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Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

M ouse model studies show that admin- istered genetically or topically, protein Smad7 protects against or heals mouth sores commonly associated with cancer treatment. In some cancer pa- tients treated with ra- diation, the mouth sores known as oral mucositis become so severe that feeding tubes are required for nutrition and narcot- ics are needed for pain. In fact, 40-70 per cent of pa- tients treated with upper- body radiation develop the condition to some degree. Currently, there is no FDA ap- proved treatment. A Univer- sity of Colorado Cancer Center study published this week in the journal Nature Medicine takes an important step toward changing that. “We developed a geneti- cally engineered mouse that produces a protein called Smad7 in the surface layers of its mouth. With this pro- tein expressed, mouse models were dramatically more resist- ant to the development of oral mucositis than were controls,” says Xiao-Jing Wang, PhD, CU Cancer Center investigator. Wang and collaborators in- cluding Qinghong Zhang, PhD, Yosef Refaeli, PhD, and radia- tion oncologist David Raben, MD, are pursuing further re- search with the goal of devel- oping Smad7 as a therapeutic agent for human oral mucosi- tis. The group joined Smad7 in with a short peptide that allows the protein to cross through cell membranes, and produced this combination protein from cultured bacteria. When they applied the engineered com- pound directly to the mouse oral cavity, it both protected against the development of oral mucositis and worked to heal existing ulcers. Impor- tantly, it revived wounded nor- mal cells but not cancer cells, avoiding a major problem of growth factors currently used to promote the cell growth that heals ulcers. “It’s very reasonable to hope that this line of research will result in a drug that pa- tients can self-administer top- ically to oral mucositis sores, or use to prevent them alto- gether, thus significantly im- proving the quality of life for many cancer patients,” Wang ways. Additionally, Wang points out that the mouse model en- gineered to develop human- like oral mucositis in the pres- ence of radiation treatment is a useful tool for studying the disease – offering opportuni- ties to search for biomarkers and test experimental thera- pies. DT S mokers are most likely to kick the habit due to the effect it has on children, according to the results of a new survey. Almost a third (30 per cent) of those surveyed by the British Dental Health Foundation said they would stop smoking due to the effects it has on children. More than one in four (26 per cent) said the danger of devel- oping mouth cancer would be the reason they quit, while less than one in five (19 per cent) said the risk of lung cancer. Children are often exposed to second-hand smoke in the home and particularly cars. Public Health Minister Anne Soubry has already called for smoking to be banned in cars carrying children on “child welfare” grounds. Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of sec- ond-hand smoke and exposure increases the risk of cot death, glue ear, asthma and other res- piratory diseases. A review by the British Medical Association’s Board of Science concluded that there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke for children and adverse effects can be found at low levels of exposure. Tobacco use is a major killer worldwide, and Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foun- dation, hopes the one in three smokers in the UK that want to quit do so sooner rather than later. Dr Carter said: “The research is clear-cut – smoking in any environment is harm- ful to you and those around you. Around one in six adults in the UK still smoke, and if they are doing so around their chil- dren it could have a catastroph- ic effect on their future health. “Children see their par- ents as role models. If they are smoking, children are more likely to take up the habit. By stubbing out cigarettes now, not only will you stop damaging your body, you will stop damag- ing those around you.” DT New drug treats oral mucositis Stub it out for the children’s sake! Children are vulnerable to the affects of scondhand smoke A ground-breaking project which delivers a dedicated dental service for children in care in North Tyneside has won a national award. Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s initiative for looked after children in the bor- ough won the ‘continuity of care’ award at the Patient Experience Network (PEN) awards. Thescheme,whichoperatesin partnership with professionals re- sponsibleforthechildren’swelfare and wellbeing, ensures there is no interruption in dental care for children entering care and has resulted in improvements in their oral health. The project, run by the Trust’s Northumbria Dental Service, started as a 12-month pilot in conjunction with North Tyneside Council in 2010, however due to its success, has continued. Community dental officer Dr Alex Rushworth, who co-ordi- nates the project alongside senior oral health promotion officer Jo Mackintosh, said: “We are really excited and proud to have won this award. This service was de- signed for the looked after chil- dren of North Tyneside with the help of the children, young people and carers themselves. “Although Northumbria Den- tal Service already assessed and treated looked after children, this service means we have more ro- bust links with everyone involved in the care of these patients. It means that more children are able to access our service and benefit from a project specifically designed to deliver health benefits to them.” There are plans to extend the service into Northumberland. The award means that North- umbria Healthcare has triumphed at every PEN awards – for the last three consecutive years. Annie Laverty, the Trust’s di- rector of patient experience, said: “It is brilliant news that we have again been successful at the only awards which reward teams who really go out of their way to im- prove the quality of care for their patients. “This project was truly unique as the service was tailor-made to meet the needs of the children in fullpartnershipwiththoserespon- sible for their welfare, the chil- dren themselves and their carers. “It is a clear example of how our staff are committed to finding innovative new ways to improve the experiences of patients and it is fitting that they have been re- warded in this way.” DT National award for Tyneside dental project F or the first time, the British Dental Association (BDA) will offer dentists a choice of membership packages that re- flects individuals’ different needs. Following extensive research, the BDA is launching a new membership scheme and from 1 June 2013 the current ‘one size fits all’ membership will be re- placed with three different pack- ages, offering a range of benefits. At the same time, the BDA is also launching a new online CPD ‘Hub’ which will be available to all members. The new membership pack- ages are: • Essential (£295) – covering trade union support, access to online advice, subscriptions to the BDJ and BDA News; access to the brand new online CPD system • Extra (£795) – covering eve- rything in Essential member- ship plus, tailored support and advice via phone or email, and a VIP three-day ticket to the British Dental Conference and Exhibition • Expert (£1,095) – covering eve- rything in Essential and Extra memberships plus exclusive ac- cess to BDA Expert (including over 170 model policies and pro- tocols); two three-day DCP tickets to the British Dental Conference and Exhibition; and a BDJ Clinical Guide Concessionary rates will also be available: • Students (£24 a year while at university) – covering a range of benefits including access to e- books, BDA publications and free entry to the Conference and Exhi- bition • Those over 65 (£150) – for ac- cess to the Essential membership package. DT BDA launches major changes to membership 4 News United Kingdom Edition March 25-31, 2013