Dichroa febrifuga, commonly known as chang shan, is one of the 50 fundamental herbs of traditional Chinese medicine and has been used as a malarial agent for more than 2,000 years. In the course of a study, Malcolm Whitman, Professor of Developmental Biology at Harvard School of Medicine, and his colleagues found that halofuginone (HF), a natural quinazolinone alkaloid occurring in the herb could be used to treat autoimmune disorders.

Their findings about the small-molecule compound could also be relevant for dental autoimmune immune disorders, such as chronic ulcerative stomatitis. U.S. researchers found in 2011 that painful oral lesions associated with the disease are most likely caused by an autoimmune response.

Earlier studies conducted by Whitman’s team in 2009 had already demonstrated that HF activates a response pathway that blocks the development of harmful T helper 17 cells (Th17), which play a key role in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, and that in this regard HF is very selective in its effect. A series of experiments demonstrated that HF inhibits the development of Th17 cells, but does not affect other kinds of T-cells involved in regular immune function.

HF acts by triggering a biochemical pathway known as amino-acid starvation response (ARR), which typically prevents cells from forming when amino acids are in short supply. By depleting amino acids, researchers were able to induce ARR and inhibit differentiation of Th17 cells.

In the current study, Whitman’s research team investigated how HF activates the AAR pathway by looking at the most basic process that cells use to translate DNA into the amino-acid chain that makes up a protein. Experiments demonstrated that HF targets a particular enzyme that incorporates the amino acid proline into proteins. It was observed that whenever proline was in short supply, ARR kicked in and produced the therapeutic effects of HF treatment.

According to Whitman, “This compound could inspire novel therapeutic approaches to a variety of autoimmune disorders.”

With regard to the treatment of autoimmune disorders, the challenge has been suppressing inflammatory attacks by the immune system on body tissue without generally suppressing immune function. In instances of chronic ulcerative stomatitis, treatment was only successful using hydroxychloroquine, a prescription drug primarily used to prevent malaria and rheumatoid arthritis.

“This study is an existing example of how solving the molecular mechanism of traditional herbal medicine can lead both to new insights into physiological regulation and to novel approaches to the treatment of diseases,” said Tracy Kelly, an instructor in Whitman’s lab.

However, researchers do not yet fully understand the role that amino-acid limitation plays in disease response or why restricting proline inhibits Th17 cell production.

Source: http://www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/scope/news/region/usa/id/7531

A new $320,000 bus is helping Walnut Street Community Health Center in downtown Hagerstown expand its dental care services to more children in the community, health center Executive Director Kim Murdaugh said Monday.

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., attended a ribbon cutting for the 39 1/2-foot-long bus outside the downtown Hagerstown clinic on Monday morning.
The bus is “critically important for access to dental care for our children,” Cardin said.

Clinic officials wanted the bus, which will make stops at schools, to do more than just provide dental cleanings and sealants, which help prevent cavities but don’t address tooth decay, Murdaugh said.

The bus’ dental staff can address immediate needs such as fillings and extractions, the latter as long as the child will be able to return to the classroom, clinic officials said. An appointment at the clinic can be scheduled for more involved work.

Before the bus, clinic officials who visited schools were limited to talking about dental and nutritional health and handing out toothbrushes and toothpaste, clinic officials said.

The clinic started using the bus in November 2011, visiting Head Start programs in the Hagerstown area, said Dr. Ilaya Rajagopal, a pediatric dentist and dental director for the clinic.

By the end of February, the bus will begin visiting Washington County Public Schools, clinic officials said. First up will be Hickory, Lincolnshire, Winter Street, Salem Avenue, and Eastern elementary schools first on the list, said Connie Richardson, office manager for the clinic’s dental practice. Those schools are Title I schools, which means they have higher populations of students from low-income families.

Parents must complete a consent form for children to be treated on the bus, Murdaugh said. If a dental emergency arises, the staff might try to contact parents so they can treat the child immediately, she said.

The 24 N. Walnut St. clinic has had a pediatric dental practice since it opened nine years ago, and expanded the dental practice to serve adults during its third year, Murdaugh said. The clinic is between North Walnut and North Prospect streets.

The clinic serves the insured and uninsured as well as people with Medicare or Medicaid, Murdaugh said. The uninsured pay based on a sliding scale that factors in their income and the number of people in the household, she said.

About 75 percent of the 6,500 people the health center serves have no insurance or Medicaid, Murdaugh said.

