The company behind it CSL from Australia say they are in advanced stages of development.
The current stage is trials on mice, a few years down the line, human trials will occur if everything runs smoothly.
The company’s chief scientific officer, Dr Andrew Cuthbertson, said:

‘It has taken over 10 years to develop the vaccine to this stage.
The plan is to develop the vaccine, and to have an antibiotic gel that those with existing gum disease can use.’

The research has been continuing in a collaboration between the University of Melbourne and CSL, under the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Oral Health Science.

Professor Eric Reynolds, who is head of the university’s dental school and chief of the CRC, said:

“the development of specific products to kill off the bacteria or prevent the gum infection would be a significant oral health breakthrough.”

This really would be one of the biggest things to happen in dentistry. Watch this space, we’ll be sure to keep you informed, every step of the way. I think dentists’ jobs will be safe forever, no matter what!

The study was carried out involving 200 men and women over the age of 45. Those who took part in the study did not have any known cardiovascular problems, or at risk of imminent heart attack.
During a standard visit to their dentists in Boras and Gothenburg they were checked out for known risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Mats Jontell is a senior dental officer and professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden.
He had this to say:
“Dentists are really proud of their profession and feel no need to encroach upon doctors’ territory, however, we wanted to find out if we as a profession could identify patients at risk of cardiovascular disease.”

“These risk factors are not normally manifested in the mouth, which is why the dentists went beyond their normal check-up routine,” says Jontell. “They also took the patients’ blood pressure and checked total cholesterol and blood sugar levels.”

The risk of cardiovascular disease was worked out using a software known as HeartScore. The dentists felt that 12 of the men had a 10% risk of developing a fatal cardiovascular disease over the next 10 years and advised them to see their doctors. Six of the twelve were subsequently prescribed medication to lower their blood pressure.

“Dentists regularly see a very large percentage of the Swedish population, and if there is sufficient interest they could also screen for cardiovascular risk factors which, untreated, could lead to a heart attack or stroke,” says Jontell.

Colgate decided to do some research in the area of consumer perceptions regarding dentistry and oral health. We have shared their research here. It is interesting for dentists and dental practice owners to take note of how technology and the internet is shaping peoples perceptions and knowledge.

People will more and more go first to the internet for information. If you are invisible online as a dental business or as a dental professional then it is likely as time goes on it will harm you more and more.

This also holds true for individuals throughout the world in their day to day like. With the onslaught of blogs and social networking sites such as facebook and youtube, your online presence has never been so important.

In line with the Colgate Report here are three predictions for the future:

Your Online Presence:

The ubiquitous nature of social networking will continue with people increasingly starting to develop ‘online personas’ that can bear little resemblance to real life and first impressions becoming all the more important. The ‘perfect smile’ will start to be seen as a key indicator of success in other areas of life.

Early indicators:
• 40% of people interviewed viewed a good personal appearance to be as important as health and happiness
• 54% of people interviewed believed oral health to be essential for making a good impression
• In 2009, Snappy Snaps reported a 550% increase in requests for airbrushing, fuelled by people wanting to improve their image on social networking sites

Technophiles:

Advances in mobile technology look set to help people to work within their busy lifestyles to help maintain their oral hygiene. With handsets already available which allow people to monitor their weight, eating habits, exercise and blood pressure, the invention of a device that can check everything from plaque and bacteria to infection and recovery seems likely in the near future.

Early Indicators:
• 40% of over 50’s interviewed believed that online or virtual technology would be able to help their future health needs
• The University of Liverpool has designed gadget called Inspektor K which allows people to see plaque build-up usually invisible to human eye
• Researchers in the US have discovered the gene which controls the growth of tooth enamel. According to the British Dental Health Foundation this could lead to the repair of damaged teeth with a layer of new enamel

Remote Dentistry:

Lifestyles of the British 20-somethings are increasingly dictated by the need to be constantly connected to the internet. These consumers expect health products and services to mould to their lifestyle rather than dictate their behaviour. In line with other health practitioners, dentists are increasing their services to guide self-treatment, self diagnosis and home monitoring in response demands of the ‘time-poor’ public.

Thanks to advances in communications technology, this will become a daily occurrence over the next 10 years.

Early Indicators:
• The development of the NHS Direct/Choices websites and helplines. These give people access to credible information, online help and diagnosis and patient reviews on services. According to research, NHS Direct takes more than eight million calls per year.
• PayPal research has discovered that 36% of Britons currently clarify their medical queries online
• Oral health problems are currently the second most common reason for calling NHS Direct