced diet.” To put it simply, the more you eat unhealthy foods, the more oral damage is produced. DT Dentists get Olympic fever! A lmost £8m is being in- vested in driving down HIV infections and pro- viding information to improve people’s sexual health, Public Health Minister Anne Milton re- cently announced. The money will go to the Terrence Higgins Trust and FPA (Family Planning Association) over three years and builds on previous work funded by the Department. The latest figures show that the largest increases in STIs were seen in men who have sex with men. The funding will mean: • the Terrence Higgins Trust and their partners receive £6.7 million to prevent HIV in men who have sex with men and people from African communi- ties, the groups most affected by HIV in England; and • FPA will receive £1.13 million for their comprehensive spe- cialist sexual health information service for the public and health workers. There are nearly 100,000 people living with HIV in the UK yet a quarter of them don’t know they have it - meaning they’re more likely to pass it on and are unable to benefit from effective treatment. In 2010, there were around 3,000 new diagnoses in men who have sex with men - the highest number ever report- ed in one year. Public Health Minister Anne Milton said: “Sexually transmit- ted infections can lead to seri- ous health problems. “One in twenty gay men and one in twenty black African men and women in England are HIV positive and in London this rises to one in every seven gay men. “This money will help the Terrence Higgins Trust and FPA reach out to these communities. They will use a range of ap- proaches including social me- dia to encourage more people to come forward for testing.” Sir Nick Partridge, Chief Executive of Terrence Hig- gins Trust said: “England has a strong record in HIV preven- tion and we are proud of the part we have played in this, but the stakes – and potential gains – have never been higher. It’s within our grasp to significantly reduce the rates of new infec- tions by working together with local authorities, clinical ser- vices and most importantly the communities most at risk of HIV. Our plans are exciting, ambi- tious, but achievable, and we’re proud to have been entrusted with this work.” Julie Bentley, Chief Execu- tive, FPA said: “FPA has deliv- ered factual, accessible, and high quality sexual health information to the public and healthcare professionals for many years. We are delighted to have won this contract which is evidence of how re- spected and trusted our sexual health information continues to be.” DT A positive investment in driving down infections T itanium medical implants used in bone-anchored hearing aids and dental prostheses,maynotbeasrobustas is commonly believed, according to new evidence from scientists at the University of Birmingham. Collaborative research led by Dr Owen Addison in the Biomate- rials unit of the School of Dentistry has found evidence to suggest that in environments where there is no significant wear process, micro- scopic particles of Ti can be found in the surrounding tissue. This can potentially be pro-in- flammatory and affect the perfor- mance of the device scientists say inaresearchpaperpublishedtoday (Wednesday July 25) in the Jour- nal of the Royal Society Interface. Globally, more than 1,000 tonnes of titanium (Ti) is im- planted into patients in the form of biomedical devices every year. Metallic prostheses, fixation and anchoring devices are used ex- tensively for orthopaedic, crani- ofacial and dental rehabilitation and their effects on the body are widely perceived to be predicta- ble following initial implantation. For this study, tissue was ob- tained from patients undergo- ing scheduled revision surgery associated with bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHA) at Univer- sity Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust. Soft tissues surrounding commercially pure Titanium an- chorage devices were investigat- ed using microfocus synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy at the Dia- mond Light Source (Oxford, UK). ‘The results showed, for the first time, a scattered and het- erogenous distribution of Ti in inflamed tissues taken from around failing skin-penetrating Ti implants,’ the authors report.’ Wear processes and implant de- bris were unlikely to be major contributors to the problem, they concluded. ‘In the absence of ob- vious macroscopic wear or load- ing processes, we propose that the Ti in the tissue results from micro-motion and localised cor- rosion in surface crevices.’ The development of peri- implant inflammation may re- sult in the premature loss of the implanted device or the require- ment for revision / rescue sur- gery and are scenarios which can ‘impact on patients’ well-being and economically on the health service provider,’ the authors conclude.DT Titanium implants may corrode T im Ives is present- ing a one day course with Fiona Ellwood for DCP’s who are interested in mentoring. The first one is in Leicester on 11 August 9am - 4pm at the Peepul Centre, Or- chardson Avenue, Leicester. This is designed as a taster day for a nationally recognised qualification in mentorship and is a real bargain for £10. This is a taster day designed as an introduction to a nation- ally recognised qualification in mentorship for the regis- tered dental care professional (DCP). This will suit all DCP’s who have or wish to develop a role in team training and development and is an ideal stepping stone for those who are considering teaching and /or mentoring as a career. DT DCP taster day The Olympic Stadium 7NewsJuly 30 - August 5, 2012United Kingdom Edition