Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

United Kingdom Edition 26 November - 03 December, 2012 A new study conducted by scientists at the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid highlights the im- portant role that parents play in the transmission of dentist fear in their family. Previous studies had al- ready identified the associa- tion between the fear levels of parents and their children, but they never explored the different roles that the father and the mother play in this phenomenon. América Lara Sacido, one of the authors of the study explains that “along with the presence of emotional transmission of dentist fear amongst family members, we have identified the rel- evant role that fathers play in transmission of this pho- bia in comparison to the mother.” Published in the Inter- national Journal of Pediat- ric Dentistry, the study ana- lysed 183 children between seven and 12 years and their parents in the Autonomous Community of Madrid. The results were in line with pre- vious studies which found that fear levels amongst fathers, mothers and children are in- terlinked. The authors confirmed that the higher the level of dentist fear or anxiety in one family member, the higher the level in the rest of the family. The study also reveals that fathers play a key role in the trans- mission of dentist fear from mothers to their children as they act as a mediating vari- able. “Although the results should be interpreted with due caution, children seem to mainly pay attention to the emotional reactions of the fa- thers when deciding if situa- tions at the dentist are poten- tially stressful,” states Lara Sacido. Consequently, transmis- sion of fear from the mother to the child, whether it be an increase or reduction of anxi- ety, could be influenced by the reactions that the father dis- plays in the dentist. Amongst the possible im- plications of these results, the authors outline the two most salient: the need to in- volve mothers and especially fathers in dentist fear preven- tion campaigns; and to make fathers to attend the dentist and display no signs of fear or anxiety. “With regard to assistance in the dental clinic, the work with parents is key. They should appear relaxed as a way of directly ensuring that the child is relaxed too,” notes the author. DT Parents responsible for dental fears M ore fruit and veg will be added to ready- meals, and super- market fruit and veg sections will be expanded as part of a new drive to encourage every- one to get their 5-a-day, Public Health Minister Anna Soubry announced today. The move comes as part of the latest Responsibility Deal pledge, aiming to encourage action across the food industry to help people eat more fruit and vegetables. This includes foods right across the board - fresh, frozen, canned, dried and juiced products, as well as fruit and vegetables in pre- prepared food, such as ready- meals. Eating five portions of fruit and veg a day helps to low- er the risk of serious health problems, such as heart dis- ease and some cancers, but figures show that two thirds of people still don’t eat enough. The new pledges include: • ALDI will increase the amount of store space dedicated to fresh pro- duce and feature their discounted ‘Super 6’ fruit and vegetable lines in their pro- motional activities including TV advertising. • Iceland will offer coupon deals on fruit and vegetables, increase their promotion to its customers using new website and social media features, as well as introduce new fruit and vegetable products. • LIDL will rebrand its en- tire fruit and vegetable range making it more appealing – particularly for children – with fun characters and jokes on kids’ packs. • Subway will launch a new campaign fronted by elite ath- letes Louis Smith and Anthony Ogogo, two of Subway’s Fa- mous Fans, to promote their choice of a Low Fat Sub per- sonalised with their favourite extra salad items. Co-operative Food, Morri- sons, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, General Mills, Mars, caterers 3663, Brakes, CH & Co Catering and the British Frozen Food Federation have also signed up to the pledge. Public Health Minister Anna Soubry said: “Getting your 5-a-day can help lower the risk of serious health problems, such as heart disease and some cancers, but we know that can be a chal- lenge. That is why we want to work with the food industry to help everyone make healthier choices.” DT Businesses pledge for more fruit and veg T he General Dental Council (GDC) has prosecuted illegal teeth whitening company Pearl Teeth Whitening Limited. The Company, trading as Pearl National, was charged under section 43 of the Den- tists’ Act 1984, which states: “A body corporate commits an offence if it carries on the business of dentistry at a time when a majority of its direc- tors are not persons who are either registered dentists or registered dental care profes- sionals.” A representative of Pearl National pleaded guilty at Doncaster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 23rd November. During sentencing, District Judge Bennett said: “It is clear from their web- site that Pearl National oper- ated from a large number of locations and from the facts of the case presented to me, that they employed unqualified people to provide teeth whit- ening to their customers.” He added that it occurred to him that the company “must have received a lot of money and had never filed accounts at Companies House.” The court has fined the firm £3,500 and ordered them to pay £4,000 towards the GDC costs. DT Tooth whitening company prosecuted 6 News B everley-based NHS and private dental practice, Perfect 32, has won an award for recognition of its con- tribution and commitment to community and charity projects at the inaugural MyFaceMy- Body Awards held at The Land- mark Hotel in London on 3rd November. Perfect 32 was presented with The Best Community and Charity Award for its work in raising awareness of oral can- cer and for its mouth cancer screening initiative in prac- tice. The practice is also work- ing alongside the award win- ning UK charity, The Mouth Cancer Foundation, to develop and launch a mouth cancer ac- creditation scheme for dentists across the UK. The evening had an interna- tional guest list as well as celeb- rities and some of the best den- tal and aesthetic practitioners in the world. Stephen Handisides, owner of MyFaceMyBody, said: “The competition was fierce so even making the shortlist was an ac- complishment. These awards were voted for by consumers – the people actually using these products and services, so they mean so much more. “The awards showcased the commitment of businesses to reach exemplary standards and demonstrated our popularity amongst consumers.” Perfect 32’s Practice Man- ager, Nicki Rowland, said: “We are absolutely delighted to win this award. I am immensely proud of my team. Everyone works beyond the call of duty to provide a top-notch dental service but also to give back to patients and the community by raising awareness of mouth cancer and screening for it in practice. We are very honoured to be working with the Mouth Cancer Foundation in intro- ducing a national accredita- tion scheme for general dental practice. The scheme will help in ensuring that every dental practice has a robust system for the screening and referral of all patients over the age of 16. Ear- lier detection and intervention will ultimately save many lives every year”. Coverage of The MyFace- MyBody Awards can now be viewed on YouTube at www. youtube.com/results?search_ query=MYfacemybody+awards. DT Dental practice wins at MyFaceMyBody Awards The team at Perfect 32