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DENTALTRIBUNE The World’s Dental Newspaper · United Kingdom Edition Published in London www.dental-tribune.co.uk Vol. 10, No. 10 DIGITAL DENTISTRY Orthodontist Dr Asif Chatoo ex- plainshowheprogressedthrough all aspects of modern day tech- nology. INTERVIEW London dental hygienist-therapist Theodora Little on the benefits of individual training of oral prophy- laxis. COSMETIC TRIBUNE Read the latest news and clinical developments from the field of endodontics in our specialty sec- tion included in this issue. ” Page 8 ” Page 10 ” Page 15 Oral cancer thrives based on lifestyle Cases have almost doubled throughout the population since the late 1990s By DTI LONDON, UK: Lifestyle habits like smoking, drinking alcohol or an unbalanced diet, in addition to human papillomavirus infec- tions, appear to have resulted in a surge of oral cancer in the UK. New data released by Cancer Re- search UK in London on the oc- casion of Mouth Cancer Action Month in November, show that the incidence of the disease has increased significantly through- out the population over the last 20 years. Cases have almost doubled since the late 1990s, from eight to 13 cases per 100,000 people. The highest increase was ob- served in women, among whom the incidence of oral cancer has soared through all age groups in the last two decades by a stag- gering 71 per cent. In comparison, the incidence rate of breast can- cer, the most common cancer in British women, increased by 10 to 20 per cent in the same period. Oral cancer is almost seven times as high in women over 50, in whom the organisation reported 2,200 cases in 2015, compared with 300 cases in women under 50. A similar situation was found among men. Oral cancer rates climbed by 54 per cent to 4,400 reported cases in men under 50 and by 67 per cent to 640 reported cases in men over 50. Men currently account for two-thirds of all reported oral cancer cases in the UK. “It’s worrying that oral cancer has become more common,” said Jessica Kirby, Cancer Research UK’s Senior Health Information Manager. “Healthy lifestyles can help reduce the risk of developing the disease in the first place. Not smoking, drinking less alcohol and eating plenty of fruit and vegeta- bles can all help to cut our risk of mouth cancer.” In view of the figures, Cancer Research UK has now called on local councillors and the public to help protect vital Stop Smoking Services, which are under threat owing to budget cuts. It has also developed an oral cancer toolkit in cooperation with the British Dental Association (BDA) to help general medical practitioners, den- tists, nurses and hygienists spot early signs of the disease and refer suspected cases sooner. According to research, survival rates can be improved significantly if the disease is identified early. “Early detection is key, and a check-up can mean the difference between a 90 and 50 per cent sur- vival rate,” commented Dr Russ Ladwa, Chair of the Health and Science Committee at the BDA. Smoking has been identified as the greatest avoidable risk fac- tor for oral cancer, linked to an estimated 65 per cent of cases, in addition to drinking alcohol and following a diet low in fruit and vegetables. A recent study con- ducted by University of Derby researchers also confirmed a link between these lifestyle choices and a higher risk of developing headandneckcancerfromhuman papillomavirus infections. © Ollyy/Shutterstock.com © Aleksandr Markin/Shutterstock.com © Creations/Shutterstock.com Prescriptions of antibiotics decrease By DTI LONDON, UK: In line with general medical practices and hospitals, dental practices in the UK for the first time prescribed fewer anti- biotics last year. According to a newreportissuedbyPublicHealth England (PHE) as part of the Eng- lish surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and re- sistance (ESPAUR), dentists gave out approximately 7 per cent less of the two most prescribed antibi- otics, amoxicillin and metronida- zole, in 2015 than in 2014. Across all health sectors, 2.2 million fewer antibiotic prescrip- tions were dispensed in the community last year. The overall consumption of antibiotics in 2015 was 21.8 defined daily dose per 1,000 inhabitants per day, a 4.3 per cent decrease from the 22.9 DDD recorded by PHE in the previous year, the report states. Dentists are currently respon- sible for 5 per cent of antibiotic prescriptions,withtheoverallma- jority given out by general medi- cal practitioners and hospitals. The figures are relevant in view of the roll-out of a new dental toolkit developed by the dental subgroup of ESPAUR in collabora- tion with the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP) and the British Dental Association (BDA). It includes an easy self-audit tool and patient-facing posters and leaflets to support effective anti- microbial stewardship in den- tistry. “Dentists have a vital role to play in keeping antibiotics work- ing. Audit helps us fulfil our pro- fessional responsibility only to prescribe antibiotics when it is ap- propriate to do so, and the new tool is an easy way to measure our practice against clinical guidance, and identify, implement and sus- tain any changes we need to put in place,” FGDP Dean Dr Mick Horton said. Dentists are able to download the free toolkit from both the BDA and FGDP websites. Despite the drop in prescrip- tions, resistance to antibiotics is further on the rise across all sec- tors in the UK. The proportion of bloodstream infections resistant to piperacillin/tazobactam, the most frequently used combination anti- biotic for the treatment of sepsis, for example, has increased by almost 50 per cent over the last four years. The government has vowed to reduce inappropriate prescribing by 50 per cent by 2020 to tackle the problem. © Marian Weyo/Shutterstock.com