Workers in dental nurse jobs could help diagnose hundreds of thousands of people who have type 2 diabetes but do not know it.

A quick and simple finger prick test could be carried out on people who visit their dentist or optician, which will help identify some of the 850,000 people in the UK who are estimated to have the condition but don`t realise it.

Researchers say the screening method would mean that people at high-risk of getting the condition, such as those with a high waist circumference or those aged over 40, but who do not normally visit their GP, would be able to receive the test.

A study, published in the British Journal of General Practice, found that out of every 1,000 people in these high-risk groups who were given the prick test while visiting an optician, nearly 32% were referred on to their GP because of high blood sugar results.

A total of 1,002 people took part in the study. Some 318 were advised to see their doctor for further tests and an additional five were recommended to see their GP urgently. Of these, 162 visited their GP, 138 of whom had further investigations, nine were diagnosed with pre-diabetes and seven with diabetes.

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People in or training for dental jobs will soon be able to hone their skills by practicing on virtual patients on the South Coast.

Trainees starting out in the trade will benefit from a fully equipped dental simulation suite at the Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust. Experienced dental workers will also be able to develop new techniques at the facility without having to worry about hurting their patients.

The suite will include a bank of floating heads, each with a full set of teeth and mouths wide open, that dentists can carry out work on. It will be the closest new dentists will come to working under actual clinical conditions without carrying out work on a real life patient.

Located in the education centre at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, the suite comes fully equipped with dental simulation units, integrated flexible audio visual aids and a decontamination sterilisation area.

The opening of the suite on June 24 will be attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of Winchester, who will be able to see for themselves how dentists are benefiting from this service.

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011

Over a quarter of adults choose the type of dental treatment they have based on cost, a new survey has revealed.

According to the Adult Dental Health Survey, 26% of people said price has influenced whether they underwent treatments, while 19% admitted to putting off having treatment for the same reason.

Around 12% of respondents said they do not undergo treatment because they suffer from dental anxiety, while 20% said they were unsatisfied with their last visit.

People who choose to use NHS dentists do so because of location or recommendations, but the main reason is because of affordability, 63% of adults said.

Tim Straughan, chief executive of The NHS Information Centre, said: "This latest report provides a more detailed picture of the dental health of the population, focussing on patterns and determinants of dental health, disease and service use which will be of particular interest to policy makers and regional health planners."

The survey, which has been conducted every decade since 1968, was commissioned and published by the NHS Information Centre.

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011

Patients who hate the sound of a dentist`s drill could be offered relief with a new device.

Scientists based at London universities have collaborated to develop a gadget to drown out the sound of the drill with the patient`s favourite music.

Nervous visitors to the dentist can simply unplug their headphones, connect the device to their MP3 player and then plug their headphones into the device.

The tool has been specially designed to filter out the high pitch of the drill, but allows patients to still hear what dentists and other staff are saying to them.

A microphone and a chip within the device analyses the incoming sound wave and produces an inverted wave to cancel out unwanted noise.

Technology called adaptive filtering "locks on" to sound waves and removes them, even if the amplitude and frequency of the drill change as it is being used.

Experts from King`s College London, Brunel University and London South Bank University are hoping to attract funding from an investor to develop the device further.

It was initially the brainchild of Professor Brian Millar at King`s College London.

Prof Millar said: "Many people put off going to the dentist because of anxiety associated with the noise of the dentist`s drill.

"But this device has the potential to make fear of the drill a thing of the past.

"The beauty of this gadget is that it would be fairly cost-effective for dentists to buy, and any patient with an MP3 player would be able to benefit from it, at no extra cost.

"What we need now is an investor to develop the product further, to enable us to bring this device to as many dental surgeries as possible, and help people whose fear of visiting the dentist stops them from seeking the oral healthcare they need."

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011