New plasma brush ‘painlessly does the work of a dentist’s drill in under 30 seconds’

The days of anxiously listening to the sound of a dentist’s drill in the waiting room could soon be over – American researchers are confident that a noiseless, painless alternative to this instrument of fear could be available as early as 2013.

The ‘non-thermal argon plasma brush’ might be quite a mouthful to say but it could have enormous benefits for the health of teeth.

When a patient has a cavity, dentists normally use a drill to prepare the teeth for the filling.  Root canal treatment maybe need to repair and save a tooth that is badly decayed. In some situations repeated filling can damage the tooth beyond repair; the only option then is to pull the tooth.

Dr Glafcos Tombolis of Putney dentist Ethicare said: “The answer to the question of whether a tooth can withstand another filling depends on how much of the tooth structure remains. You can’t just leave bacteria to develop in a tooth but the more of a tooth which is made up of a filling then the greater the likelihood of that tooth being lost.”

This is an issue which researchers at the University of Missouri involved with developing the new plasma brush have been keen to address. They believe that their invention can use plasma to provide teeth with a longer-lasting bonding material, one which is “60 per cent stronger” than current fillings. This, the scientists insist, could reduce the number of teeth which are lost as a result of repeat fillings.

So what does the brush look like? If you click on this University of Missouri link you can see that the device resembles a large marker pen; its tip glowing a turquoise colour as it makes contact with the teeth.

Andrew Ritts, a senior scientist with Nanova, Inc, the company which is helping develop the new technology, can be seen happily testing the brush on video footage contained on the university’s website.

He said: “You shouldn’t feel anything. It should feel like cold air being blown on you. Often I will put my hands under the brush’s flame and it will feel cool compared to my hand temperature.”

The brush cleans the bacteria on a damaged tooth by accelerating ions which bombard the bacteria cell wall and break it, causing the bacteria to die.

The scientists involved in the research are confident that this won’t damage the bulk tooth though they concede that a drill might still need to be used to “assist in the filling process”.

With lab trials having been completed, the next phase of research will concentrate on further human trials with all involved in the trials hopeful that the plasma brush could be made available to dentists by 2013.

If you can’t wait until 2013 to improve your dental health then there is some other good news you might be interested in. Research conducted by the Israel Institute of Technology, which was published in January 2012, suggests that green tea – which was first consumed in China 4,000 years ago – can help destroy harmful bacteria in the mouth; guarding against bad breath and improving oral health.

It seems that bacteria in mouths is currently facing attack from both modern technology and ancient drinks!

Photo by Dixie Road Rash

Will older patients receive the dental care they need in 8 years’ time?

How old will you be in 2020? If you are due to reach pensionable age within the next decade then your teeth might well need special attention – attention that the British Dental Association (BDA) is rightly determined to ensure that you receive.

The BDA has put together a report called 2020 Vision: Oral Healthcare for Older People which forecasts the level of oral healthcare on offer to older people in 2020 and makes a number of key recommendations.

Commenting on the need for the report, Ian Wylie, chief executive of the BDA, points out: “Not only are people living longer but, thanks to improvement in dental care, many more of us will keep our teeth for life.”

This is a desirable situation but more old people with more natural teeth certainly presents more challenges for the dentistry industry and the government as it tries to satisfy the demands of a highly health-conscious and savvy section of society.

Luckily, improvement in dental care has been made possible by the increased affordability and availability of treatments such as Invisalign, Inman Aligner and dental implants. London dentist Ethicare has helped many of its older patients benefit from these procedures.

Nationwide research has shown that older patients are increasingly prepared to take preventative oral health measures – the 1998 Adult Dental Health survey found that adults aged over 55 were twice as likely to have regular dental check-ups than they were in 1978.

An ageing population: the stats

There are certainly many more elderly people around than there were in 1978 and this trend is expected to continue. Thanks mainly to a combination of increased life expectancy and falling birth rate, by 2020 the proportion of the UK population aged 65 and over is expected to rise from the current 16 per cent to 20 per cent.

This demographic trend, the BDA predicts, will result in a rise in the numbers of older people who need complex restorations to retain as many of their natural teeth as possible.

BDA recommendations

The BDA has drawn up a list of 21 recommendations which it would like to see implemented by the government and the dentistry industry within the next two years.

These recommendations include:

• Making free examinations available to patients aged 65+ across the UK
• Conducting research, including controlled trials, to explore methods of encouraging effective self-care by older people
• Teaching undergraduate dental students about complete and partial dentures and giving them experience of visiting care homes

Ethnicity, old people and oral health

The BDA is also keen to stress the demographics within the ageing population. For instance, as the population of older people is growing larger it is also becoming “ethnically more diverse”.

Partly as a result of first and second-generation immigrants reaching old age, the proportion of minority ethnic groups in England rose from six per cent to nine per cent in 1991.

This trend could have implications because research conducted by Acheson in 1988 found that “ethnic minority communities have generally worse health”.

Further research from the Department of Health in 1999, suggested that members of these communities are less likely to visit the dentist.

Gender, old people and oral health

Women have a longer life expectancy than men and also have different issues relating to oral health care needs. The 1998 General Household Survey found that females aged over 85 are less likely to use dental services than men in the same age category were.

Research conducted by Professor Anthea Tinker in 2002 showed that elderly women in this age bracket have more mobility issues than men do and “are more likely to suffer anxiety and depression”.

Such issues inevitably affect access to vital dental services.

Dry mouth

A number of medicines prescribed to older people suffering from dementia, particularly ones available in ‘syrup form’, can affect oral health by causing side effects such as ‘dry mouth’. Thankfully, the BDA notes that, the development of newer, tablet-form, drugs, cause fewer oral health drawbacks.

High expectations and hope for the future

Such breakthroughs in the world of medicine will help health professionals meet the increasingly high oral health care expectations of health-conscious Brits – expectations which do not seem to diminish with age. The 1998 Adult Dental Health Survey found that a growing proportion of those aged over 55 “expect to keep some of their natural teeth for life”.

This would have seemed like a ridiculous ambition in 1968 when, according to the BDA, “only a small number of people of pensionable age had any teeth at all”. Today, over half of all pensioners have some of their natural teeth.

People are working harder than ever to look after their teeth and are enjoying sound oral health deeper into their lives than ever before. With a little help from the government and the dentistry profession, there is every chance that this will still be the case in 2020.