Items of Interest

ADA’S ‘DENTAL CHECK-UP’ ON POLITICAL PARTIES .
The major political parties have finally provided some clarity on their proposed dental health policies. The deafening silence has ceased. The Australian Dental Association Inc. (ADA) requested parties respond to the Association’s 10 questions on dental health policy to be collated into an Election Report Card.

Dental Health Week 2010: Tooth Erosion .
The Australian Dental Association is pleased to announce the official launch of Dental Health Week for 2010. In the interest of community development and oral health care awareness, the Australian Dental Association has introduced ‘Tooth Erosion’ as the primary focus of Dental Health Week for 2010.

Stop the Rot: Launch of New Oral Health Campaign .
National community, dental and health organisations have today launched a national campaign, Stop the Rot, calling on political leaders to make an election commitment for urgent action to address the decaying state of Australia’s dental care system.

2010 Queen's Birthday Honours .
Congratulations to the following members of the Dental Profession for their service to the community.

National Healthcare Agreement: Report on Performance 2008–09 Released .
The COAG Reform Council (CRC) has released the National Healthcare Agreement: Report on Performance 2008–09. The report highlights the significant scope for improvement needed in health care delivery in Australia, especially for Indigenous Australians, those from socio-economically disadvantaged areas and those who live in rural and remote Australia.

Update: Continuing Professional Development .
The Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 (National Law) comes into effect on 1 July 2010. Under the National Law, the Board has the power to set registration standards and there is now a mandatory requirement for registrants to participate in continuing professional development (CPD).

Dental Care Needs the Right Treatment - ADA’s ‘DentalAccess’ is the Best Solution to Improve Australia’s Oral Health .
The Australian Dental Association (ADA Inc) has responded to the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission’s Denticare Australia with a counter proposal and a better solution - DentalAccess.

Risk perception and water fluoridation in Australia .
The Australian Dental Association Inc and ADA Branches have been advocating for the adoption of fluoridation to water supplies for many years. Over that time there have been a large number of victories.

Dental Board of Australia - What will it mean to me? .
In March 2008 the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) decided to establish a single national registration and accreditation system for 10 health professions, for introduction on 1 July 2010. The Dental Board of Australia has now been established under the Health Practitioner Regulation (Administrative Arrangements) National Law Act 2008.

New House Employment Committee Inquiry into Regional Skills Relocation .
The ADA writes with reference to New House Employment Committee Inquiry into Regional Skills Relocation.

The Next Generation of Dental Students .
Japanese students at Showa University have been practicing their dental procedures on a life-like robot. The robot named Hanako is the world's first highly developed robot to be used to evaluate the skills of dental students on a large scale, according to Showa University.

Review of the Dental Benefits Act 2008 .
The Department of Health and Ageing has released its Report on the Dental Benefits Act 200. The Act required an independent review of the legislation following the one year anniversary of its commencement.

Dentists Sought For Kokoda Villages .
Prior to 2007, four annual visits to the villages of Menari, Kagi, Abouari, Kokoda, Kebarra, Waju, Sairopi, Gona and Buna were carried out under the auspices of Rotary by Gunnedah dentist, Dr Gerry Bartlett, assisted by volunteers from many walks of life. A major aspect was to meet incumbent Health Workers and provide instruction in preventive care as well as equipping them to apply preventive restorations using A.R.T. with hand instruments.

Australian Dental Association Inc. HR Manual available for members .
ADA Members are now able to download The Australian Dental Association Inc. Human Resource and Industrial Relations Reference Manual from the members area.

Dental Resource Collection 'Name this site' Competition .
ADA Inc. has commenced its Dental Resource Collection (DRC), replacing the former Online Dental Showcase (ODS). The DRC site is being launched with a ‘Name this site’ competition facilitated only through its associated ‘Twitter’ page and open to ADA members. The competition has been extended and now closes COB on Tuesday 6th April 2010.

Genes for Deciduous Tooth Development Discovered .
Scientists at the Imperial College London, the University of Bristol, and the University of Oulu in Finland have identified the genes that are responsible for early tooth development. Researchers examined data from the genetic code of 6,000 people from Finland and the UK who participated in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort (NFBC1966) and the Avon Longitudinal Study on Parents and Children (ALSPAC), UK.

GlaxoSmithKline Advisory .
Please be advised that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has issued a consumer advisory warning consumers of the potential health risk from long-term excessive use of the GSK zinc containing denture adhesive.

Proposal to the Australian Government on the Regulation Impact Statement on TGA and NICNAS Proposed Regulation of Disinfectants .
In response to recommendation 4.61 contained in the Report of the Commonwealth Government's Taskforce on Reducing the Regulatory Burden on Business (the Banks Report), released in April 2006, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) have released a consultation regulatory impact statement, for public comment.

Dental Health of Australia's Teenagers and Pre-teen Children: The Child Dental Health Survey, Australia 2003-04 .
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released a new report, Dental health of Australia's teenagers and pre-teen children: The Child Dental Health Survey, Australia 2003-04. The Child Dental Health Survey provides national information on the dental health of children attending school dental services in Australia.

The Australian Newspaper Opinion Piece - 16 January 2010 .
As part of the ADA’s education campaign as to how the ADA believes the Commonwealth Government should improve the delivery of dental care to the community, the following article at was published in The Australian on Saturday.

Teen Dental Plan Benefits Increased .
The Federal Government has indexed the benefit for the Medicare Teen Dental Plan by revoking the Dental Benefits Rules 2008. The new rules - Dental Benefits Rules 2009 -indexes the benefit for the preventative check (item 88000) from $153.45 to $157.00. The new rules start on 1 January 2010.

