4 UK NEWS Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 8/2017 UK study shows that household environment at the micro level may play a role in oral health By DTI LONDON, UK: The role of the house- hold may have an influence not only at the social level, but also at the microbe level. In a study con- ducted in the UK, researchers have discovered that early environmen- tal influences are far more signifi- cant than human genetics in shap- ing the salivary microbiome, the group of organisms that deter- mine oral and overall health. Dr Adam P. Roberts, senior lec- turer in antimicrobial chemother- apy and resistance at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, pointed to periodontitis, which is associated with an altered micro- biome, as a key example of how the study may be relevant to peo- ple’s oral and general health. “Once we understand the members of the microbiome that are responsi- ble for health, our everyday behav- iour could change to shift our mi- crobiome favourably,” he said. Roberts co-led the study, which was conducted during his time at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute in London. The study’s main objective was to discover how the salivary mi- crobiome is established and what factors are most responsible for the mix of bacteria. With access to a unique sample set of DNA and © Evgeny Atamanenko/Shutterstock.com termines the differences between individuals,” said Shaw. To understand what might be driving differences at the bacterial species level, Shaw and the team used statistical methods adopted from ecology to ascertain which fac- tors were responsible for the most variation. When comparing factors such as shared household, city, age and genetic relatedness, the factor that determined who had the most similar saliva microbes was over- whelmingly shared household. Fur- thermore, spouses, parents and chil- dren younger than 10 living in a household together had the most similar salivary microbiomes. According to Robert, the study shows that environments shared during upbringing play a major role in determining the commu- nity of bacteria that is established and knowing that the shared envi- ronment drives the microbiome may provide the ability to one day modulate it. The study, titled “The human salivary microbiome is shaped by shared environment rather than genetics: Evidence from a large family of closely related individu- als”, was published on 12 Septem- ber in mBio, an open-access jour- nal published by the American So- ciety for Microbiology. saliva from an Ashkenazi Jewish family living in various house- holds spread across four cities on three continents, the team asked how much of the variation seen in salivary microbiomes was due to host genetics and how much to the environment. lifestyles that controlled for many confounding factors. Additionally, because the family members’ DNA had already been sequenced to the level of single changes in the DNA code, the research team had a unique and precise measurement of their genetic relatedness. Owing to the family members adhering to ultra-Orthodox Juda- ism, they shared cultural diets and From this, UCL Genetics Insti- tute graduate student Liam Shaw and the team of researchers se- quenced the bacterial DNA signa- tures present in saliva samples from 157 family members and 27 unrelated Ashkenazi Jewish con- trols. Across all samples, they found that the core salivary microbiome was made up of bacteria from the Streptococcus, Rothia, Neisseria and Prevotella genera. “What that tells us is that the contact and shar- ing of microbes that goes on at the very local environment is what de- British Dental Conference joins forces with Dentistry Show GDC warns of new online scam By DTI © CloserStill Media COVENTRY & LONDON, UK: The or- ganisers of two of the largest dental events in the UK, the British Dental © DTI Peter Ward and Alex Harden. Free to attend, it will be- come a key date for all members of the dental profession, both organi- sations said. Financial details were not dis- closed. In a statement, BDA Chief Executive Pe- ter Ward welcomed the partnership with CloserStill, which he said will help to take the organi- sation’s flagship event, which has a 100-year history, to a new level. Its members being the BDA’s first prior- ity, he said, the association is work- ing to ensure they have access to more exclusive events in more loca- tions across the UK, in addition to the national conference. “The event will feature a thriv- ing, vibrant exhibition with hun- Picture showing exhibition hall of the Dentistry Show in 2017. Association (BDA) and CloserStill Me- dia, have announced their collabora- tion starting in 2018. Their joint event will be called the British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show and the first edition will be held on 18 and 19 May next year at the National Ex- hibition Centre in Birmingham. It will replace CloserStill’s main event, the Dentistry Show, as well as the British Dental Conference, most recently held in Manchester in May. dreds of our friends in the industry there to help you find the new and improved tools and services for your life in practice. Alongside the vast exhibition, we will host a CPD [continuing professional develop- ment] theatre with a programme bringing you the quality learning you’ve come to expect from us,” he said. “This is an exciting investment for us all,” stated Alex Harden, Event Director of the Dentistry Show. “Be- tween us, the team now running The Dentistry Show and The BDA Conference have been responsible for running some of the UK’s fastest growing events over the last two decades. Our combined experience, sector knowledge and significant commercial and marketing re- sources will be focussed on deliver- ing for both exhibitors and the au- diences for these powerful brands.” By DTI LONDON, UK: The General Dental Council (GDC) has warned dental practices not to answer requests recently sent by a computer foren- sics company pretending to be working on its behalf. In the e-mail, the company asks for remote access to pa- tient data, the GDC stated on its website. According to the GDC, providing unauthorised ac- cess to computer software could not only compromise data, but also result in a serious breach of the Data Protection Act. Prac- tices that have received such re- quests are advised to check with the regulatory body first and, in case of suspected fraud, contact the police immediately. CloserStill has organised the an- nual Dentistry Show in Birming- ham since 2007. The latest edition, held also in May this year, attracted over 8,000 visitors and 400 exhib- itors. “The GDC has confirmed that this is not standard procedure and that any requests are unlikely to have been authorised by them. Therefore if you are contacted by any company requesting access to © Yuriy Vlasenko/Shutterstock.com your computer software you should refuse the request,” it said in a statement on its website. Earlier this year, a global cyber- attack, caused by a wave of ran- somware-laden phishing e-mails, brought disruption to NHS sys- tems nationwide and saw details of thousands of its staff stolen. Editorial note: Are you a victim of a cybercrime? If so, please contact the National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre at 0300 123 2040.