Aquafresh Science Academy

New Aquafresh Enamelock^® Formula, recently launched globally, is a great-tasting dentifrice developed to enhance fluoride delivery and help maximise enamel strength. Using the latest ingredient technology, scientists at GlaxoSmithKline have designed Enamelock^® Formula to maximise fluoride bioavailability by including a modified gum system with Carbopol^® and by minimising the components that inhibit fluoride release and uptake. Suitable for everyday use, Enamelock^® Formula provides daily oral health protection for the whole family.

In Kentucky, USA, although nearly 50% of the state’s children are enrolled in Medicaid, barely a quarter of the dentists accept the insurance; therefore many families are left with few options when it comes to seeing a dentist.

In 2004, Dr Edwin Smith and his team formed ‘Kids First Dental Care’ – a unique school-based dental programme designed to provide access to comprehensive dental treatment for children in Kentucky.

In a pledge to provide support to ‘Kids First Dental Care’, GSK Consumer Healthcare, manufacturer of Aquafresh^® and Sensodyne^®, has donated 10,000 toothbrushes and 30,000 tubes of toothpaste. Dr Smith says he is thrilled by the donation: “This donation from GSK is one of the most generous we have received. These oral care products will be put to good use because we can actually get them directly into the hands of the children who need them the most”.

Oral health researchers gathered in Budapest, Hungary for the 55th ORCA congress. Poster presentation highlights included: a study showing that increasing brushing time and paste quantity increases the post-brushing reservoir of fluoride retained on the oral surfaces; a study into enamel microhardness and fluoride uptake changes in an in vitro caries model; findings which demonstrate the ability of terahertz imaging to detect mineral changes in enamel following remineralisation with fluoride-containing dentifrices; and an evaluation of plaque fluid fluoride retention after dentifrice application.

Read about the symposium presentations made at the International Association for Dental Research Congress held in April 2009 in Miami, USA.

The IADR/GSK Innovation in Oral Care Awards recognise research in innovative oral care technologies that may maintain and improve oral health and the quality of life. In the sixth year of these prestigious awards, three winners each received a $75,000 unrestricted research grant, funded by GSK Consumer Healthcare and administered by the IADR. The winners were: Eric Reynolds, B.Sc., Ph.D., The University of Melbourne School, Melbourne Dental School, Australia; Rena D'Souza, B.D.S., M.S., D.D.S., Ph.D., Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A&M Health Science Center in Dallas, USA; and Sandra Bordin, Ph.D., The University of Washington School of Dentistry, Seattle, USA.

This year, the IADR/GSK Innovation in Oral Care Awards received 28 applications from teams of researchers from around the globe. Each application was reviewed by a panel of experts under the chairmanship of Dr. Mariano Sanz, Dean, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) Dental School

Continuing the mission of advancing research and increasing knowledge for the improvement of oral health, the 87th General Session of the IADR featured thousands of scientific abstracts and several cross-collaborative symposia.

Poster presentation highlights included: a study into the effect of brushing time on plaque removal from less-accessible areas; a study to evaluate the normal tooth brushing habits of children; an in situ remineralization, fluoride uptake and retention study; and a study exploring the efficacy of an experimental dentifrice in a demin-/remineralization caries model.

GlaxoSmithKline is currently supporting dental health in the Philippines, through the ‘Fit for School’ programme – an essential health care package which addresses the diseases most prevalent among the country’s children:

• • 97% of schoolchildren aged 6 years have dental caries
• • two thirds are infected with intestinal worms, and
• • one third has a body mass index categorised as below normal.

The ‘Fit for School’ programme combines the promotion of tooth brushing with subsidised fluoride toothpaste, daily hand-washing with soap, and twice-yearly deworming in order to combat these diseases.

Caries and its associated pain can have adverse effects on a child’s eating – and therefore nutrition, weight and height – sleeping, school attendance and academic performance. It is hoped that promoting good oral health through the ‘Fit for School’ scheme will help the Philippines to achieve a broad range of child-related development goals.

Each year, the IADR/GSK Innovation in Oral Care Awards recognise research in innovative oral care technologies that may maintain and improve oral health and the quality of life. In 2008, the fifth year of these prestigious awards, the winners were: Urban Hagg, D.D.S. of The Prince Philip Dental Hospital, University of Hong Kong, China; Keith Kirkwood, D.D.S., Ph.D., Microbiology and Immunology of the Medical University of South Carolina; and David Wong, D.M.D., D.M.Sc., of the University of California at Los Angeles School of Dentistry.

2008's award winners, chosen from 35 applications from teams of researchers from around the globe, share a $225,000 unrestricted research grant, which is funded by GSK Consumer Healthcare and administered by the IADR.

Continuing the mission of advancing research and increasing knowledge for the improvement of oral health, the 86th General Session of the IADR featured more than 3,000 scientific abstracts and several cross-collaborative symposia. Dental researchers were invited to present their own studies, while learning about the latest dental, oral and craniofacial research throughout the congress.

Poster presentation highlights included: results of a study comparing the gingival margin cleaning and subgingival access efficacy of toothbrushes; evidence on the impact of enamel surface roughness on dietary stain acquisition; and a discussion of the inhibition of artificial lesions by sodium tripolyphosphate.

Oral health researchers gathered at the 37th Annual Meeting and Exhibition of the AADR in Dallas, Texas. Poster presentation highlights included: a discussion on the effect of silica abrasivity and sodium tripolyphosphate on tooth stain removal in vivo; the results of a study comparing Aquafresh® White Trays™ to Crest Whitestrips® Premium™ in tooth whitening efficacy and safety; and an evaluation of consumers' perception of tooth whitening and brightening by Aquafresh® White Trays™ Revive™.

Recently launched in France, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, Aquafresh iso-active® foaming gel is proven to remove significantly more bacteria compared with ordinary toothpaste to deliver a superior whole mouth clean.

Delegates at IADR/CED Congress in Greece reviewed new clinical trial data and the latest thinking in addressing oral malodor at a symposium meeting in September 2007.