The clinic has approximately 2,300 dental patients, of whom about 1,800 are children, clinic officials said.

Money from the United Way of Washington County covers dental services for people, especially children, who cannot afford to pay, Murdaugh said.

Sens. Cardin and Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., supported the health center’s request for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for the bus, Cardin said.

The Maryland Community Health Resource Commission provided $98,000 for the first two years of operating costs for the bus, Murdaugh said. That enabled the clinic to hire a fourth dentist, Dr. Mark Kawczynski, who will work on the bus, clinic officials said.

The bus will be used to target dental needs of children, however its customer base might be extended to adults in the summer when school is out, Murdaugh said.

Richardson said the bus will operate three days a week at first.

The bus’ six-person dental staff, including the dentist, attended an RV boot camp to learn to drive the bus, Richardson said.

Source: http://www.herald-mail.com/news/hm-childrens-mobile-dentistry-unit-rolls-into-hagerstown-today-20120220,0,3318756.story

Oral bacteria called Treponema denticola frequently gang up in communities with other pathogenic oral bacteria to produce destructive dental plaque. This plaque, made up of bacteria, saliva and food debris, is a major cause of bleeding gums and gum disease. Later in life this can lead to periodontitis and loss of teeth. It is this interaction between different oral pathogens that is thought to be crucial to the development of periodontal disease.

Researchers from the University of Bristol have discovered that a molecule on the surface of Treponema called CTLP acts as the key pass that grants the bacterium access to the community, by allowing it to latch onto other oral bacteria. Once incorporated, CTLP in conjunction with other bacterial molecules can start to wreak havoc by inhibiting blood clotting (leading to continued bleeding of the gums) and causing tissue destruction.

Professor Howard Jenkinson, who led the study, said that periodontal disease and bleeding gums are common ailments, affecting many groups of people, including the elderly, pregnant women and diabetics. “Devising new means to control these infections requires deeper understanding of the microbes involved, their interactions, and how they are able to become incorporated into dental plaque,” he said.

The study shows that CTLP could be a good target from which novel therapies could be developed. “CTLP gives Treponema access to other periodontal communities, allowing the bacteria to grow and survive. Inhibiting CTLP would deny Treponema access to the bacterial communities responsible for dental plaque, which in turn would reduce bleeding gums and slow down the onset of periodontal disease and tooth loss.” The team is now working to find a compound that will inhibit CTLP. “If a drug could be developed to target this factor, it could be used in people who are at higher risk from developing gum disease,” explained Professor Jenkinson.

The latest study backs up previous work in Professor Jenkinson’s lab on the workings of harmful oral bacteria. “The overarching message from our latest study as well as previous work is that regular tooth brushing and maintaining a healthy mouth is vitally important to keep harmful mouth bacteria at bay,” he stressed.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207202628.htm

TORQUAY, UK: A cosmetologist from Torquay has been successfully prosecuted for offering tooth-whitening treatment illegally. Carl Espano, who pleaded guilty to practising dentistry although not registered with the General Dental Council (GDC), has been ordered to pay a fine of £1,872.

According to a report by Dentistry.co.uk, Torquay has been fined £1,000 and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge. Furthermore, the cosmetologist has been ordered to pay full costs to the GDC of £857.

Espano, in mitigation of his actions, raised the House of Lords’ judgement in the case of “Optident and Another v. Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Another [2001] UKHL 32”. However, the magistrates appeared to give this argument little or no weight when determining his sentence.

“This is a serious offence, particularly for potential victims, as you did not have any indemnity in place for any damage you might have done to any teeth,” the Magistrates told Espano. “In addition, should you have damaged the adult teeth, a patient only has one set. Accordingly we view this as a serious offence.”

Chief Executive and Registrar of the GDC, Evlynne Gilvarry, said: “We are committed to taking action against people who offer tooth whitening unlawfully. They are a risk to the people they treat and it is our duty act to ensure public safety.”

In the UK, tooth whitening is the practice of dentistry and can only be offered by those registered with the GDC.

Source: http://www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/scope/news/region/europe/id/7143

RUGBY, UK/NEW HAVEN, USA: Changes in bacteria in the mouth precede the development of pneumonia, researchers from Yale University’s School of Medicine have found. Previous studies have shown a higher pneumonia mortality rate in people with an above average number of gum problems.

