Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

C hemists at the Univer- sity of Burgos (Spain) have manufactured a sheet that changes colour in the presence of water contam- inated with mercury. A team at the University of Burgos have now developed a technique for detecting the presence of mercury in water “in a cheap, quick and in situ way,” as explained to SINC by José Miguel García, one of the authors of the study. Details have been published in the Analytical Methods journal. The method consists of placing the fine sheet created by the researchers in the wa- ter for five minutes. If it turns red, this signals the presence of mercury. “Changes can be seen by the naked eye and anyone, even if they have no previous knowledge, can find out whether a water source is contaminated with mercury above determined limits,” out- lines the lecturer García. The membrane contains a florescent organic compound called rhodamine, which acts as a mercury sensor. “Rhoda- mine is insoluble in water,” says the researcher. “But we chemically fix it to a hydro- philic polymer structure in such a way that when put into water it swells and the senso- ry molecules are forced to re- main in the aqueous medium and interact with mercury.” The technique could be used for detecting mercury in certain spills and for studying its presence in fish. DT Mobile phones detect mercury contamination T he ban on cigarette displays and vending machines in Scotland will be brought in by the end of April. Implementation of the measure, which was part of the 2010 Tobacco and Pri- mary Medical Services (Scot- land) Act, was held up by le- gal challenges by the tobacco industry. The ban on open displays of tobacco products in large shops and sales from self- service tobacco vending ma- chines will be introduced on April 29, and will come into force for smaller retailers on April 6, 2015. Announcing the dates, Scottish public health Minister Michael Mathe- son said: “Evidence shows that these bans will help prevent young people from taking up smoking. “That is why we believe this is the right approach for Scotland and I am delighted we are now in a position to implement these bans, which is a key step in maintaining Scotland’s position as a world leader in tobacco control.” A similar ban on display of tobacco at point of sale in larger shops is already in force elsewhere in the UK. DT Scotland bans cigarette displays A ll 32 medical schools across the UK have been awarded funds for innovative activi- ties that aim to foster a research culture in all clinicians entering the NHS. The awards are made by the Academy of Medical Sciences as part of a £1m, five year scheme called INSPIRE which is sup- ported by the Wellcome Trust and aims to stimulate medical and dental undergraduates to pursue scientific research. The awards are the first of two rounds, with an additional special project fund of £100,000 available to enable any high impact activities to be rolled out across the UK. On the awarding of the grants, Professor Sir John Tooke PMed- Sci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences said: “Inspiring students to pursue research is crucial for the future of medicine in the UK. By nurturing talent from an early stage, we can en- sure that future patients will ben- efit from the latest breakthroughs in medical science.” INSURE, a project run by the University of Edinburgh, will har- ness two currently unconnected in-house electronic portals to es- tablish a dynamic, online, search- able database of project opportu- nities, which could later be rolled out nationally. The Academy will also run a series of sharing conferences to enable medical schools to show- case activities and share learning. The second round of INSPIRE small grants will be awarded in 2014. DT UK medical schools receive £300,000 T he UK’s dental regula- tor, the General Den- tal Council (GDC), is seeking to appoint a Chair and eleven Council members to take office in October 2013. Applicants need a strong commitment to patient pro- tection and the promotion of confidence in the regulation of dental professionals to en- sure the GDC continues on its path of continuous improve- ment. There will be an equal number of registrant and lay members and the GDC is re- quired to have at least one member who lives or works wholly or mainly in each of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The regulation of health- care professionals in the UK is undergoing major change and Government expectations about regulation are likely to result in significant changes in the way the GDC operates. Council members will play key roles in the strategic de- velopment of the organisation and strategic performance management. Expressions of interest can be made to gdccouncilap- pointments@gatenbysander- son.com Alternatively people can sign up to the GDC’s monthly newsletter to find out more once the recruitment period opens. DT GDC seek Chair and Council Members D entists are now le- gally able to pro- vide higher strength tooth-whitening to patients. However, the new regime brings with it heavy penal- ties for those who breach the conditions which accompany the regulations, warns An- drea James, Head of Health- care Regulatory with George Davies Solicitors. She points out that if you breach the law, the maximum penalty is six months impris- onment and/or a fine of up to £5,000. Trading Standards Of- ficers can legally enter and in- spect a dental practice at any time to see if a breach has oc- curred. Andrea’s comments follow last year’s changes in UK law relating to whitening which were, in turn, a response to an EU directive on consumer safety. Dentists are now legal- ly able to provide tooth whit- ening with hydrogen peroxide and other compounds or mix- tures that release hydrogen peroxide up to six per cent strength instead of the previ- ous 0.1 per cent maximum. This is subject to compli- ance with certain conditions. Those conditions are that the products: • Must only be sold to dental practitioners. • Must be used for the first time in any cycle by dental practitioners only, or under the direct supervision of a dental practitioner. • May be provided to consum- ers to complete the cycle of use. • Must not be used on any per- son under the age of 18. In the circumstances, she continued, it is wise to avoid treating patients under the age of 18. However, the BDA and Dental Protection Ltd are working to obtain clarifica- tion of the position on treating Under 18s when this would be in the patient’s best inter- ests. Additional clarification is being sought for those occa- sional situations when the use of a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide, during an in-surgery treatment, would be in the patient’s best inter- ests. DT Heavy penalties for breaching tooth whitening regulations 2 News United Kingdom Edition February 25- March 3, 2013