THE D3 GROUP NEWS
News and meetings: A breakthrough for the pathogenesis of Molar Hypomin
June, 2020
A breakthrough study into the pathological origins of "chalky enamel" was published in June by D3G's lead biomedical researchers in Melbourne. The study builds on an initial discovery published in 2010 and since followed up by 3 postgrad projects. Scientific responsibility mandates that, having discovered what appears to be an important new path, it should be followed some distance before publishing. And from a social-good perspective, ideally one should've prepared a "translational nest in which to lay the scientific egg" (cf. D3G's cross-sector online education resource and international network. The new pathological path seemingly holds much promise for Molar Hypomin prevention
and more. A gentle introduction and free download are available here
and in the Lab Feature below. A fuller report appears in our members'
newsletter (Join D3G).
D3 in the clinic: Does childhood asthma cause MH?
June, 2020
A potential association between asthma and demarcated opacities – and hence Molar Hypomin – was first investigated by Grace Suckling
33 years ago. No strong link was found and multiple studies since have been inconclusive. A causal link seems attractive because both conditions are common in children, and some maintain MH prevalence is increasing like that of asthma, but a pathomechanistic hypothesis is lacking. In 2010, D3 friend Dorte Haubek used medical records to reveal a possible link with severe cases of MH. In a new study, they bolstered their approach by using older children, a larger group of subjects, and several medical variables to assess aetiological confounding. Moreover, the hypothesis that corticosteroids might affect enamel formation was tested. Remarkably, 37% of 9-year olds had used asthma drugs, but no overall association was found with MH. An initial link with corticosteroid disappeared after consideration of confounding factors. Read more here. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter (Join D3G).
D3 In The Lab: Breakthrough – what makes enamel chalky?
June, 2020
Medical scientist Bernhard Gottlieb first addressed what makes enamel chalky 100 years ago. This question and the allied mystery of why "chalky spots" are sporadic has remained enigmatic since. Growing evidence that chalky enamel is the principal risk factor for childhood tooth decay makes medical prevention of chalky opacities a research priority. A 40-year dogma associates hypomineralisation with injured ameloblasts but, for the idiopathic demarcated opacities of Molar Hypomin, a logical connection to systemic causes has been sorely lacking. A 2010 D3G study showed that chalky enamel was predominated by serum albumin but it remained unclear whether albumin actually caused the chalkiness (porosity) rather than later sticking adventitiously to existing porosity. Rebecca Williams addressed this tricky question by developing a new biochemical test and showing that chalky enamel from 6-year molars contains traces of alpha-fetoprotein, a "baby albumin" that disappears from blood during early infancy. This breakthrough finding directly links albumin to the medical onset of MH in babies and shifts attention to enamel mineralisation being "poisoned" by localised exposure to tissue fluid or blood. Read more here. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter (Join D3G).
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'SPEAK CHALKY TEETH' pilot
June, 2020
The 'We Fight Chalky Teeth' (WFCT) initiative started in 2017 with a specialist practice network 'Down Under'. An allied 'translational language' (lingo) venture, that facilitates discussion of D3 matters in plain language and is available to everyone in the healthcare community, appealed. However 'chalky terminology' first had to be legitimised from a clinico-scientific perspective. Hence academic and social histories were developed for "chalky terms" and surprisingly found to extend back 100 years (here). With science and history onside, it was opportune to launch a 'Speak Chalky Teeth' pilot seeking thoughts about utility and branding/revenue opportunities.
A new translational tool for troubled terminology
May, 2020
The academic literature and live encounters reveal that, despite D3G's readily accessible tutorial, many practitioners and researchers still struggle with the distinctions between hypoplasia and hypomineralisation. So we thought "why not make a joke about it?". Effectiveness of the ensuing cartoon is now being gauged via early deployments under D3 terminology and the Toronto D3 symposium. Feedback welcomed.
D3G culture and values statement
May, 2020
National Indigenous Reconciliation week in Australia triggered consideration of the culture and values D3G may wish to pursue as an international community. Recent progress with Black Lives Matter provides further impetus. A draft "D3G culture & values" section combining retrospective acknowledgement with prospective thoughts on collaborative future-building is now online. Feedback will be highly valued.
