Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

United Kingdom Edition February 25- March 3, 2013 T he Shirley Glasstone Hughes (SGH) Trust Fund has launched its annual competition for primary care dental practitioners to win up to £200K of funding for research. The Fund is this year seeking ap- plications for research projects that investigate the environmen- tal impact of plastics in restorative dental materials. Bids for the funding must come from teams led by a prima- ry care dentist. Applicants have until Monday 29 April to submit their research proposals. Applica- tions will be assessed by a panel of international experts, with the winning bid expected to be an- nounced in September. The Fund has also launched brand new web pages at www. bda.org/curiousabout. Dentists are invited to post questions and comments on four topics that have already been raised – pa- tients’ attitudes to the phasing out of dental amalgam, occupational risks associated with clinical den- tistry, the effects of cognitive be- havioural therapy on phobic or fearful patients, and the relation- ship between dental and systemic disease – and contribute further suggestions of areas for investi- gation. Evidence summaries will be produced in response to sug- gestions, and areas for which an evidence base is lacking will be considered for the research grant competition in 2014. Professor Elizabeth Kay, the Chair of the SGH Management Committee, said: “We are com- mitted to supporting research in primary dental care. We believe that dentists being involved in, and aware of, research evidence creates a questioning culture which drives up standards and benefits oral health. I encourage all primary care dentists to join the debate at Curious About.” DT Call for dental plastics research bids R ebecca Beard, Marketing and Events Executive at Software of Excellence has more reasons than most to want to succeed in this year’s London Marathon. Having applied to run in aid of numerous charities and been rejected, Becky received an email from Breast Cancer Care offering her a place, just 88 days before the event itself. The email arrived at a very op- portune moment just days after Becky had received the devas- tating news that one of her close family is suffering from breast cancer: “When the email arrived, I just knew I had to say yes. The preparation time isn’t ideal, and I am not expecting to run the fast- est time, in fact I will probably be well below average considering I haven’t even run for a bus in the last few months, but I am deter- mined to complete the course, even if I have to crawl the last few miles.” Becky has only a few weeks left to train and raise the £8,800 shehassetasherfundraisinggoal, but with donations being pledged at a rate of £100 per day she is confident of making the target. “Breast cancer affects so many people and I hope that when I cross the finishing line my ef- forts will help take a small step closer to finding a cure for this life changing and devastating ill- ness. Together with the support of my family, friends and colleagues I am certain that we can achieve this goal.” You can help Becky by making any donation, large or small, simply visit http:// uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Bexx- LondonMarathon or to donate £1 just text BEXX47 to 70070. DT Rebecca faces Marathon Challenge Becky will run for Breast Cancer Care 6 News S ome people could be un- derestimating their alco- hol intake by as much as 40 per cent, according to new figures the Department of Health have published. The recent Health Survey for England highlighted un- derestimations in both the amount and frequency that people drink, raising major concerns about the nation’s knowledge of alcohol. Research shows across the country 80 per cent of those that drink too much acknowl- edge the health risks but think of themselves at most as moderate drinkers. More than 60 per cent of these drinkers have no intention of cutting down. To get a picture of drink- ing habits, the Change4Life team asked 19 individuals to keep a detailed drinks di- ary for two weeks. The find- ings show those that took part were drinking on average the equivalent of an extra- large glass of wine each day, or 40 per cent more that they thought. After keeping a drinks di- ary for a week, people were offered simple tips on cutting down and as a result, they: • cut their alcohol consump- tion by over a third; • saved around £33.35 a week – or more than £1,730 a year; and • consumed 1,658 fewer calo- ries a week an average of 236 calories a day – around 10 per cent of the average person’s daily intake and the equiva- lent to 125ml (a small wine glass) of cream per day. Participants also said that cutting down improved their physical and emotional well- being. And those involved also reported that adding more mixer to drinks and substitut- ing alcoholic drinks with soft drinks were the most popu- lar tips to include in their lifestyle. Other tips for cutting down included having booze-free days if they drink every day, not drinking at home before going out, swapping to low- alcohol or alcohol-free drinks and simply using smaller glasses. DT Drinkers underestimate alcohol intake Do you know your intake? T he Mouth Cancer Foun- dation has announced Dentist and advisory board member of the nation- al dental journal, Dr Philip Lewis, as an Ambassador to the charity. Dr Lewis will be- come the lead consultant on the charity’s brand new life- saving initiative, the Mouth Cancer Screening Accredita- tion Scheme which launches in April. The scheme aims to en- courage all dental practices across the UK and Ireland to carry out a thorough head and neck cancer screening which can be done in under two minutes. The Mouth Can- cer Foundation will recognise dental practices that demon- strate a visible commitment to increasing public awareness of mouth cancer screening to all patients and to establish a documented referral path- way with a local specialist de- partment. Mouth Cancer Foundation Ambassador Dr Philip Lewis says “I am delighted to work with the Mouth Cancer Foun- dation and honoured they have elected me to join their distinguished group of Ambas- sadors. I can think of no activ- ity more important for dental professionals than the early detection of mouth cancer and look forward to helping in any way I can to promote the aims of the Foundation.” Founder of the Mouth Cancer Foundation, Dr Vinod Joshi says “We are privileged such a well-respected dentist has agreed to work with us on the Mouth Cancer Screen- ing Accreditation Scheme. We look forward to working to- gether to save as many lives as possible through earlier de- tection of head and neck can- cers.” For more information or to take part in the pilot scheme please contact the Mouth Cancer Foundation via info@mouthcancerfoundation. org or call +44 (0) 1924 950 950. DT Dentist joins mouth cancer screening scheme