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04 UK NEWS Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 2/2017 New device detects bacteria during root canal treatment By DTI LONDON, UK: A new method of de- tecting bacteria during root canal therapy could eradicate the need for follow-up appointments and prevent treatment failure, accord- ing to a new study. The SafeRoot de- vice, created by a team of research- ers at King’s College London, ena- bles rapid bacterial detection inside the root canal, ensuring the proce- dure has been successful and re- ducing the need for tooth extrac- tion or surgical intervention. During root canal treatments, bacterial infections are removed from the root canal space while as much of the natural tooth as pos- sible is retained. Around a quarter of these treatments fail over time owing to secondary infections, AD and most procedures require one or two visits to the dentist, each of which involves drilling and the re- moval of part of the tooth. The SafeRoot device was devel- oped to detect any existing bacteria once the root canal treatment has been completed, with the aim of eliminating persistent or secondary infections and reducing the need for further treatments. Through flu- orescent staining and microspec- troscopy, it can optically detect min- ute amounts of residual live bacte- ria in the root canal space. During trials, the research team was able to successfully detect bacterial cells after just 3 minutes of testing. Using conventional sterile en- dodontic paper points, the process is performed during the treat- ment, preventing any impact on clinical treatment time and mini- mising additional clinical steps. “The resilient nature of bacte- ria, combined with often complex root canal structures, makes dis- infection challenging, leading to a considerable number of persistent infections. This is one of the main causes of root canal treatment failures,” explained Dr Francesco Mannocci, Professor of Endodon- tology at King’s College London Dental Institute. “SafeRoot will reduce the time for root canal completion and will increase the success rate of treat- ments by letting the dentist know when it’s safe to proceed with filling the tooth. This should produce fewer acute ‘flair-ups’ and failed root treatments, as any residual in- THERE’S MORE TO THIS... ...THAN MEETS THE EYE REGISTER FOR YOUR FREE PLACES NOW: ONLINE: THEDENTISTRYSHOW.CO.UK/DAILY Dr Federico Foschi, Consultant in Endodontics at King’s College London, testing the SafeRoot device on a patient. (@ Kings College, UK) fection in the root canal will be iden- tified,” said Dr Tim Watson, Profes- sor of Biomaterials and Restorative Dentistry at the Dental Institute. One million root canal treat- ments are performed under the Na- tional Health Service each year, cost- ing £50.5 million. “The treatments are not only time consuming and painful for the patients, but cost the NHS a significant amount. If we can reduce the number of root canal treatments and re-treatments required, it could mean sizeable savings to the NHS,” added lead researcher Dr Frederic Festy from the Dental Institute. “SafeRoot could be applied to a wide range of biological infections as well, ranging from wound or res- piratory, to implant related infec- tions and contaminations,” he said. GDC reappoints Moyes as chair By DTI LONDON, UK: The Privy Council of the General Dental Council (GDC) has approved the appointment of William (Bill) Moyes as chair for an- other term. He will continue to head the regulatory body for four more years until September 2020, the GDC announced in a statement. Moyes was first appointed as chair in 2013. Prior to that he worked as founding Executive Chairman of Monitor (now part of NHS Improve- ment), which authorised and regu- lated the finance and governance of NHS Foundation Trusts. He has also held positions at the Bank of Scot- land Group and the British Retail Consortium, among others. As GDC chair, he received criti- cism by the British Dental Associa- tion (BDA) and other organisations in 2015 over a report issued by the Pro- fessional Standards Authority that pointed out deficiencies in the GDC’s performance and fitness to practise process. Addressing some of these is- sues, he spear-headed a recent initia- tive that aims to improve the current system of dental regulation. It was published in January this year and proposed fundamental changes in areas like the complaints system. “I am delighted to be reap- pointed to the GDC,” said Moyes in a statement. “This is an exciting time for the organisation as we press ahead with a series of re- forms. While there are challenges which lie ahead, there is a real op- portunity for the sector to work to- gether to make the system of regu- lation work better for patients, and remain fair for dental profession- als so that public confidence in dental services is strengthened.” “Under Bill’s leadership, the Council has not shied from taking difficult decisions and has been willing to think radically about the way the GDC works in pursuit of our ambition to become a high-per- forming, effective regulator. That focus and determination is deliver- ing results and has laid a solid foun- dation for further improvements,” commented Chief Executive Ian Brack. “This reappointment pro- vides consistency in strategic vision which will help the GDC to realise the ambitious plans recently set out in Shifting the Balance—using reg- ulation to enable and support den- tal professionals to prevent harm, whilst putting public protection at the heart of what we do.” In an initial reaction, the BDA expressed disappointment at the reappointment. “The GDC Chair’s term in office has been defined by a total collapse in trust in professional regulation among this profession, and the question remains whether such a figure can ever deliver the change we need,” BDA Principal Executive Committee Chair Mick Armstrong said. “While this reappointment represents a missed opportunity, our priority remains clear. Patients and practitioners deserve a regula- tor and a chair that really under- stands dentists and dentistry.”