A century of chalky enamel research
May, 2020
It was exciting to find a 1920 research article describing "chalky enamel" at length. Bernhard Gottlieb, an eminent medical scientist who instigated the field of oral histopathology, addressed "enamel hypoplasia" using specimens from young children overcome by various diseases of that era including rickets. Remarkably, the report refers to "chalky enamel" and "chalky spots" that "crumble" easily and introduced two key questions about pathomechanism that persist today. It's evident the enamel lesions were a mixture of (true) hypoplasias and hypomineralised opacities. Hence Gottlieb used D3G's chalky teeth lingo to describe demarcated opacities and post-eruptive breakdown 100 years ago! While realising the field has made significant progress since, we hope the next century will see stronger pace and outcomes! Read more here and here. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Toronto symposium rejigged
April, 2020
Due to COVID-19, our D3 symposium advertised for October 22-24 in Toronto will now be an online pre-symposium workshop (same dates). In turn, the symposium is rescheduled for May 6-9, 2021 in Toronto. We regret any inconvenience and ask for patience as we continue to prioritise health and safety.
Proposal for Publication Standards project
April, 2020
We happily report that a recent query about research publication quality (see March feature: Learning from mistakes) led to totally positive feedback and agreement that D3G should take a lead in developing publication standards (and providing reviewers) for the D3 field. Thanks to all concerned, and particularly D3er Kevin Donly (AAPD president) and Pediatric Dentistry Journal editor Noel Childers for encouraging this new development.
2019 bibliography and prevalence updates
March, 2020
The Molar Hypomin bibliography and prevalence pages have had their annual updates. About 60 peer-reviewed papers appeared in 2019 which, although only a minor increase on 2018, cements an impressive doubling of publication rate over 5 years (graph). Regards MH prevalence, there are now 20 studies across 11 countries for 2-year molars, and 121 studies from 47 countries for 6-year molars – giving average prevalences of 9% and 15%, respectively. Pleasingly, a growing number of authors are citing this online resource which holds several advantages over traditional review articles.
Featured article: Silver diamine fluoride and MH
March, 2020
A question commonly faced by those managing non-severe cases of Molar Hypomin (MH) is how to control the toothache many children suffer when eating and toothbrushing. To combat this sensitivity, dental practitioners generally try products developed for management of decay (fluorides, calcium phosphates, sealants) but these often prove inadequate on MH. Consequently, keen interest surrounds the rapidly growing use of silver fluorides to control dentine sensitivity and arrest decay. A review about the use of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) in dental practice co-authored by D3G friend Nicola Innes provides a well-balanced tour through key aspects and issues. Although focussed on UK practice, formulations and licensing restrictions in other countries are also noted. The authors state SDF "may also be useful for permanent molar teeth with MIH, as blocking the dentine tubules may reduce sensitivity". However, no research is cited leaving questions regards effectiveness of SDF against enamel sensitivity in MH and whether the permanent black staining of advanced decay extends to non-severely hypomineralised enamel? Read more here. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter (Join here).
Featured article: Learning from mistakes
March, 2020
With D3G becoming not only a respected place of learning but also a friendly forum where sensitive topics can be raised, we thought it constructive to critique a recent publication that's triggered discontent amongst some D3 experts. The main grumble relates to an erroneous interpretation of what constitutes Molar-Incisor Hypomineralisation or MIH (aka "chalky 6-year molars"). With over 100 prevalence studies as guidance, it's a given that MIH pertains to permanent teeth and unknown (idiopathic) causation only. It's surprising the authors chose to include primary teeth and not exclude a subject with cleft palate given hypomin in the latter is often attributable to surgical trauma. The reported prevalence of "MIH" (10%) should be 8% if both exclusions are made, and cannot be compared legitimately with literature that's "obeyed the MIH rules". A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Postponement of April CE event in Toronto
March, 2020
Unfortunately the April CE event in Toronto has been postponed due to the pandemic crisis.
Ground-breaking donation from Pacific Smiles Group
February, 2020
In an amazing D3-world-first, the Pacific Smiles Group (PSG) ran a fundraiser at their annual practitioner conference and produced a stunning $10,000 donation for D3G. Spurring the giving, an artist wowed all by producing 3 artworks for auction – each within the 3 minutes taken to play a song of its famous subject. PSG is a pace-setting dental service organisation with over 90 practices across eastern Australia, all of which have Sam's Storybook to hand. This emergent educational collaboration is unique for the sector and traces back to a GC Australasia function where D3-Mike met D3er Caroline Townsend, a PSG regional leader with first-hand concerns about Molar Hypomin. Mutual admiration has since grown around several shared values including the spectacular "family spirit" evident at the conference. A special thanks to PSG practitioners and exhibiting companies for their generosity, and to PSG leadership (including D3ers Alison Hughes and Melissa Dorn, and pivots Walter Reid, Alex Abrahams and Phil McKenzie) for their ongoing support. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter (Join here).
