ISSUE
newsletter
03 2014/15 Inside... Alumni Profile Meet Dr Barry Harrington - Pg 2
TRINITY SCHOOL OF
Dental Science
Alumni Event 2014 A Look Back, A Look Forward - Pg 3 Mouth, Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Campaign - Pg 4 Research - Pg 4 & 5 International - Pg 6 & 7 Events - Pg 8
Dear alumni & friends, it was a pleasure to welcome so many of you to our last event ‘A Look Back, A Look Forward’ and to see such a great turnout from our alumni community. Professor June Nunn Head of School
We hope that those of you who attended enjoyed your evening with us and that we will be welcoming even more of you this year. We have an ever-growing alumni community and an increasing schedule of events, including the GradLink Mentoring Programme which was launched in January and the Annual Finals dinner which we warmly invite you to attend on 24 June 2015.
As you will see in this newsletter, we are celebrating many achievements from our alumni, staff and students. Our state of the art clinical skills laboratory and expansion of the clinical area has now been completed. We are continuing to be very pro-active in leading research and had the privilege of welcoming many members of the public into the hospital during Discover Research Dublin in September. In this edition of the Newsletter you will also hear from some of our international visiting students who we were delighted to host earlier in the academic year. We hope that you enjoy reading this newsletter and stay in contact with us. If you have any comments or suggestions please forward them to alumni@dental.tcd.ie
Newsletter 2014 – 2015
Alumni Profile Dr Barry Harrington (1967-1972) and later to the Department of Conservative Dentistry (1979-1985).
Dr Barry Harrington
Dr Barry Harrington graduated from the RCSI and Dublin Dental School and Hospital in 1964. Barry worked in general dental practice in Northern Ireland from 1964 until 1966 and then returned to Dublin in 1967. In the same year he was appointed as a part-time Clinical Instructor, attached to Departments of Oral Diagnosis and Conservative Dentistry
5th Year wins prize at IADR Meeting Belfast At the recent Irish Division of IADR Meeting in Belfast (14 November) the Public Dental Health and Health Promotion prize was won by 5th year Dental Science student Deirdre Coffey. Deirdre’s project was entitled “Awareness of Head & Neck cancer in Ireland”.
In 1985 Barry was appointed as Consultant in General Dental Practice at the Dublin Dental School and Hospital. In 1987 he became Consultant Dental Surgeon to the National Centre for Hereditary Coagulation Disorders (NCHCD) at St. James’s Hospital, where he was directly involved in the provision of dental services to patients with haemophilia or other bleeding disorders, as well as patients undergoing oncology treatments. Barry also helped with the setting up, development and provision of dental services to the Prison Service in the six Dublin prisons (1987-1990).
the honour to serve as the President in 1998-1999. Barry was made an Honorary International Member of the American Dental Association in October 1992. Barry is the current chairman of the Statutory Advisory Board for the National Haemophilia Council, to which he was appointed by the former Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly. The Board’s function is to advise and recommend on the optimum provision of treatment and care for persons with haemophilia and related bleeding disorders to the Minister for Health.
It was with the greatest pleasure that The School of Dental Science and Dublin Dental University Hospital presented Barry resigned from his full-time position as Dr Barry Harrington with the Dental Director of Clinics in September 2004, but School Perpetual Teaching Award 2014. remained as a part-time Clinical Instructor, The award was presented by Dr Paul attached to the Departments of Public and Dowling, who stated “If ever there was Child Dental Health, and Oral Surgery, Oral a case of a teddy bear so wanting to Medicine and Oral Pathology (2004-2010). be a grizzly bear, it is Barry Harrington”. Barry became involved in the Council of Barry has held influence over generations the IDA in 1974, as Assistant Secretary. of dentists and has always been so He was nominated by his branch and had kind and generous with his time.
Sensodyne Winner 2014 This year’s Sensodyne Dentist of the Year is our own graduate Dr James Turner, B.Dent Sc. who graduated from the School of Dental Science in 2001. James was nominated by a patient of his who believes that she survived throat cancer due to his role in her diagnosis. As well as winning the overall award, Dr Turner won the Rest of Leinster Regional Award. The Sensodyne Sensitive Dentist of the Year awards invites patients to nominate their dentist if they believe they have gone above and beyond normal patient care. This year, the awards, which are supported by Sensodyne and the Journal of the Irish Dental Association, received over one thousand nominations. Many congratulations to James for this fantastic achievement.
Professor of Oral Medicine Appointed to CORU
Deirdre Coffey and Fionnuala Lundy
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Professor Bernard McCartan (Oral Medicine) has been appointed by the Minister for Education and Skills to the Health and Social Care Professional Council (CORU). CORU is a relatively new body, which will eventually register and regulate a number of health professions including Radiographers, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists and Medical Scientists along with Psychologists and Social Workers.