Keep Mind Full, By Gum .
Researchers from Columbia University in New York are saying that cleaning your teeth could help your mind stay sharp into old age.

New Consultation Paper on Registration Standards and Related Matters .
The Dental Board of Australia, under the authority of Dr John Lockwood, Chair, has released a consultation paper on registration standards and related matters.

Have you Relocated from Overseas into Australia for Work? .
Griffith University researchers are trying to understand what helps relocating couples adjust to life and work after arriving in Australia. If you are interested in participating in the Couples Coping with International Job Relocations research project click to read more.

Swine Flu .
Important Notice to all Patients. Please tell staff immediately if you have flu symptoms.

Health Groups Slam Coca-Cola for Misleading Consumers .
Soft-drink giant Coca-Cola will be required to set the record straight and correct any potentially misleading impressions given by their “Myth Busting” campaign.

FDI joins global campaign to make the United Nations a smokefree place .
The FDI World Dental Federation announced today that it has joined a campaign to make the United Nations (UN) a smokefree place.

Psychological Factors Affect Mouth Concludes Review .
According to a literature review, stress may play a role in the development of periodontal diseases.

Research Summary - Comment .
As in other procedural specialities in health, good eyesight is essential in the practise of dentistry. As part of maintaining eyesight, dentists should ensure that they present for periodic eye examination to screen for any abnormality in visual acuity, accommodation, yellow hue discrimination, or intraocular eye pressure.

Banning amalgam could increase US dental costs by $8 billion a year .
A study in the current issue of the journal Public Health Reports examines the potential economic impact in the US of a ban or restriction on the use of dental amalgam, a material commonly used to fill cavities.

Consumer Price Index – June Quarter 2007 and Dental Services .
The Australian Dental Association notes the latest Consumer Price Index data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

New UK study - Early tooth loss linked to heart disease .
A new study in the UK suggests that young adults who lose their teeth to cavities or gum disease may have an increased risk of dying from heart disease later in life.

New study reveals keeping your teeth clean could help prevent a heart attack .
A team of doctors in Marseille have released new study findings that reveal brushing and flossing your teeth could save you from a heart attack.

Submission to the Australian Communications and Media Authority on the Children’s Television Standards Review .
The Australian Dental Association (ADA) has a commitment to the delivery of oral health care for children. The focus of this submission will be on the impact to children of television advertising in so far as it will concern children’s dental health.

Dentists in rural areas are too thinly spread .
The Australian Dental Association (ADA) calls on the Federal Government to address the maldistribution of the current dental workforce which is negatively impacting on the delivery of services in areas of need such as in rural, regional and remote parts of Australia.

Graphic ‘ice’ ads are shocking but necessary .
The Australian Dental Association (ADA) has put its support behind the Government launch of the graphic ‘ice’ advertisements on TV.

Increase in the EPC Scheme welcomed .
Following Minister Abbott’s announcement today, the Australian Dental Association (ADA) welcomes the Federal Government’s recognition of the role they must play in the improvement of oral health delivery to needy Australians.

Support for piercings bill .
The Australian Dental Association (ADA) supports a plan to come before the Victorian Parliament which would ban people under the age of 18 from having any part of their body pierced without the written consent of their parents or guardian.

Lifestyle: Fitness and Nutrition .
ADA federal president, Dr John Matthews, discusses teeth whitening, electric toothbrushes, and bad breath with Hilary Harper on ABC 774 Melbourne's Lifestyle: Fitness and Nutrition program.

The dangers of not wearing a mouthguard .
After seeing a recent report that an Australian rugby league player’s tooth was found embedded in his opponent’s head, the Australian Dental Association (ADA) stresses the importance of wearing a mouthguard for anyone who participates in a sport that carries a risk of a knock to the face.

Research funding to fight childhood tooth decay .
The Australian Dental Association welcomes the recent announcement by the Queensland Government that Brisbane paediatric dentist, Dr Kerrod Hallett has received research funding to trial a unique test and mouth rinse to prevent childhood dental caries.

Baby boomer retirement and the future of dentistry .
The dental workforce, like the Australian population, is ageing. As the large baby boomer cohort retires dental shortages will likely increase.

Antibacterial Activity of Red and White Wine against Oral Streptococci .
Several studies suggest that moderate wine consumption has beneficial effects on human health.

Proper dental care needed for indigenous children in the NT .
A recent study found that the average number of decayed, missing and filled teeth is higher for Aboriginal compared to non-Aboriginal children.

THERAPEUTIC GUIDELINES: ORAL AND DENTAL .
Reports received have indicated that the publication “Therapeutic Guidelines: Oral and Dental” 2007 Version 1 has been very well received.

TONGUE CANCER - LINK TO PERIODONTITIS .
A report in the archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery adds tongue cancer to list of conditions associated with chronic periodontitis.

Australia Talks - Dr John Matthews .
ADA federal president, Dr John Matthews, discusses the new national survey of oral health care with Paul Barclay on Australia Talks, Radio National's daily talkback program. It's a forum for the discussion of a specific topic with the involvement of expert guests, Radio National specialists and listeners.

Pregnancy and your teeth-what to watch. .
Dr Derek Lewis, Chairman of the Australian Dental Asssociation's Oral Health Committee was recently interviewed about issues regarding pregnancy and oral hygiene. This interview is produced here for your information.

ADA Response to "Staight Talk" Segment of 60 Minutes .
In response to the segment, Straight Talk , which was screened on the current affairs program 60 Minutes on Sunday, 3 Aug 2003, the Australian Dental Association issued the following statement: