The Real Slumdog Millionaire

As part of Channel 4’s “Indian Winter” season, The “Secret Millionaire” show featured millionaire dentist Seema Sharma. She bids farewell to her luxury lifestyle to visit Mumbai, undercover; swapping her two million pound home in South East London, where she lives with her Cardiologist husband and two daughters, for a modest apartment in Dharavi (India’s lagest slum).  According to Channel 4, ‘Seema is worth in the region of five million pounds.’

She then helps various organisations, in order to hopefully stumble across deserving individuals or charities. Seema has never experienced this side of India, being a thoroughly British Indian, her perception has been clouded by colourful Bollywood  movies and five star holidays.

In Mumbai, the financial capital of India, half of the thirteen million residents live in slums or on the streets. Almost all working and contributing to the economy, yet receiving almost nothing in return; in Dharavi, more than one million people are crammed into one square mile, with families of 5 or more often living in one small room.

During her stay, Seema volunteers with a mobile school for slum children, a toy donation charity, a children’s crèche, and she also assists the rag pickers and meets inspiring individuals.

Trying to decide how to give away her money in a responsible and effective way, Seema is confronted by insurmountable dilemmas. 

On the final day of her stay, Seema reveals her identity to the people she has chosen, surprising them with gifts worth tens of thousands of pounds.

The programme can be caught up on channel4.com/watchonline

Sameer Jethwa GKT

Your Dentist may be able to Cure your Migraine….

This is what specialists are suggesting: chronic headaches and muscular pain can
be cured by dentistry.

Back, shoulder, neck and migraine pains and even TMJ disorder can be caused by
jaw alignment; according to neuromuscular dental expert Dr Charmen Douglas.

Her theory is based on the thinking that when muscles cannot get comfortable
they over strain, which causes pain.

Neuromuscular dentists use electromyography equipment to scan and measure motor
nerves and fatigued muscles.

This allows bespoke mouth guards to be manufactured, which will relieve tension
in many parts of the body by realigning the jaw.

The mouth guard works by balancing the body and can reportedly completely
alleviate 95 per cent of migraines and 70 per cent of ear issues.

Some athletes, such as Shaquille O’Neal, are now using these types of mouth
guards in order to improve their sporting performance as they not only relieve
muscle pain but increase balance and oxygen flow too.

Sam Jethwa
GKT

Weekend Revision Course for Students…

The Dental Defence Union (DDU) and FinalBDS are teaming up to help undergraduate students maximise performance with a weekend dental revision course. This is the only one of its kind in the UK. The course will cover the following topics: Clinical presenting Oral medicine Oral surgery Orthodontics Paediatrics Periodontics Case presentations on an unseen clinical case can be a daunting task; therefore the course also offers advice on this part of the exam. 
 Rupert Hoppenbrouwers, Head of the DDU said: ‘After years of study, it’s understandable that students are nervous about facing the last hurdle before they become fully-fledged dentists. While not a short-cut to success, the FinalBDS course is designed to help students show their full potential and approach their final exams with confidence.’ 
 ‘This offer for student members is the latest example of the DDU’s support for education, at dental school and beyond, including discounts on text books, guidance, support and indemnity during student electives, lectures, CPD courses for dental professionals and of course, our Educational Awards which recognise excellence in teaching.’

 The course will be taking place from 6-7 February 2010 in central London. A £25 discount off the standard course fee is available to DDU student members who have applied for graduate membership. For more details, www.the-ddu.com is the place to go!

Sam Jethwa GKT

Celebrity Dentistry…

Those of you who have been watching X FACTOR, may have noticed early on in the
series that judge Louis Walsh has had a slight makeover.
He has been going to the same dentist that gave Simon Cowell his almost glow in
the dark smile. Louis, 56, has been making secret weekly visits to the surgery
for a number of months.
He showed off his new teeth as he joined his X Factor gang, Simon, Cheryl Cole
and Dannii Minogue, at auditions for the ITV1 talent show in Glasgow at the
start of the series.
Simon has been taunting Irishman Louis, who finally caved in to have his teeth
done after a number of years of nagging from his colleague. The
multi-millionaire, Simon Cowell, 49, had even offered to pay for Louis to have
his teeth capped.
Three years ago Simon said: “Louis was supposed to have new teeth for the latest
series.
“He does need them. I would actually pay for them.” A show source confirmed:
“Yes, Louis has had his teeth done.
“He was very much looking forward to showing them off – though there is no way
he was ever going to go as white as Simon.”
During the last series of The X Factor, all the finalists were sent for teeth
whitening.
The source joked: “Dental hygiene and pristine teeth are two subjects close to
Simon’s heart.”