Prof Bernard McCartan
SCHOOL OF
Dental Science
Alumni Event 2014 A Look Back, A Look Forward The School and Hospital were delighted to welcome over 120 alumni to the Dublin Dental University Hospital for our second annual alumni event which was held on 10 October 2014. The theme of “A Look Back, A Look Forward� provided opportunity to reflect on times past and share aspirations for the future.
The evening involved an exhibition of old pictures of the building and tours of the newly refurbished Clinical Skills Laboratory. Talks by guest speakers Prof Stephen Flint and Dr Martin McAleese were warmly received by the large audience. Prof Flint commenced with an informative talk addressing the development and advancement of the understanding of HIV/AIDS in Ireland in general and with reference to dentistry over the last three decades. Particular reference was made to the virology, (since discovery of the virus in 1984), aetiopathogenesis of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, development of antiviral and other treatment options, oral manifestations of the disease and the impact of this and other blood-borne viral infections on dentistry and dental practice, in the past, currently and in the future. The event continued with Dr Paul Dowling in conversation with Dr Martin McAleese. Looking back at his life growing up in Belfast at the height of the troubles, Dr McAleese recounted many interesting and insightful perspectives.
Libhin Hayes and Prof Stephen Flint
Dr Barry Harrington, Prof June Nunn and Dr Paddy Beausang
Dr Martin McAleese, Emma McAleese and Phelim Lenehan
Shane Duffy, Niamh Molloy and Clodagh Cusack
The formal lectures were followed by the annual teaching awards ceremony. This year the Perpetual Teaching Award was presented to Dr Barry Harrington and The Ena Brooks Memorial Award for Outstanding PartTime Teacher to Dr Paddy Beausang. Our annual alumni event offers staff, alumni and friends a valuable opportunity to gain CPD points and catch up with class mates and colleagues. To ensure you are informed of future events please keep in touch with us. alumni@dental.tcd.ie
Nuala Carney and Alva Hope-Ross
Prof John Clarkson, Dr Frank Houston and Dr Paul Dowling
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Newsletter 2014 – 2015
Mouth, Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Campaign A campaign to promote awareness among the general public and the dental profession about mouth, head and neck cancer began in 2010. On the five annual Mouth Cancer Awareness Days that have happened to date, up to 70% of Irish dental practices have offered free mouth cancer examinations – more than 20,000 free examinations have been carried out and 24 cases of oropharyngeal cancer have been detected. For more information see: MacCarthy et al. Mouth, Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Campaign in Ireland. JIDA 2014;60(4):164 and JIMA (in press).
Word of Mouth Due to demand, there has a been second print of ‘Word of Mouth’, the book launched at our annual alumni event last year, which features the stories of people suffering from mouth, head and neck cancer. A free copy of ‘Word of Mouth’ is also available to download at www.dentalhospital.ie/patients/dental-health-advice/
Local Decontamination Unit The Dental Hospital are delighted to advise that we have recently invested in the building of a local Decontamination Unit, which will be used to educate all our students in relation to best practice in decontamination. For the first time, all undergraduate student disciplines were brought together to receive their introduction to decontamination processes lectures. Our initial rotation into this facility by 2nd year dental science students has been extremely positive and we are in the process of reviewing how this may be rolled out further for other undergraduate disciplines. This project was initiated in response to a Dental Council recommendation as part of their five year course review/approval.
Research Discover Research Dublin at the DDUH The second annual Discover Research Dublin event was held in Trinity College Dublin in September. This is an annual event where members of the public are invited to visit the main research centres in TCD to meet the researchers, listen to public lectures and engage in fun and interactive activities based around research. For the first time, the DDUH played an active role with an event entitled “The Science Behind the Smile”. The event featured a “meet the researchers” event in the hospital foyer where postgraduate researchers from the DDUH presented posters featuring their research. This was followed by a symposium featuring presentations by Dr Michael O’Sullivan on the subject of “The Smile”, Prof David Coleman who spoke about his research into novel disinfection technology for healthcare environments and Dr Padraig McAuliffe who presented his research to develop an electronic “Smart-splint” for remote evaluation of bruxism. The symposium was attended by over 60 individuals including DDUH staff and members of the general public. Planning for next year’s event has already begun and we hope to see many of our alumni there.
