Hit BBC comedy My Family has supplied a new dental surgery in Bangladesh with the equipment they used on set for ten years. The programme – which starred Robert Lindsay and Zoe Wanamaker – centred around the Harper family, whose patriarch Ben was a dentist, it ended in 2011, after a decade on BBC one. For the duration of the series, the surgical equipment that made up the set for Dr Harper’s surgery was rented from UK-based company The Dental Directory, and was subsequently returned when the series concluded last year.

Around the same time as My Family was coming to an end, the Japanese Embassy in Bangladesh was hoping to provide the Aloshikha Maria Mother and Child Health Care Clinic with suitable equipment to get it up and running, but they lacked funding. There were more than a thousand children already enrolled at the Aloshikha centre, with almost a third of them suffering from tooth decay, and a tenth in constant pain from dental problems. When The Dental Directory received the barely -used equipment back from the BBC, they generously passed it on to the Dentaid foundation; a project set up to furnish two surgeries in Bangladesh. Thanks to twenty-three Lions Clubs (a world-wide charitable organisation), £3,500 was also raised to help purchase all the necessary tools to provide children in the area with the care they need.

Dentaid thanked it’s supporters at both The Dental Directory and the Lions Clubs.

A molar removed from the mouth of John Lennon in the sixties is set to go up for auction, with a predicted sale price of around £30,000.The tooth is the ultimate collectors item for any fan of the fab four, and was passed on to Lennon’s housekeeper, Dot Jarlett, after it was extracted because it was decaying. Dot’s son, Barry, explained that Lennon had brought the extracted tooth home from the dentist wrapped in paper and asked Dot to throw it away, before adding ‘As your daughter’s a Beatles fan, you can give it to her as a souvenir.’ He went on to say that his sister has kept the tooth safe all these years and that ‘It is something that we felt was very personal.’

Barry praised the late Beatle for the generosity he showed to his mother, saying ‘He treated her like family, because he didn’t really have a very big family and he really looked after my mum, he used to call her Aunty Dot.’ Dot has previously sold several of Lennon’s belongings, including the jacket he wore for the cover picture of ‘Rubber Soul.’

The fifty-year-old molar comes with a signed document of authenticity, and will be opened to bidders on the 5^th of November in Stockport. Bets placed with Ladbrokes show that the current predicted price is a little over £30,000. Ladbrokes spokesperson, Alex Donohue, was confident that the tooth would peak buyers interest, saying ‘We’re convinced bidders are going to get their teeth stuck into this lot.’

Glasgow and Dundee Universities have jointly been awarded £132,000 from the Scottish Funding Council in order to tackle ongoing issues with their dental services. The money is expected to go towards improving the treatment for oral cancer and birth defects like cleft palates. Joint initiatives between the two schools are also thought to be on the agenda, pooling their resources to build research programmes and seek additional funding.

Dean of dentistry at Dundee University, Prof. Mark Hector, spoke about the ‘unenviable reputation’ that Scotland held in the UK and throughout Europe, referring to it’s poor treatment of oral diseases like caries and cleft lips, as well as some types of cancer.
He said; ‘This funding will facilitate a greater level of effective collaboration between experts in dental research and dental public health at the universities of Dundee and Glasgow to accelerate progress towards finding solutions to such problems and implementing them with a beneficial impact on the health of the population of Scotland and beyond. ’

 Head of the Dental School at the University of Glasgow was in agreement, saying that the money would present them with ‘an excellent opportunity’ to improve their services and build on their research platforms. He added; ‘It will ensure that there is synergy and a sharing of expertise, which will help both institutions to deliver research outputs relevant to the Scottish population and enhance their positions and research reputations within the UK and internationally. ’

Brushing teeth for at least two minutes a day can prevent tooth decay and the possible need for emergency dentistry to repair cavities, one expert has claimed.

Dr Andrew Choi encouraged parents to instil a good dental hygiene routine from a young age to prevent problems in the future, the Orange County Register reports.

He said: “If you’re brushing your kid’s teeth for a minute in the morning and a minute at night, there’s no reason they should have cavities.”

The specialist explained that the longer – and therefore more thoroughly – teeth are cleaned the less likely problems are to arise.

It was recommended that adults begin looking after a youngster’s teeth as soon as they appear and reduce the number of sugary drinks they give them.

Medical News Today recently claimed that tooth decay is the most common childhood disease and could affect other aspects of their daily life.

Dental experts have warned parents about the importance of oral hygiene in their offspring, claiming it is not just crucial to maintain healthy teeth, but to prevent other diseases as well.

Margo Woll and Marcy Borofsky, co-directors of Smile Illinois-Mobile Dentists, claimed that tooth decay is prevalent in children and is the most common chronic disease they suffer from, the Daily Republican Register reports.