For the study, 37 participants were examined over the course of a month by study leader Dr Samit Joshi and his team. The subjects included 19 healthy adults with an average age of 60 and those at risk of health care-associated pneumonia, including ten nursing home residents (average age of 86) and eight mechanically ventilated ICU patients (average age of 51). The researchers found that patients on ventilators who contracted pneumonia had experienced a significant change in their oral bacteria prior to falling ill.

“Our findings may improve the way we prevent pneumonia in the future by maintaining the bacteria that live within our mouths,” Joshi said.

Respiratory illnesses and oral health have been long associated because bacterial infections in the chest are believed to be caused by breathing droplets from the mouth and throat into the lungs.

Pneumonia affects over 620,000 people in the UK alone and claims the lives of around five per cent of those who contract the disease.

The findings of the study present further evidence that oral bacteria pose a significant health risk to the elderly and the young, according to Dr Nigel Carter, Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation based in Rugby, UK.

“Systemic links between gum disease and overall health have been well documented, and at this time of year keeping up good oral health can really help stave off illness,” Carter stated. “Simply brushing your teeth for two minutes twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste, cleaning in between teeth daily with interdental brushes or floss, cutting down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks and visiting the dentist regularly, as often as they recommend will be a great starting point. If you have swollen gums that bleed regularly when brushing, bad breath, loose teeth or regular mouth infections appear, it is likely you have gum disease.”

Carter suggests seeing a dentist or dental practitioner immediately, if any of these symptoms persist, or signs of pneumonia develop.

Source: http://www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/scope/news/region/europe/id/7186

DUNDEE, UK: Dental students at the University of Dundee have become the first in the UK to practise their surgical dental skills on cadavers. The university has adopted the Thiel embalming technique, which retains many of the tissue properties of the living body than those embalmed according to the conventional method.

The cadavers the Dundee students practise on are donated for the purposes of teaching, training and research and are used not only by dentistry students, but also by researchers at the university’s Institute of Academic Anaesthesia, who use the embalmed bodies to examine the effects of anaesthetics administered with the aid of ultrasound imaging.

A pilot project with third-year students in the School of Dentistry has just been carried out successfully, and thus Thiel cadavers will be used more widely for dentistry teaching.

“The Thiel bodies give us an excellent and very lifelike way of training dentists before they have live patients,” Dr Christine Hanson, project leader and Associate Specialist in Oral Surgery at Dundee.

According to Hanson, using simulators, mannequins or even animal heads, students do not develop the kind of transferable skills they can when working on a human body.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for our students. We hope to explore a range of procedures, including the placing of dental implants, and I am convinced this will give them the sort of hands-on experience that we have never been able to offer before,” Hanson said.

The university, which is the first in the UK to use Thiel embalming exclusively, has launched the Million For A Morgue fundraising campaign to build a new morgue to support this method. The university itself has committed £1 million to the project. The campaign has attracted the support of leading crime writers, including Val McDermid, Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen and Kathy Reichs.

Source: http://www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/scope/news/region/europe/id/7194

LONDON, UK: The quality and availability of oral health care for older adults in the UK remains an issue, the British Dental Association (BDA) has warned in a new report. The association also believes that insufficient effort has been made to effect improvements. The BDA argues that oral health is often not properly considered in wider health-care provision, which results in many patients simply not receiving the care they need.

Furthermore, the authors of the report anticipate that new challenges will emerge in Britain as a consequence of the ageing demographic of the population. These would include a significant increase in demand for restorative dental treatment.

The report provides a progress check on 21 recommendations for improving oral care for older people published in a BDA report in 2003. Only six of these recommendations have been met in full. Challenges yet to be addressed are inadequate information about patient charge exemptions, the inability of dentists to prescribe artificial saliva except in certain circumstances and the continued absence of a commissioning framework that properly takes account of older patients’ needs.

The report sets out twelve priorities for reform, including the provision of free, comprehensive oral health assessments to people over 60, better integration of health and social services and the establishment of basic standards for care, with which care homes ought to be obliged to comply.

“Good oral health is as important for older adults as it for younger patients. Being able to eat, communicate and socialise confidently all depend on maintaining a healthy mouth,” Dr Robert Kinloch, Chair of the BDA’s UK Healthcare Policy Group, said.

Source: http://www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/scope/news/region/europe/id/7206

LONDON, UK: The body that investigates dangerous or incompetent dentists in the UK has been battling a backlog of serious complaints, the BBC has reported. According to the broadcaster, problems at the General Dental Council (GDC) were at their worst in 2010, when 72 serious complaints had still not been dealt with after nine months.