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SCHOOL OF
Dental Science
DDUH Researchers achieve major breakthrough in fungal biology Candida species are a group of fungi that are becoming increasingly associated with life threatening infections in immunocompromised patients, as well as common oral and vaginal thrush. Researchers in the DDUH have identified a novel genetic regulator of virulence in these organisms. The team lead by Dr Gary Moran and Prof Derek Sullivan have characterised a family of genes, normally found at the end of chromosomes (telomeres) that regulate key pathogenic traits. The genes, dubbed ‘TLOs’ due to their telomeric location, encode subunits of a complex with a central role in transcription called Mediator. Most organisms possess only one gene encoding this subunit, however, some Candida species have been shown to have multiple copies located at the telomeres. The more
virulent pathogen Candida albicans has 14 copies of the TLO gene whereas the less pathogenic species Candida dubliniensis has only two (TLO1 and TLO2). The team showed that strains of the yeast that were TLO deficient were defective in many pathogenic traits, raising the possibility that TLOs could be a target for novel therapies to control fungal diseases. Ph.D. students, John Haran and Hannah Boyle carried out the majority of the work which has been accepted for publication in the prestigious Journal PLoS Genetics (Impact factor 8.1). Telomeric ORFs (TLOs) in Candida spp. encode Mediator subunits that regulate distinct virulence traits. J. Haran, H. Boyle, K. Hokamp, T. Yeomans, Z. Liu, M. Church, A.B. Fleming, M. Z. Anderson, J. Berman, L.C. Myers, D.J. Sullivan & G.P. Moran, PLoS Genetics, In Press.
Dr Rahul Naidu
International Research Collaboration Receives Prestigious Award Dr Rahul Naidu’s thesis, “The Oral Health of Pre-school Children in Trinidad”, has been awarded the Principal’s Special Award by the University of the West Indies (UWI). This research project was developed through collaboration between the UWI School of Dentistry and the TCD School of Dental Science. The Oral Health in PreSchool Children in Trinidad project was undertaken to gain insight into the issue of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) in preschool children, understand its scope, the factors that make it more likely to occur and determine the most appropriate methods to prevent this disease occurring in young children in Trinidad and Tobago. The main recommendations of the research, which include strategies for caries prevention and methods to promote oral hygiene, have been include in the Ministry of Health’s Oral Health plan for Trinidad and Tobago. Socio-behavioural factors and early childhood caries: a cross-sectional study of preschool children in central Trinidad. Rahul Naidu, June Nunn & Alan Kelly, BMC Oral Health 2013, 13:30. doi:10.1186/1472-6831-13-30.
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Newsletter 2014 – 2015
Trinity Researchers develop automated systems to minimise infection risks from dental chair units Microbiologists from the Dublin Dental University Hospital in collaboration with the Finnish Dental unit manufacturer Planmeca Oy (Helsinki, Finland) have developed a range of automated systems integrated into new designs of dental units that significantly reduce infection risks. These systems include automated disinfection of microorganisms in dental unit waterlines and automated cleaning and decontamination of dental unit suction systems. Dental waterlines supply cooling water to high-speed dental drills and ultrasonic scalers but are universally prone to microbial biofilm contamination, which results in high levels of bacteria in cooling water. These bacteria enter patients’ mouths during dental treatment and are also aerosolised during instrument
use and can be inhaled by patients and dental staff. Dental suction systems are used to remove fluids and debris from the mouth during dental procedures and to reduce the release of aerosols into the environment. Suction systems become contaminated with human microorganisms and blood during use and are notoriously difficult to effectively clean and decontaminate because they contain intricate parts that are frequently shielded from disinfection.
recognised as world leaders in the field of dental unit decontamination systems. Dublin Dental University Hospital & School staff members who contributed to this work include Prof David Coleman, Dr. Mary O’Donnell, Dr. Maria Boyle, and Mr. Jimmy Swan.
This translational collaborative research between the Dental School and Planmeca has provided effective solutions to longstanding dental unit contamination issues and has contributed significantly to minimising infection risks for dental patients and dental staff globally. The Dental School Microbiology Group are
International Meet our Australian Elective Students Shannon De Marie and Mary Todd
Mary Todd and Shannon De Marie
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We have been lucky to be visiting the Dublin Dental Hospital for two weeks in November on an observational visit as part of our undergraduate studies in Perth, Western Australia. As final year students, we are given the opportunity to visit another dental school to experience what dental study is like in another place. Some students travel within Australia, others overseas, and boy are we glad we came to Dublin! The visit was actually quite easy to organise, as the staff at Trinity and the Dublin Dental Hospital were incredibly helpful and encouraging and having Professor of Oral Surgery, Michael O’Halloran back home, who is a Trinity alumnus was also very useful. The Trinity campus was absolutely breath-taking! The architecture and history was astounding, especially for us coming from a country that is only a few hundred years old. The same generous and caring attitude displayed at
the Dental Hospital was present throughout the entire Trinity campus. The sense of community was wonderful. The proximity of the campus to the city was another great aspect of visiting Trinity. It meant we could duck out in our lunch breaks to see the sights (and do some shopping!) and sample some of the tasty Irish food. Observing at the dental school provided us with a fantastic opportunity to experience methods of teaching dentistry in another country. We were fortunate enough to spend time in various clinical disciplines and meet specialists who were kind enough to include us in their clinics. We both can’t wait to return and are seriously considering applying to study as postgraduates in the future to facilitate this! Shannon De Marie and Mary Todd University of Western Australia - Final year dental students.
