Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

T he natural antibiotics in digested coconut oil have been found to attack the Streptococcus mutans bacteria which cause dental caries. Scien- tists at the Dublin based Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) say that coconut oil could be added to commercial dental products as a marketable antimicrobial. The AIT team tested the antibacte- rial abilities of the oil in both its natural state and once it had been treated with enzymes, to help replicate the process of digestion; the coconut oil was then tested against Streptococcus mutans, the most common bacteria found in the mouth. Researchers discov- ered that the coconut oil which had been treated with enzymes hampered the growth of the com- mon bacteria vastly. Previous research had shown that other enzyme- treated food- stuffs, including milk, had inhib- ited the growth of the Streptococ- cus bacteria, leading to scientists investigating what other foods might be similarly affected. Fur- ther research is now planned into looking at how coconut oil reacts with the Streptococcus bacteria at a molecular level. Scientists aim to discover what other types of bacteria and yeasts the oil affects- the testing group at AIT found that enzyme- modified coconut oil was detrimental to Candida albicans, a yeast known to cause thrush. This ground-breaking discov- ery could greatly aid the dental hygiene world. Dr Damien Brady, who led researchers in AIT’s Bio- science Research Institute said “Dental caries is a commonly overlooked health problem af- fecting 60-90% of children and the majority of adults in indus- trialised countries. Incorporat- ing enzyme-modified coconut oil into dental hygiene products would be an attractive alterna- tive to chemical additives, par- ticularly as it works at relatively low concentrations. Also, with in- creasing antibiotic resistance, it is important that we turn our atten- tion to new ways to combat micro- bial infection.” The work also adds to our knowledge of antibacte- rial activity in the gut. “Our data suggests that products of human digestion show antimicro- bial activity. This could have im- plications for how bacteria colo- nize the cells lining the digestive tract and for overall gut health,” explained Dr Brady. “Our research has shown that digested milk protein not only re- duced the adherence of harmful bacteria to human intestinal cells but also prevented some of them from gaining entrance into the cell. We are currently research- ing coconut oil and other enzyme- modified foodstuffs to identify how they interfere with the way bacteria cause illness and dis- ease,” he said. The researchers in AIT’s Bioscience Research Insti- tute are presenting their work at the Society for General Microbi- ology’s autumn conference at the University of Warwick. DT Coconut oil could help the fight against tooth decay A Durham based dental practice team completed a 26km walk along the historic Hadrian’s Wall to raise thousands of pounds for Help for Heroes. The team at Durham City Smiles finished the achieve- ment, and managed to raise an impressive £1,500 for the mili- tary charity. Help for Heroes pro- vides direct, practical support to wounded, injured and sick service personnel, veterans, and their families. The charity is Im- portant to dentists Graeme Den- tith and Stuart Cox, who both come from Royal Navy families. Graeme Dentith, principal dentist at the practice, said: “The trek along Hadrian’s Wall was really tough, but completing it and raising over £1,500 for Help for Heroes in the process is a fantastic achievement. “We’re very grateful to eve- ryone who has supported and sponsored us – it really has made a huge difference.” Graeme said the camarade- rie of the team kept them going through the punishing condition. “We set off at 10am from Walltown Quarry with a little apprehension of what was to fol- low, but we kept our spirits up as a team, even when our energy levels were flagging,” he said. “It was a real test of endur- ance for all of us, but there were lots of smiles and ca- maraderie, not to mention the stunning scenery which took us through the sweeping countryside along the Roman wall. “We paused briefly at the Roman Fort of Housteads for lunch before our final descent to Chollerford where we enjoyed dinner and well-earned pint!” DT Dental workers’ charity trek The team at Durham City smiles Coconut oil could help fight tooth decay T housands of patients have been found to be conning the NHS in Scotland. New information has shown that over 15,000 cases where dental patients have received free treatments they were not eligible for. Counter Fraud Services (CFS) investigators have obtained £538,000 back, however the problem has been found to be far greater than first real- ised. It has been estimated that the Scottish NHS loses up to £110 million every year through fraud, including false claims for free treatments and staff dishonesties. The number of people who received free treatments they were not en- titled to has vastly grown over the last three years. In 2009-10, there were 4994 incidents detected and £152,000 recovered. In 2010-11, there were 5238 in- cidents detected and £175,000 recovered, and, in 2011-12 there were 5398 incidents detected and £211,000 recov- ered. DT Patient fraud costs NHS £110m in Scotland B eing diagnosed with mouth cancer is a har- rowing experience. Not only will the sufferer have to endure aggressive surgery, which often results in the loss of teeth and supporting struc- tures, additional treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy are common, and also have an unfortu- nate effect on a patient’s oral health. People who have had treatment for mouth cancer unfortunately need further expensive dental treatment to restore their teeth which are damaged by the harsh cures for the disease, unlike sufferers of other types of cancers, who do not always have the same financial issues for follow up treatments. A petition has been cre- ated by Dr Chetan Trivedy urging ‘the government to re- view the current NHS dental charges by including an ex- emption category for patients who have had treatment for mouth cancer.’ As it stands, patients are able to claim their dental treatments on the NHS, a disparity Dr Trivedy wishes to highlight, stating ‘There is clearly a financial inequality for patients with mouth can- cer to pay for the postopera- tive and reconstructive phase following their cancer treat- ment.’ DT The extra pains of mouth cancer September 10-16, 20124 News United Kingdom Edition