They encouraged people to recognise the importance of good oral health care among youngsters, not just to prevent emergency dentistry, but to also avoid other numerous complications that could arise as a result.

The specialists said: “We also know poor oral health causes other problems in children, such as diminished growth in toddlers, poor nutrition due to difficulty eating and an increase in bacteria in the blood and respiratory systems.”

A recent study by the National Dental Inspection Programme found that dental health awareness had improved in Scottish kids as fewer than the expected target were showing signs of decay.

Avoiding excessive amounts of sugar is vital for maintaining long-term oral health care, according to one expert.

Damage to tooth enamel is irreversible, associate professor Bernadette Drummond from Otago University’s School of Dentistry, told the National.

She said: “If you dissolve the surface of your teeth there is nothing you can do – it is gone.”

The specialist warned parents that children and teenagers who consume excessive amounts of high sugar items will have corroded teeth and require cosmetic dentistry to prevent further damage.

Ms Drummond recommended having fruit juice no more than once or twice a day and trying not to give very acidic products to youngsters.

She explained how once the harm has been done the only option left is to place crowns on the teeth, which they will have to wear for the rest of their lives.

Dr Philippa Sawyer, chairwoman of the Australian Dental Association oral health committee, recently commented that individuals were often unaware of what foods they should be keeping away from in order to prevent tooth decay, the Herald Sun reported.

To protect teeth from developing decay one industry commentator has spoken of the importance of using fluoride toothpaste.

Social activist Michael Vaughan has encouraged people to protect against rotting teeth and gum disease which could result in tooth loss and the need for cosmetic dentistry.

He recommended regular brushing to prevent the build-up of plaque which if left untreated can cause teeth to fall out and harm to the jaw bones.

Bad dental hygiene can increase the risk of cavities caused by bacteria that damages the enamel, he explained.

Mr Vaughan suggested using fluoride toothpaste to help reduce the chance of this and prevent infected gums.

Dental expert Dr Albert Wesley recently advised patients to have dental implants fitted to replace missing teeth rather than opt for traditional bridge work, wxyz.com reported.

He stated that the procedure was cost effective in the long-term as the crowns would need to be replaced less frequently than the customary alternatives.

A study of children being treated for dental cavities has further confirmed among experts that poor nutritional choices are to blame for the number of children needing emergency dentistry.

The University of Buffalo carried out tests on 65 children aged between two and five years of age and found that tooth decay was more prevalent in those who were overweight.

Kathleen Bethin, associate professor of pediatrics at the university, explained that the research aimed to assess if there was a link between poor nutritional choices, obesity and rotten teeth.

She said: “The main point of our findings is that poor nutrition may link obesity to tooth decay, thus the dental office … may be an ideal place to educate families about nutrition and the risks of … dental decay.”

The results showed that the amount of calories were the same in both groups of children, suggesting the types of foods being eaten was the main cause of problems, Ms Bethin claimed.

Having more water fountains in parks was recently suggested as a way to help combat poor oral hygiene by the Children’s Food Campaign, which claimed lack of resources encouraged kids to drink sugary alternatives.

A new tax on chewing gum could increase the amount of people who have to receive cosmetic dentistry in the UK, it has been suggested.

Conducted by Saga, a study found that many people over the age of 50 are keen for the government to impose a tax on chewing gum to help fund a clean-up operation on the streets of Britain.

However, Dentistry.co.uk explains this could have a negative impact on the nation’s oral health.

The benefits of chewing sugarfree gum are recognised by the British Dental Association and dentists advocate it as a way of fighting tooth decay.

The news provider quotes the British Dental Health Foundation as stating: “Chewing gum makes your mouth produce more saliva, which in turn cancels out the acid produced in your mouth after drinking and eating.”

It seems as though some people in Scotland could benefit from using chewing gum, as a study recently conducted by Implantium Network found those living north of the border have the greatest number of missing teeth in the UK.

Tap water can help teeth stay strong.

Fluoridated tap water is “excellent” for helping teeth remain strong and healthy, it has been claimed.

It has been reported that while tooth enamel is very strong, a lack of nutrients in the diet and the consumption of highly acidic or sugary foods can erode this protective layer over time.

As such, drinking plenty of fluoridated tap water is a good way of maintaining strong enamel and helping the teeth to stay healthy.

Most households across the UK will have access to fluoridated tap water and therefore people have been advised to switch to this beverage, rather than drinking sugary soft drinks.

Elsewhere, Kitchener dentist Harry Hoediono recently told the Record that water should be a key ingredient of every healthy diet, as not only does it help to keep the body hydrated, but it also washes away debris in the mouth and restores natural pH levels after eating and drinking.