Unexpected sequel to ANZSPD meeting in Tasmania
February, 2020
Long-term D3 supporters ANZSPD again shouted D3G a table at their conference held this year in Hobart, Tasmania. Mike Hubbard valued exchanging ideas with existing and new D3ers, particularly about the Toronto symposium and allied developments. A COVID-19 scare at the conference venue provided an unexpected sequel but fortunately it transpired that all attendees were spared. Our thanks to ANZSPD president Sue Taji and the organisers who managed the event and viral bombshell with aplomb.
Messaging upgrade: "1 in 5 kids have chalky molars"
January, 2020
In a long-awaited development that bolsters D3G's "think beyond MIH" philosophy, we're now saying "1-in-5 kids have chalky molars" instead of "1-in-6 kids have Molar Hypomin" (e.g. here and here). Referring to hypomineralised "6-year molars", the original "1-in-6" tagline, was introduced in 2013 to launch D3G's website and Chalky Teeth Campaign (media release). Translationally, this public health message reduced prevalence data and a complex clinical concept into simple terms with scientific advantage. Recent introduction of "chalky molars" as a conversational bridge from "chalky teeth" added further traction. With increased prevalence data having enabled inclusion of "2 year molars", the "1-in-5 kids" claim is now well-justified – recognising an offset for those who have both their 2-year and 6-year molars affected, and an increment for those with hypomin 12-year molars.
Engagement with community dental practitioners in Kiwiland
January, 2020
D3G endorsers NZDOHTA kindly invited Mike Hubbard to present at a CE event for community oral health practitioners held in Christchurch. As outlined recently, dental & oral health therapists manage the D3 frontline of New Zealand's school dental service, backed in Christchurch by the nation's first "Hypomin Clinic". A popular Q&A session contributed by clinic manager & D3er, Tule Misa, helped make this an engaging experience where much was learned by presenters and audience alike! Pleasingly, Sam's Storybook was provided to all community dental practitioners in the Canterbury & West Coast regions. Discussions with regional clinical director Martin Lee bolstered the idea of a national plan for "Kiwi Kids with Chalky Teeth” that addresses top-down management and uses clinical data to improve policy. We thank NZDOHTA president Arish Naresh for this initiative and generous support, and Kim Heslop for local organisation.
Kiwi orthodontists support Chalky Teeth Campaign
December, 2019
Hot on the heels of the Australian orthodontists (see August 2019), the NZ Association of Orthodontists are joining the Chalky Teeth Campaign. This boosts our plan to develop a translational education curriculum by working backwards from pivotal orthodontic elements. It also prompts expansion of the We Fight Chalky Teeth initiative to add organisations alongside WFCT specialist practices. Our thanks to NZAO president and D3er, Marguerite Crooks.
D3G breaks even in 2019
December, 2019
Having concluded a year ago that good progress had been made getting D3G on it's own feet financially, we're pleased to report we've cover our costs this year (just!) thanks to "penny pinching" and heroic unpaid contributions – that said, survival remains fragile given carryover of substantial debt. Our sincere thanks go to all who've contributed to revenue, be it Sam book buyers, individual subscribers, WFCT practices, Chalky Teeth Campaign supporting organisations, and sponsors of D3 lectures. Finally a special thanks to Melbourne lynchpins for their "life saving" donations (Garry Nervo, Hubbard-McElroy family).
200th subscriber signed up
December, 2019
Following launch in October 2017 and reaching the 100-subscriber milestone soon afterwards (April 2018), D3G's individual membership offering has continued to attract support from around the world. In December, oral health therapist Cathy Boyce (Townsville, Australia) become our 200th paid-up member. Given D3G's research and education mission, we're pleased to already know Cathy as a widely respected educator, advocator and budding researcher on the use of silver fluorides. A fuller article appears in our members' newsletter.