SCHOOL OF
Dental Science
Eid Celebrations at the Dental Hospital “Eid al-Adha” or the Festival of the Sacrifice is the second of the two religious holidays celebrated each year by many Muslims and Arabs worldwide (pilgrimage season). Considering the supportive environment of multi-culturism and multi-nationalism adopted within the DDUH, it was no surprise to see this institution’s staff and students celebrate such an occasion. To embrace the spirit of giving, which is very much a part of this holiday, a number of the dental students invited DDUH staff for an evening of Arabic cuisine indulgence. The organizers, Marwa Ramden, Noor Kamil, Mohamed Hania, Mustafa Al Mohsen 5th year Dental Science students, hope that they won’t be
here to organize this celebration next year, but that the students in the years below will preserve the tradition that started small and has developed over the last 3 years.
Sana Shinki, Marwa Ramdan, Dr Eilis Delap, Dr Anne Brazil and Noor Kamil
New Jersey Electives: Mustafa Al Mohsen and Mohammed Hania report It was around February last year that we decided that we would like to go on electives during the summer. Dr Clarke presented us with an opportunity to do our electives in the state of New Jersey, America, in Rutgers School of Dentistry. We were immediately sold. We flew to New York on the 4 July which was an exciting experience for our first time being there. On the first day, we had an introduction to the Rutgers School of Dentistry, a
grand tour, met our orientation supervisor Dr Perez and were acquainted with its teaching protocol in all departments. Overall, it was a very rewarding experience in which we learned different practise methods in an immersed setting. We found observing the students in Rutgers very interesting as some of their practises were different to the ones we have here at home. I found the seniors supervising the juniors the most interesting, as it was the most
different aspect of the observership. We would like to thank Dr Clarke and Dr Perez for giving us the opportunity to participate in this wonderful experience and the staff and students of Rutgers University for their warm welcome and accommodating us during our stay with them. We would highly encourage anyone considering electives abroad to consider pursuing an elective in America.
Observing in Malmö – Eileen Flynn 2nd year Dental Hygiene student It was an honour to win the Colgate Travel Bursary Award and have the opportunity to travel to Malmö, Sweden. We greatly enjoyed our time spent observing in the Faculty of Odontology at Malmö University and our experiences in the different dental services that are provided in Sweden. What we enjoyed most was our time spent in the Public Dental ServiceFolktandvården, where we got the opportunity to view the impressive service
which provides regular free dental care to 95-98% of all children and teenagers in Sweden between the ages of 3 and 19.
input into a patient’s treatment which makes us hope that one day, we as Irish hygienists, may be able to do the same.
It was also of great interest to see the differences in the scope of practice, the main difference being that dental hygienists in Sweden are able to work independently from dentists, diagnose dental caries, periodontal disease and plan appropriate treatment. We saw how this gave the hygienist a lot more direct
Our time spent in Malmö was made even more enjoyable by the very friendly staff and students at the Faculty of Odontology at Malmö University. They gave us some great experiences and lovely memories to take home with us.
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Events Finals Dinner 2015 We would like to invite you all to join us at the Annual Finals Dinner on the 24 June 2015. The evening is devoted to a celebration of the students; prizes are awarded by leaders in the dental community. The students will also present the Teacher of the Year Award. Ticket price of €70 includes a wine reception, followed by a four-course dinner. This is an opportunity to re-connect with classmates and academics, to meet our graduating students, and to enjoy a trip down memory lane in the Trinity Dining Hall. If you would like to express an interest in attending please email alumni@dental.tcd.ie
Annual Alumni Events Let us help you organise a class get-together at one of our alumni events: • Alumni Reunion Weekend 21-23 August 2015 • Christmas Commons, December 2015 • Homecoming, 2015 www.tcd.ie/alumni/services/reunions
Remember.
The power of a legacy to Trinity
There’s an old saying that the true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade one does not expect to sit. When you leave a legacy to Trinity however big or small, you’re planting a tree which will grow to provide shelter to many. You’re empowering ground-breaking research which will benefit people in Ireland and all over the world. You’re supporting students from all backgrounds to access a Trinity education. You’re helping preserve our unique campus and heritage for new generations.
When you remember Trinity in your will, you join a tradition of giving that stretches back over 400 years – and reaches far into the future. For more information about leaving a Legacy to Trinity, please contact Eileen Punch.
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