Sam Jethwa GKT

Red Wine is Worse for Teeth Right? …Wrong!

We have long been taught that red wine is bad for ones teeth. However scientists claim that white wine could in fact be worse for ones teeth that red wine.  New research contradicts the commonly held belief that ‘staining’ red wine causes more damage to teeth than white.

 

Merlot and Claret, are red grapes; it seems that Grapes such as Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio can wear away enamel more quickly than these; which make teeth sensitive to hot and cold. Wines with a low pH, such as Riesling wines tend to have the greatest impact, but a rich red would be a ‘kinder’ tooth choice. 

 

A team from Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, examined wines from 4 countries, eight red and white wines from Germany, France, Italy and Spain. They analysed their effects on adult teeth removed from men and women aged 40 to 65. The teeth were soaked in both wines for duration of 24 hours. Much like the classic Coca Cola test we all try at least once as children!

 

After this time, significant mineral loss was found, including calcium and phosphorus in the enamel surface to the depths of up to 60 micrometers. The findings – reported in the journal Nutrition Research – also warn that excessive brushing immediately after alcohol consumption should be avoided as it could further harm the teeth. 



 

Good news for after dinner wine and cheese enjoyers…researchers concluded that frequent consumption of white wine could lead to severe dental erosion but noted that eating cheese alongside sipping wine could help counter the acidic effect due to its calcium content.

 

‘The tradition of enjoying different cheeses for dessert, or in combination with drinking wine, might have a beneficial effect on preventing dental erosion since cheeses contain calcium in a high concentration,’ they said.

 

Sameer Jethwa GKT

Something for Everyone at the BDTA Showcase 2009…

The British Dental Trade Association is holding the BDTA Dental Showcase 2009,
at the NEC, Birmingham.

They claim: “A trip to BDTA Dental Showcase can help you to maximise upon the
opportunities available. It is the largest dental exhibition in the UK and
provides you with a superb team building occasion where all members of the
dental team can research, compare, discuss and network with the ultimate aim of
improving the knowledge base and finding ways to enhance the activities of the
dental practice or laboratory.”

For the dentist…
The showcase is a perfect place to enjoy dentistry away from
the practice and a convenient opportunity to learn about innovations first-hand.

For the dental technician…
The showcase provides the perfect environment for
spotting innovations and as an added bonus free CPD seminars are taking place
over the three days. 



For the dental nurse, hygienist or therapist… 
The showcase will provide an
opportunity for familiarisaiton with the products used on a regular basis.

Finally, as dental students… “You will be keen to develop a list of contacts and
keep up to date with the innovations being introduced in dentistry as these will
enable you to start your career with the necessary support mechanism and
knowledge. With over 13,000 members of the dental team all under one roof at
Showcase you will be able to network and exchange information. 

Many
manufacturers and suppliers from the UK and abroad also find a trip to Showcase
useful… 


If you are looking to launch new products, find a dealer or join with a
supplier, Showcase provides you with access to a wider range of dealers,
manufacturers, suppliers and service providers in the dental equipment,
consumables, finance, publishing and technologies sectors than any other dental
event providing the opportunity to develop long term mutually beneficial
relationships.  As you can see, there is something for the whole dental team at
this year’s Showcase. I look forward to seeing you there!”

Sameer Jethwa GKT

New Drug Released

A pharmaceutical company, based in Ahmedabad in India – Troikaa Pharmaceuticals – has launched Xynova Endo, a Lidocaine lozenge for customised endoscopy procedures in patients.

The press release was where the company said that this unique product is useful for anaesthetising a patient’s oral cavity or mouth during endoscopic procedures.

This new lollipop-like drug is an intra-oral anesthetic dosage form comprising a Lidocaine lozenge mounted on a unique holder.

The patient is able to suck the lozenge gradually by rolling it in the mouth, with the help of the holder. The product is completely soluble, leaves no undissolved residue and provides a clear field of vision.

A paramedic can initiate dosing 10 minutes prior to the procedure, leading to time saving by the doctor.

Sameer Jethwa GKT

Shock New NHS Contract

A shock new NHS contract which could shake things up more than ever has been uncovered.

Before you all get too alarmed, this access programme contract is still in draft form, however seems to have been released ahead of schedule by a number of PCT’s across the country as a part of their tendering process.

