Dental Tribune Indian Edition

19Dental Tribune Indian Edition - January 2013 WASHINGTON,DC,&SANDIEGO, CA, USA: In one of the worst natu- ral disasters in recent times, the Bo- xing Day tsunami killed more than 200,000 people in South-East Asia. Following the catastrophe, humanita- rian missions organised by the Pacific Partnership have been conducted in the region each year since 2006. Re- cently, the first support troops inclu- ding military dental providers were deployed from around the world for this year’s campaign. According to Mission Commander US Navy Captain James Morgan, who spoke to reporters before embarking, the joint exercise will see repeated visits to regions and islands in Indo- nesia, the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam during the next two months. Up to 100 dental providers will be ta- king part in the mission, which is bud- geted at US$20 million and expected to resume in early August. “While at a host nation, I expect we’ll see anywhere from 60 to 100 patients daily, and sometimes, patients need more than one procedure performed,” commented William Robinson, a US Air Force major and dental provider from San Antonio. Besides dental services like teeth cleaning and extraction, military per- sonal will also provide other medical and engineering aid, as well as trai- ning to local medical professionals. Approximately 1,000 professio- nals, both military members and civi- lians, are expected to join the mission, which, according to Captain Morgan, is supported by non-governmental organisations such as the San Diego Pre-Dental Society and intended to enhance international cooperation, as well as regional capability for future emergency response. Several countri- es, including France, Singapore and South Korea, are participating for the first time, he said. Besides the US, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Australia have contributed resources regularly since the beginning. The last mission in 2011 provided treatment to more than 21,000 patients. The Partnership is hosted by the US Navy, which also provides major transportation and logistic support through the USNS Mercury, one of its two currently operating hospital ships. According to Captain Morgan, it will offer capacity for between 100 to 150 surgeries per day offshore and on land. With almost 200 ships and more than 300,000 troops in the region, the US Pacific Fleet is currently the largest naval military power in the Asia Pacific region. During a visit to the region in November last year, US president Barack Obama announced his intentions to strengthen US-AP relations to promote stability in the region, of which the Partnership is considered an essential part.DT Faster voice recovery Oral health linked to arthritis Although previous studies have found a link between rheumatoid arthritis and tooth loss in patients, the complex relationship between the two conditions is not yet understood by scientists. However, the findings of a new study, presented recently at the Fresh Science national finals in Melbourne, Australia, suggest that it might be possible to treat gum disease and severe arthritis simulta- neously. In laboratory tests, the researchers replicated both conditions, which are the result of inflammatory responses in the body, by inducing gum disease and arthritis in mice. They found that animals with gum disease developed significantly worse arthritis. In addi- tion, they observed signs of bone loss in the jaws of mice with arthritis alo- ne and signs of bone loss in the joints of mice with gum disease alone. The researchers are now testing whether treating periodontitis could also help to reduce the symptoms associated with arthritis by researching histone deacetylase inhibitors.DT Cases of seppuku are reportedly increasing in Japan Asia News and Opinion SINGAPORE: Singaporean scien- tists have designed a new system to help patients who have undergone larynx removal to speak again in a single surgery. In comparison with existing methods, their invention not only reduces the number of surgical steps but also increases accuracy of placement of a voice prosthesis and allows for immediate voicing. Conventionally, various surgical steps are involved in the insertion of a voice prosthesis. Doctors needs to make a small puncture in the wall between the trachea and the oeso- phagus, while, at the same time, a guide-wire is inserted into the fistula to prevent the creation of a false pas- sage. Two dilators are then inserted to widen the fistula. Previously, a temporary rubber tube was placed into the fistula and the voice prosthesis was inserted about two weeks later, explained the researchers. They think, however, that their newly developed technique can reduce the time needed to restore the patient’s ability to speak to ten minu- tes after the initial procedure. It of- fers a one-step solution, reducing the complexity of the surgery and saving patients discomfort and money, said Dr David Lau, the project’s consultant ENT surgeon at Raffles Hospital in Singapore. “Until now, good sizing of the pro- sthesis was achieved through trial and error,” said Dr Chui Chee Kiong, project leader and assistant professor at the at the National University of Singapore’s Department of Medical Engineering. “We have merged all the steps into a single procedure. Our system ensures an immediate snug fit of the prosthesis in the passageway created between the trachea and the oesophagus.” Owing to tissue change and wear, voice prostheses need to be chan- ged, which entails fitting them each time. “Our invention offers patients a more fuss-free system, reducing time and discomfort,” added Chng Chin Boon, a research engineer at the university.DT Evaluate the dental workforce system Last year, the Indonesian government announced legislation to stop dental technicians from performing dental treatment. This regulation was ori- ginally planned to come into force six months later in order to give the government time to implement short- and long-term planning and to reach consensus among all stakeholders on this issue. The first law on dental technicians, introduced in 1969, legalised this pro- fession and issued them with the au- thority to provide patients with remo- vable full and partial acrylic dentures only. This regulation, however, was never really enforced for unknown reasons. Therefore, it has become common for dental technicians to also place fillings, fabricate and place fixed dentures, and perform ortho- dontic treatment and even extractions without the necessary education. As a result, no new registrations of dental technicians have been permitted since 1989. Although political stakeholders still argue over the real cause of the dental health crisis in Indonesia, it might be the result of a complex in- terrelation of factors. Socio-economic disparity has created an imbalance in accessing dental care, resulting in services that are focused on income rather than actual need. The costs of dental treatments have exploded owing to the absence of pricing regu- lations, forcing disadvantaged parts of the population to rely on dental technicians to maintain their stoma- tognathic function, and resulting in often illegal practices. Recent reports have also described the high, unmet demand for and persistent inequali- ty in dental care in Indonesia owing to the dental workforce shortage, as well as geographical and economic barriers. A lack of commitment to preventive community-based dental health promotion might also be a fac- tor. Prevention is still very far from being appreciated. Needless to say, investment in prevention is still rare in this country. The Indonesian government has de- monstrated its willingness to improve the nation’s dental health by com- mitting itself to the establishment of a universal health-care coverage sy- stem. However, it is also time to eva- luate the dental workforce system and start distinguishing clearly between the authorised roles of dentists, hygie- nists and dental technicians. Moreo- ver, resisting globalisation is like defying the law of gravity; therefore, increasing the quality and quantity of the dental workforce based on need is necessary for competing in the global market.DT Dr Diah Ayu Maharani Indonesia Dr Diah Ayu Maharani is a researcher at the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Dentistry in Jakarta. She can be contacted at diah.ayu64@ui.ac.id. Contact Info US Sailors stand in ranks at a promotion ceremony during Pacific Partnership 2011 onboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS Cleveland in the Arafura Sea. (DTI/Photo courtesy of US Navy, USA/Michael Russell) Dentists take part in military-led aid mission to Asia Pacific International humanitarian campaign aims to provide treatment for more than 20,000 people