Featured article: Translating the link between MH and decay
December, 2019
Recent ECC reviews (see "Early D3s beget ECC") overlooked D3er Kim Seow's fabulous 2016 study correlating enamel defects (D3s) and decay in Aussie youngsters – probably due to it being published in a new journal unlisted in the PubMed database. This study was set apart by its (1) longitudinal design examining a group of kids from 2 to 6 years old at 6-monthly intervals and (2) tracking of the progressive association between D3s and decay at individual tooth level. Wonderfully, 2-year molars were found to be the tooth-type most prone to both hypomin and decay, and the association between "chalky teeth" and decay was preserved for 4 years (implying a cause-effect relationship). Chalky teeth decayed at overall 5-fold higher rate than normal teeth despite intensive oral health instruction since birth. As prevalence data were buried in tables, we've produced a simple graph to benefit general audiences (see here and here). We strongly agree with the authors that greater efforts should be made with early detection of D3s. Read more here. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Featured article: Quantifying the distinctive asymmetries of MH
December, 2019
A defining feature of Molar Hypomin is the sporadic presentation of its core lesion – the number of teeth affected, the severity grading of individual demarcated opacities, and their locations on different teeth all seem quite random – yet this clinicopathologically significant characteristic has received surprisingly little attention. Argentine D3er Ana Biondi has undertaken a definitive study of opacity asymmetry by examining 6-year molars and incisors at two levels – opacity presence and severity. Opacities were present on one side but not the other in exactly half of all cases, whereas in those cases with opacities on both sides their severity differed most of the time. The authors note the inherent asymmetries of MH argue against a primarily genetic cause. Read more here. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Engagement with New Zealand's Chief Dentist
December, 2019
Top amongst several pleasing outcomes from the NZDA feature on "Chalky Teeth" (October) was engagement with New Zealand's "chief dentist" Riana Clarke (National Clinical Director, Oral Health, Ministry of Health). After reaching agreement that a national conversation about improving care of "Kiwi kids with chalky teeth" would be a good thing, Mike Hubbard followed Riana's guidance about how best to communicate with New Zealand's top brass (prime minister, minister of health) – interim replies were received from both parties and so it will be interesting to see what transpires.
Global treatise on D3s and tooth eruption
October, 2019
Nigerian D3er Morenike Folayan and colleagues have published a ground-breaking treatise that provides an "around the world" perspective on D3s and tooth eruption. The foreword written by Mike Hubbard praises this collaborative effort spanning 30 countries and reflects on translational experiences learned during establishment and internationalisation of D3G. The book is now available here.
Feature on "chalky teeth" in NZDA News
October, 2019
Following from two continuing education events hosted by the New Zealand Dental Association (see February 2019), a cover feature on "chalky teeth" was published in the NZDA News (available here). The three articles covered an unprecedentedly broad set of perspectives framed around translational science (Mike Hubbard plus numerous contributors from across the NZ sector), paediatric dentistry (Arun Natarajan) and orthodontics (Joseph Antoun & Fiona Firth). Feedback to date has been highly positive.
Evolution of the D3G and CTC websites
October, 2019
A conversation with Brazilian paedodontists Leticia Arima and Emanuella Oliviera at the IAPD-Mexico congress prompted evolution of our celebrated cartoon depicting the differences between hypoplasia and hypomineralisation – they asked we not only show that hypomin enamel can decay unusually rapidly, but also that hypoplastic enamel can decay at a slower but above-normal rate. The "What are Chalky Teeth" page now includes new sections about the academic and social histories of chalky teeth. Given this strengthened academic foundation plus discovery of a multilingual box of chalk in Mexico, we feel confident to globalise the "chalky teeth" terminology across other languages. The Chalky Teeth Campaign website is also evolving with the public-friendly message that "chalky teeth can crumble and decay very rapidly" being enhanced using visual aids and the section on medical prevention upgraded in anticipation of Healthier Babies = Stronger Teeth being a backbone theme for the Toronto Symposium.
Another "Hypomin Kids Clinic" in New Zealand
September, 2019
In February we described Christchurch's "Hypomin Kids Clinic" as an example of an inspirational D3 activity happening in New Zealand that came to light during the D3G+NZDA continuing education roadshow. Prompted by what they learned at that event, D3er Charlotte Hurst and fellow public health dentist Kathyrn Fuge have since established a similar "Hypomin Clinic" in capital city Wellington, aiming to support the front-line activities of school-based oral health professionals (OHPs) with a customised D3-referral pathway involving dentists, paedodontists and orthodontists.