That compares to the 224 serious complaints referred during the year. Since then, the GDC has appointed a new chief executive and furthermore increased the number of investigatory hearings and staff. In 2011, additional people were recruited to sit on the committees that deal with fitness to practise cases. Furthermore, it took on 12 extra caseworkers.

The GDC, which is responsible for monitoring dental professionals, is in turn regulated by the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE). In September 2011, the government asked the CHRE for a report on how the GDC is being run, following the resignation of its former chair, Alison Lockyer, who had complained about the manner in which internal disputes between executives and other staff in the GDC were dealt with. The report is expected by the end of this month.

In 2011, the CHRE conducted two audits and in its reports criticised the time the GDC took to process the disciplinary cases of dentists.

“The General Dental Council needs to refocus all its energy and attention on patient safety and the quality of dentistry,” Chief Executive of the CHRE Harry Cayton told the BBC.

The latest statistics reflect that a total of 1,400 complaints were made to the GDC in 2010. Unjustified complaints are sifted out by case-workers. An investigating panel decides whether serious cases are to be referred to a senior committee, which has the power to strike a dentist off.

Cases that have taken more than nine months to pass from the investigating committee to one of the more senior panels are classed as backlogged cases by the GDC. According to the BBC, the number of these has fallen from 72 to 51 since the appointment of its new chief executive, Evlynne Gilvarry, in October 2010.

“What I was determined to do as soon as I joined the organisation was to ensure that the theoretical risk to patients—that patients might be put at risk—never manifested into a reality,” said Gilvarry. “We have done that and we have put in a reform programme and 12 months on, we are in a much stronger position.”

Source: http://www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/scope/news/region/europe/id/7218

Education and knowledge sharing of evidence-based dentistry using leading-edge technology is at the heart of IIRD. World-renowned leaders in the fields of implant and reconstructive dentistry comprise the faculty and guest-speaker panel.

The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art dental and educational technology to maximize experiential learning through live surgeries, tele-surgeries, hands-on training, educational programs, lectures and information sharing. The IIRD also will conduct online educational programs, including lecture series, university partnership programs and industry events and meetings.

“The Institute for Implant and Reconstructive Dentistry is designed to serve dental professionals as a trusted educational partner. However, we go beyond providing ‘continuing education’ courses,” explains Anthony Singleton,
BIOMET 3i global director, the Institute for Implant and Reconstructive Dentistry. “Regardless of their experience level, dental professionals will be able to fine-tune their skills, build their confidence with the latest dental technology and, perhaps, be challenged by new perspectives on patient care. All this can lead to growing their practices and enhancing patient outcomes.”

The IIRD is the culmination of the vision of BIOMET 3i co-founder Richard J. Lazzara, DMD, MScD, who passionately believes education, evidence-based research and leading-edge dental techniques are essential to providing the best dental solutions and care to patients. Lazzara is one of many world-class dental professionals who will serve as faculty of the institute.

Subject matter ranging from treatment planning, advances in digital dentistry, implant dentistry innovations, implant restoration, CT-guided surgery and advanced diagnostics and complex case management provides a comprehensive education continuum for varying levels of dental specialists and clinicians, allied staff and dental laboratory technicians. Programs are continuously added.

In addition to information about course offerings and online registration, the IIRD website allows visitors to take a virtual tour of the facility. Articles and research, videos and interviews are also included on the website, along with links to the Journal of Implant and Reconstructive Dentistry (JIRD), the official publication of the IIRD.

Source: http://www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/id/7198/scope/business/section/overview

The yet unnamed anesthetic developed by St. Renatus, LLC, a Midwest startup from Colorado, is administered through the nasal cavity as a fine mist and is claimed to achieve complete anesthesia in the maxillary arch. The first application for FDA approval of the method was submitted in 2002 and final trials on humans were begun following the completion of phase 2 efficacy studies in July last year.

St. Renatuss CEO Steve Merrick, a former Septodont marketing executive, said that the recent cash injection will help the company to continue to conduct further large-scale studies on more than 300 patients in schools around the U.S. Initial trial results are expected to be available by mid-2012, he recently told the Northern Colorado Business Report.

“Thanks to this angel investment group we are able to take a major step forward in bringing this new technology to dentists and their patients,” he said.

According to Merrick, the company has already spent $25 million on the development of the drug.

The name of the investment group has not been disclosed.

Source: http://www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/id/7183/scope/business/section/overview