Under the new proposals practice payments will be transformed with monthly payments being cut by half and the remainder being paid quarterly in lump sums.

The reliance on UDA as the sole measure of performance has gone, replaced by a combination of quality, access, and UDA measurements.

Serious concerns have been highlighted over the structure of the new agreement; the implementation of quality measures and the lack of real piloting for example.

Up to 150 of these contracts could be rolled out over the next 18 months. It has already surfaced as far apart as Lincolnshire, Devon, and the north-east.

One source slammed the new document, describing it as ‘a myriad of quality measures bolted onto the UDA system and dropped into a GP contract’.

The problem arises when one area, such as quality, is seen as the focus, resulting in a potential drop in other areas.

The perceived change in attitude from the access team – from promising to engage with 
the profession to the sudden appearance of this new document – has also drawn criticism.

Dr John Milne, chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, backed up the fears.

He said: ‘The BDA has seen a draft version of a dental access contract that is being developed by the Department of Health. The version we have seen is not, in our opinion, fit for purpose.

‘We are lobbying the Department hard for a number of significant changes to its content. It is important that they take on board the profession’s concerns and make the appropriate 
amendments.

‘Unfortunately, the draft has been released by a number of primary care trusts. As it stands, we do not believe the contract is suitable and are advising members not to sign it.

‘We also believe that it is important that this draft contract does not become seen as a 
substitute for developing the work of Professor Steele’s review and will continue to push hard for progress on consulting on and piloting his recommendations.’

Chief dental officer for England Barry Cockcroft said: ‘This contract is being developed by the Department’s dental access programme who are working with many PCTs across the country to support them procuring brand new services.

‘In developing this contract template, the access team has been keen to share drafts with stakeholders and respond to their feedback. The access team has written to the NHS pointing out that this is work in progress and asking them to share it with stakeholders in order to get 
feedback but also to point out that the version they have at the moment is not the final version.

‘We are aware that an early draft of the contract has been posted… and can confirm that we have already made significant changes to the working draft.

‘The access team have held several meetings with the British Dental Association regarding development of this contract and further meetings are planned.

‘The new access contract does incorporate some of the recommendations of the Steele review but in terms of piloting the Steele recommendations much more significant work will be undertaken with existing providers.

‘We intend to robustly pilot potential changes with existing providers, we have had many expressions of interest from dentists and PCTs to be involved in piloting and we are developing a programme of initiating and evaluating pilots, involving stakeholders as fully as possible.’

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Sam Jethwa GKT

The Worlds First Virtual Dental School

The University of Maryland Dental School has based its 3D introduced the virtual school which is based on the 3D modelling software, ‘second life’.

The aim is to provide students with an ‘experience’ in different aspects of dentistry, from hygiene to infection control and anatomy.

The students control their ‘avatar’ using the normal keyboard and mouse functions.

The virtual dental school option will be available to first-year students in the autumn.

Carroll-Ann Trotman, associate dean for Academic Affairs, says: ‘What we are doing is developing a 3D virtual world that we can use to engage in global outreach, teaching and perhaps collaboration. So far, it has been reasonably well received by both students and faculty. This is another tool – one of several instructional tools that faculty can have to work with. Each faculty member will approach this with their own ideas.’

The concept behind the idea is to provide students with reinforced learning about the issues they will encounter during their dental careers. Such as preventive care, and overcoming fearful patients.

Julie Gilliam, the school’s instructional technology specialist who is creating the virtual programs, says that use of the second life tool ‘is not just a game… what’s most amazing about this is the ability to simulate activities, which may include greeting a new patient or taking a patient’s health history.”.

For a virtual tour of the ‘second life’ dental school, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tvdySF0J1s

By, Sam Jethwa (GKT)

The Chewing Robot

University of Bristol mechanical engineering PhD student Daniel Raabe developed the robot to mimic the action of the human jaw in collaboration with Researchers from both the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Oral and Dental Science.

The concept was drawn from aircraft simulators, which use similar movements.

Mr Raabe explains: ‘By reproducing natural bite forces and movements, the chewing robot can help improve and accelerate the process of developing new dental restorative materials that may someday be found in a person’s mouth.’



Approximately £2.5 billion each year is spent in the UK on dental materials to replace or strengthen teeth; and the advancement in crown and bridge design can be costly to test on human subjects. The robot allows generation of wear formation on single dental elements by replicating human jaw movements.

The invention known as “the chewing robot” was displayed at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in July in the Royal Society in London.

For more information, visit www.bristol.ac.uk

By Sam Jethwa (GKT)