Featured article: Enamel protein dynamics mapped in 3D
September, 2019
Much of what's been learned about enamel formation over the past 50 years came from studying what's happening in various places and stages of the process (i.e. spatiotemporal analysis). Key methodological developments include the developmentally-staged slicing of rat incisors and the advent of proteomics which vastly expanded the previous handful of "classic enamel proteins" (e.g. amelogenin, enamelin, tuftelin). However the downside of such high-sensitivity work is high risk of sample contamination. Consequently, D3er Felicitas Bidlack and colleagues used a 3D sampling approach on (relatively large) pig teeth and identified over 500 proteins. Efforts then turned to deriving novel
information about the dynamics of amelogenin phosphorylation and
making associations with amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) and mineral
stabilisation. We agree this approach holds much promise, both in
itself and when combined with other approaches for testing new
proteomics-based hypotheses. Read more here. A fuller report
appears in our members' newsletter.
Featured articles: Growing awareness that "ED3s beget ECC"
September, 2019
Unlike D3s, decay in baby teeth has a helpful name (early childhood caries, or ECC) – so let's introduce ED3s as shorthand for "early D3s" and restate that "ED3s beget ECC" often. Given D3G's mission to publicise links between D3s and decay, the report from IAPD's 2018 Global Summit on ECC that "ECC is related to frequent sugar consumption in an environment of enamel-adherent, acid-producing bacteria in a complex biofilm, as well as developmental defects of enamel" is pleasing to see. So too is a recent review of 89 studies addressing ECC risk factors that concluded "the two strongest risk factors associated with ECC....were the presence of enamel defects and high levels of mutans streptococci". A third paper exploited the power of longitudinal cohort analysis and admirably made the ED3-ECC association at individual tooth level. Lastly, a case-control study affirmed the ED3-ECC link at mouth level and ended with a strong message about the significance for prevention. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Ozzie orthodontists support Chalky Teeth Campaign
August, 2019
The Australian Society of Orthodontists (ASO) has kindly thrown their weight and some much-needed funding behind the Chalky Teeth Campaign – better still, they're the first organisation to do so by recurring annual subscription. This ASO-D3G collaboration is an important step on the global stage because, unlike paediatric dentistry, the orthodontics community isn't widely engaged with the "Chalky Teeth Problem". This is ironic given the pivotal role orthodontists play in "compromised molar" matters but, fortunately, rectification largely boils down to education. Our thanks go to ASO's Foundation for Research and Education, D3ers Paul Schneider and Chris Theodosi, and other orthodontic colleagues involved in establishing this exciting initiative.
Great reception to Molar Hypomin podcast
August, 2019
Amazingly, the Molar Hypomin podcast published by the Australian Dental Association-NSW branch (see March 2019) had surpassed an amazing 1,200 downloads by June. An allied newsletter article published this month in NSW Dentist triggered significant uptake of storybooks and subscriptions. Our sincere thanks to ADA-NSW for this wonderful exposure.
Victoria's Better Health Channel joins the "chalky teeth crowd"
July, 2019
We're thrilled that the Better Health Channel, a public healthcare initiative in D3G's home State of Victoria, now includes "chalky teeth" in its public health messaging. Hence the populace has a prominent new way to connect with D3G's Chalky Teeth Campaign in context of basics about teeth, tooth decay, and oral conditions in young children. A special thanks to D3ers Yana Itskovich and Rana Yawary for helping get this over the line at long last.
D3G well received at IAPD's world congress in Mexico
July, 2019
The world congress on paediatric dentistry hosted by IAPD went well for D3G at multiple levels. Although mid-summer in Cancun, Mexico brought some thermal challenges, the setting was spectacular and the hosting great – indeed D3G was treated to a proper booth for the first time ever (thanks to IAPD president and D3er Anna Maria Vierrou and local organisers). It was great having 3 hours programmed for an "MIH symposium" and a nice shout-out from presenter/D3er Marlies Elfrink spurred high interest in D3G's booth. Our upcoming D3 Symposium in Toronto drew particular attention and many helpful conversations were had with existing and new members alike. The Spanish adaptation of Sam's Storybook was another major discussion point – fortunately considerable preparatory work had been done anticipating we'd get to meet many Spanish-speaking dentists. Also, our new "I Fight Chalky Teeth" T-shirt was launched (available here) along with our smart new pull-up banner. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Building a road to Toronto
June, 2019
The great response to our "save the date" notice (see May) has spurred preparations for D3G's inaugural International Symposium on Molar Hypomineralisation and Chalky Teeth – a process we've dubbed "building a road to Toronto". Having assembled a local organising team under stewardship of Ben Ganss, he and Mike Hubbard drafted a concept plan for a 3-day event leveraging D3G's unique cross-sector and translational approach. It was felt strong outcomes would ensue from (1) an interactive, all-inclusive event aimed at formulating key questions and (2) a transparent, collaborative planning process. These early steps are captured on the new D3-Toronto-2020 webpage and flyer. Feedback confirms the event will benefit from preparatory efforts to get participants on the same page beforehand – for example, while each of us may know about D3 matters in our own settings, better shared understanding of the substantial healthcare differences around the globe should lead to holistically stronger outcomes.
