Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

J oin the AOG in Delhi, North- ern India, for a trip of a life- time and contribute ‘Towards the Greater Good’. After attending the Clinical Innovations Confer- ence in Delhi and helping with the charity work the AOG provides, you will have the opportunity to choose between two additional trips. •TemplesinKhajurado, theearth- en lamps of the Aarti (prayer) Cer- emony at the Ganges, the Dutch Palace, the Santa Cruz Bastilica, and the tea plantations in Munnar. • One of the extensions also in- cludes an experience of Kumara- kom’s renowned houseboats, cruising through the complex net- work of the spellbinding backwa- ters of Kerala. The AOG is dedicated to help- ing less fortunate people around the world, and already provides invaluable support, educational and medical centres in India, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. If you want to get involved and really experi- ence how different communities live, contact the AOG today. For more information about the AOG, or on any of the up- coming charity tours, please visit www.aoguk.org DT D enplan has launched the UK’s biggest debate to discuss the new NHS contract with both UK-wide seminars and a discussion fo- rum to encourage dental profes- sionals to have their say. Denplan’s Viewpoint Semi- nars have been arranged around the country so that dental pro- fessionals can receive some much needed clarity on how the new contract may effect prac- tice life and get involved with the debate. Not only this, but for those who cannot attend the Semi- nars, Denplan has also set up an NHS Viewpoint discussion fo- rum at www.denplanviewpoint. co.uk, with the latest expert up- dates and information from the Seminars. Roger Matthews, Denplan’s Chief Dental Officer, said: “Many dentists have been left in the dark when it comes to the new NHS dental contract. These Viewpoint Seminars have been designed so that dental profes- sionals can find out exactly what the proposed changes to the contract will mean for them and their practices and have their say in the matter, so I would urge everyone to get involved”. Dates for the Seminars are as follows: Wednesday 20th March - Hilton Dartford Bridge, Dartford Monday 25th March - Thorpe Park Hotel, Leeds Tuesday 26th March - Kilworth House Hotel, Leicestershire Tuesday 16th April - Village Ho- tel, Cardiff Wednesday 17th April - Holiday Inn (Grove Road), Basingstoke Tuesday 30th April - Copthorne Hotel, Manchester Wednesday 1st May - Newcastle Marriott Metrocentre, Gateshead For more information about the Denplan Viewpoint Seminars, please call 0800 169 5697 or email eventsandtraining@denplan. co.uk, or to join in the debate, please visit www.denplanview- point.co.uk DT A dentist has been struck off by the General Dental Council (GDC) following a public hearing into allegations he made false claims to the NHS about treatment he had given to 43 different patients. The allegations heard by the GDC’s Professional Conduct Committee are in connection with incidents that happened between 2009 and 2011 when Edward Mills (Registration No.69243) was working at Truro Dental Care, 37 Lemon Street, Truro, TR1 2NR. The Committee found that Mr Mills made a number of dishonest claims to the NHS for remunera- tion. He claimed for posting out oral hygiene leaflets to patients, along with oral health “passports” and prescriptions for fluoride products. The Committee found thatMrMillsmusthaveknownthat he was not entitled to make claims to the NHS for these activities. In considering this case, the Committee noted: “Mr Mills’ dishonesty was not an isolated incident. He made a series of dishonest claims over a period of many months. Although the amount of money he gained was relativelysmall(£4,000),thatmon- ey was wrongly diverted from the public purse and was not used to provide NHS treatment to patients asitshouldhavebeen,thusdepriv- ing patients of NHS dental care.” In the circumstances the Com- mittee determined that the only appropriate and proportionate sanction, to maintain the stand- ards of the dental profession and public confidence in it, was that of erasure. Unless Mr Mills exercises his right of appeal, his name will be erased from the register in 28 days’ time. More details can be found on the GDC’s website. DT A new study conducted by researchers at the Uni- versity of Minnesota, has shown that the common antibacterial agent triclosan, used in soaps and many other products is found in increas- ing amounts in several Min- nesota freshwater lakes. In addition, the researchers found an increasing amount of other chemical compounds, called chlorinated triclosan derivatives that form when triclosan is exposed to chlo- rine during the wastewater disinfection process. When exposed to sunlight, triclosan and its chlorinated derivatives form dioxins that have poten- tial toxic effects in the envi- ronment. These dioxins were also found in the lakes. Triclosan was patented in 1964 and introduced into the market in the early 1970s. Since then it has been added to many consumer products including soaps and body washes, toothpastes, cosmet- ics, clothing, washing up liq- uid, and kitchenware. Beyond its use in toothpaste to pre- vent gingivitis, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found no evidence that tri- closan in antibacterial soaps and body washes provide any benefit over washing with reg- ular soap and water. The researchers studied the sediment of eight lakes of various sizes throughout Min- nesota with varying amounts of treated wastewater input. Sediment collected from large lakes with many waste- water sources had increased concentrations of triclosan, chlorinated triclosan deriva- tives, and triclosan-derived dioxins since the patent of tri- closan in 1964. In small-scale lakes with a single wastewa- ter source, the trends were di- rectly attributed to increased triclosan use, local improve- ments in treatment, and changes in wastewater disin- fection since the 1960s. When UV disinfection technology re- placed chlorine in one of the wastewater treatment plants, the presence of chlorinated triclosan derivatives in the sediments decreased. In the lake with no waste- water input, no triclosan or chlorinated triclosan deriva- tives were detected. Overall, concentrations of triclosan, chlorinated triclosan deriva- tives, and their dioxins were higher in small lakes, reflect- ing a greater degree of waste- water impact. DT V LA Healthcare has an- nounced that is has re- moved the Sharps Ter- minator® from sale in both the UK and Germany. The decision to remove the product from sale and to cease all promotional ac- tivity, was taken due to concerns over reliability and performance issues pertaining to the prod- uct, which were uncovered dur- ing NHS testing and evaluation. The company is committed to supplying high quality prod- ucts and services and is work- ing with other manufacturers to develop alternative solutions to Sharps Terminator®. “Feed- back from customers we spoke to about Sharps Terminator has been extremely positive, but it could only destroy a certain type of needles. Dentists were particularly disappointed that needles they routinely use could not be destroyed,” explains Daniel Hughes, Director at VLA Healthcare. “This coupled with the issues regarding reliabil- ity and performances lead us to the decision to withdraw Sharps Terminator from the market and look for an alternative solution, which we hope to be available later in the year.” DT Antibacterial agent found in freshwater lakes Denplan Launch NHS Viewpoint Seminars Fraudulent dentist struck off Join the AOG for 2013 Trip to Chitrakoot VLA Healthcare withdraws Sharps Terminator® 4 News United Kingdom Edition February 11-17, 2013