Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

4 News United Kingdom Edition July 2014 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K T ooth decay is the most common reason children are admitted to hospital, research shows. The latest figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre found that the number of hospi- tal admissions for five to nine-year-olds with dental problems was 25,812 in 2013-14. This is up by more than 3,000 from 2010-11, when the figure was 22,574. The figures also showed that in 2013-14, almost 500 children aged five to nine were hospi- talised each week due to tooth decay. Kathryn Harley, former dean of the faculty of dental surgery at the Royal College of Sur- geons, told the Sunday Times: “We have children who require all 20 of their baby teeth to be extracted. It beggars belief that their diets could produce such a drastic effect.” These figures follow last month’s (June 2014) ITV docu- mentary The Dentists, which highlighted the prevalence of tooth decay in children. The programme focused on children with high levels of decay being admitted to the University Den- tal Hospital of Manchester for multiple extractions, with one four-year-old’s baby teeth being almost all rotten. Claire Stevens, Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry at the Uni- versity Dental Hospital of Man- chester, and spokeswoman for the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry, said at the time: “If these children had seen a pae- diatric dentist earlier, it might have been possible to save their teeth, instead of removing them and potentially triggering dental anxieties for life. “In the 21st century, it’s en- tirely unacceptable that chil- dren in the UK are having to undergo a general anaesthetic, losing their teeth at a young age due to a disease which is entire- ly preventable.” DT Almost 26,000 children hospitalised for tooth decay A girl who lost six teeth af- ter a cycling accident has received a brand new set of teeth from a dentist – for free. Alex Kerr, 20, was hit by a car as she cycled home from work in November 2013. Doc- tors saved her life but said she would have to go on an NHS waiting list to have her teeth re- paired. However, after reading about the accident, Dr Wynand de Jeger from the Brooklands Dental Practice offered to per- form the £12,000 worth of dental work for free. Alex told the Metro: “I was just so self-conscious all the time and sometimes didn’t want to leave the house. I can’t even imagine what it would be like if I couldn’t have these implants done. Me and my boyfriend had just moved into a new flat when I had my accident and now I can finally begin to enjoy it. “My family just can’t be- lieve how confident I am again. My smile is nothing like it was after the accident. I’m really happy. I am so grateful to eve- ryone at Brooklands, especially my dentist. He was the one who contacted me and he has been there all the way through my re- covery.” DT Dentist gives accident patient new set of teeth T he British Dental As- sociation (BDA) it will be exploring all legal avenues to challenge the Gov- ernment’s decision to impose a pay cut on foundation dentists (FDs) of more than £2,000 from September. Dental graduates are leav- ing universities with an average debt of £25,000, and the BDA believes an eight per cent pay cut at the start of their careers ‘exploits the most vulnerable members of the profession’. The Department of Health says that the pay cut brings den- tal salaries in line with their medical equivalents. However the BDA argues that medical trainees have the opportunity to earn additional NHS income, meaning they earn on average £40,000. Chair of the BDA’s Princi- pal Executive Committee, Mick Armstrong, said: “We are both angry and disappointed over the failure to grasp the strength of feeling against these cuts, which frankly many see as an attempt to prey on the most vulnerable members of the profession.” The BDA’s campaign to op- pose the cuts has won support on Twitter, where the BDA is encouraging tweets using the hashtag #DFTPay, and on the BDA’s Facebook page. To sign the e-petition, visit http:// epetitions.direct.gov.uk/peti- tions/64208. DT BDA to challenge FD pay cut A new study has found that among adults with intel- lectual and developmen- tal disabilities, the likelihood of having cavities decreased as the number of years receiving dental care increased. Researchers at Tufts Univer- sity School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM) reviewed dental re- cords of 107 patients with special needs to determine how selected oral health outcomes changed over a treatment period of ap- proximately ten years. Cavity rates were found to decline over the treatment pe- riod. At the first visit, the rate of cavities was greater than 60 per cent; at subsequent time pe- riods it was lower than 45 per cent. However, gum disease was found to increase over time in patients, although the research- ers said this was consistent with the progression of the disease in an ageing adult population. Senior author John Morgan, associate professor at TUSDM, said: “Our findings suggest that even among patients who re- ceive routine dental care, sig- nificant oral health problems remain. The challenge now is to determine how we can find ef- fective solutions to these prob- lems.” DT Long-term care improves oral health in adults with special needs I llegal drug suppliers are bulking out ecstasy pills with a dental anaesthetic, with experts warning that users are risking their lives by taking these ‘fake’ pills. According to the Evening Times, the pills contain only a fraction of ecstasy. They are bulked out with benzocaine, a legal dental anaesthetic which is easily available for sale on the internet. A source told the paper: “Dealersusebenzocainetomake money. They don’t care what mixing agents they use, or how dangerous they are, as long as they look like drugs and can create a similar effect. You could be putting anything into your body. Although benzocaine is legal, it is an extremely danger- ous drug, if not used properly.” A spokeswoman from the British Dental Association add- ed: “As a local anaesthetic, ben- zocaine will make parts of the body numb which could result in accidental injury. “An overdose of benzo- caine can cause life-threat- ening side effects such as uneven heartbeats, seizures, coma, slowed breathing, or respiratory failure, where breathing stops.” DT ‘Fake’ ecstasy pills made from dental anaesthetic

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