Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

4 News United Kingdom Edition May 2014 R esearchers at the Vienna University of Technology have developed a new dental filling material which is easier to harden. The researchers, in collabo- ration with dental manufac- turer Ivoclar Vivadent, have de- veloped photoactive materials based on germanium, which they say reduces the duration of the hardening process for fillings. Modern dental composites contain photoactive organic resins which react to light of a particular wavelength and readily solidify. Professor Robert Liska from the Uni- versity said: “Usually, light in the violet and ultraviolet re- gion is used.” Light with long- er wavelengths can also be used, which penetrates deeper into the material, but the pol- ymerisation process is less efficient. If the filling can- not be hardened in one step, the procedure is repeated sev- eral times. The newly developed com- posite contains 0.04 per cent of germanium. The researchers say that the molecule is split into two parts by blue light, creating radicals, which initi- ate a chain reaction: molecular compounds (which are already present in the filling) assemble into polymers, and the material hardens. Tests showed that the pen- etration depth could be in- creased from two mm to four mm with the new compound. DT New photoactive molecule hardens dental fillings faster A Liverpool man who was prosecuted for unlaw- fully practising dentistry has said he will carry on his denture business. Frank Mulholland, 74, was prosecuted for working as an un-registered Clinical Den- tal Technician from his dental laboratory located opposite the Royal Liverpool Dental Hos- pital, providing dentures and denture repairs. Mr Mulholland later told the Liverpool Echo that he believes the prosecution was unfair and that he was appropriately quali- fied to carry out the work he was doing. He said he will no longer do dentures but will continue to carry out dental repairs, which he says the GDC allows. He said: “Most people come to me to have old dentures, I mix up the dental materi- als, put it in the denture and they press them back into their mouths themselves. I’ve never been registered with the GDC because I’m 74 and there’s a grandfather clause to say I didn’t have to join it. The judge was horrible, she told me to plead guilty or the fine would be £12,000 rather than £4,000.” DT Prosecuted man vows to carry on denture business S aliva can power micro- sized microbial fuel cells which produce tiny amounts of energy sufficient to run on-chip applications, a team of engineers from Penn State University has found. “By producing nearly one microwatt in power, this sali- va-powered, micro-sized MFC already generates enough power to be directly used as an energy harvester in micro- electronic applications,” the researchers wrote in the re- port, published in the journal NPG Asia Materials. The researchers believe that the emergence of ultra- low-power chip-level biomed- ical electronics – devices able to operate at sub-microwatt power outputs – is becom- ing a reality. One possible application, the researchers say, would be a tiny ovula- tion predictor based on the conductivity of a woman’s sa- liva, which changes five days before ovulation. The device would measure the conductiv- ity of the saliva and then use the saliva for power to send the reading to a nearby mobile phone. DT Saliva used to run power generators T wenty three per cent of adults have a vitamin D deficiency, new figures show. This comes after new guid- ance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Centre for Public Health confirmed that 1 in 5 adults are vitamin D deficient. In light of these figures, the National Osteoporosis Society is urging people to get safe sun ex- posure every day between May and September to boost bone health, as part of their annual Sunlight Campaign. Claire Severgnini, Chief Ex- ecutive of the National Osteopo- rosis Society, said: “The Sunlight Campaign is all about raising awareness of vitamin D and its importance for bone health. We want to give clear advice about how to achieve this natural health boost safely so that peo- ple can be confident about going outdoors and getting the sun ex- posure they need without burn- ing and damaging their skin.” The charity advises that ten minutes once or twice a day in the sun with bare arms and legs is enoughforustotopupourvitamin D levels to last through winter. Dr Alison Tedstone, Chief Nu- tritionist and Director of Diet and Obesity at Public Health England (PHE) said: “I am delighted to see the launch of this campaign which highlights the importance of getting enough vitamin D they need by exposing their skin to summer sunlight for short peri- ods, taking care to cover up or protect their skin before it burns. “In line with government advice, PHE recommends that people who are unable to get enough sun, as well as infants and young children aged six months to five years, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people over 65 years, take a daily vitamin D supplement to prevent deficiency.” DT One in five adults vitamin D deficient R eservatrol, found in red wine, blueberries, cran- berries and peanuts, is associated with beneficial ef- fects in ageing, reducing heart disease and some types of can- cer, and inflammation. Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have now identified one of the mo- lecular pathways that reserva- trol uses to achieve its ben- eficial action. They found that reservatrol controls the body’s inflammatory response as a binding partner with the oes- trogen receptor without stimu- lating oestrogenic cell prolif- eration, which is good news for its possible use as a model for drug design. Study lead Kendall Nettles said: “Oestrogen has beneficial effects on conditions like dia- betes and obesity but may in- crease cancer risk. What hasn’t been well understood until now is that you can achieve those same beneficial effects with something like reservatrol.” According to Nettles, res- ervatrol doesn’t work very effi- ciently in the body. However, he said: “Now that we understand that we can do this through the oestrogen receptor, there might be compounds other than reservatrol out there that can do the same thing – only better.” DT Scientists find mechanism behind red wine’s health benefits C M Y CM MY CY CMY K