Molar Hypomin prevalence data for USA at last
June, 2019
We're thrilled to now have the USA on our new world map of Molar Hypomin prevalence studies at long last. The report that 10% of Milwaukee kids have chalky 6-year molars (i.e. close to the worldwide average of 15%) brings no surprise but, as the authors acknowledge, it'll be interesting to see the results of higher-powered studies across broader US populations. Besides acknowledging this milestone with a special sparkly pin, our map has been simplified to show studied countries rather than individual studies. Moreover, our tabulated database is now up to 101 studies across 42 countries for 6-year molars, and 17 studies from 10 countries for 2-year molars (the latter giving 9% average worldwide). Of aetiological interest, updated bar graphs show these average values (still) disguise a high level of heterogeneity.
Website updates for bibliography and chalky teeth
June, 2019
The Molar Hypomin bibliography has been updated, revealing that publication rates continue to rise and now average over 1 paper per week (58 in 2018, graph) – hardly a torrent but a marked improvement over Grace Suckling days. Second, given growing acceptance of D3G's "chalky teeth terminology", we've enhanced the "What are Chalky Teeth?" page with: (1) a history of academic use of this term; (2) a lay explanation of the tripartite "chalky teeth problem" (referencing our coining of "the Molar Hypomin problem"); and (3) a compilation of "chalky teeth" translations to other languages.
Featured article: Don't blame Molar Hypomin on your genes
June, 2019
Remember the "good old days" when enamel defects seemed quite simple? Today we have numerous "AI genes" identified, know that fluoride isn't the only cause of diffuse opacities, and query the role of genetics in demarcated opacities (and hence Molar Hypomin). The latter shift reflects the modernisation of genetics together with the failure to identify any other convincing cause for MH. Most timely then to have some strong genetic data from the time-honoured "twin study" approach. Melbourne paedodontist and PhD candidate Mihiri Silva tapped into an ongoing longitudinal twin study. After examining the 2-year molars it was found that both twins were affected in only a third of twin pairs where one at least had MH. Moreover, comparison of identical and non-identical twins pointed to just a weak genetic influence over MH. Read more here. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Featured article: Probing molecular details of chalky enamel
June, 2019
Anyone who has seen "chalky enamel" lesions (demarcated opacities) will appreciate their variability and internal heterogeneity. It's unsurprising then that previous molecular and chemical investigations have revealed profound differences from normal enamel. However, contradictions often crop up when comparing different studies. A new investigation tackled this issue by (1) using two complementary "high-tech tests" (NMR, TOF-SIMS) to examine chalky enamel, and (2) powdering the enamel specimens to eliminate variability associated with enamel microstructure. While most results were harmonious between the two techniques and matched existing knowledge, sodium was found to be elevated by one test and depressed by the other. One test identified relative abundance of a phospholipid that's usually associated with cell membranes, raising questions about how it got there and what effect it has on (hypomin) enamel. Read more here. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Save the date – International Symposium on D3s
May 2019
How good is it when someone says "I'd like to lend a hand, mate" and follows through with an offer that's nothing less than wonderful? Recently, Ben Ganss (University of Toronto), an enamel scientist and D3G's 100th subscriber (April 2018) kindly suggested "how about we give D3G a leg-up by hosting an International Symposium in Toronto"? Better still, the "we" included Michael Casas, chief paedodontist and D3G member at Toronto's celebrated "SickKids" hospital. This exciting breakthrough "translates" D3G's clinico-scientific formula from one end of the world to the other and cements the internationalisation process started in 2017. Asking "what to do with this high-impact opportunity?", answers clearly lay in harnessing D3G's unique cross-sector, translational approach. Consequently, initial thoughts are for a 3-day event that's interactive, all-inclusive, and aimed at formulating key questions that will lead to improved management, and ultimately prevention, of D3s. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Pacific Smiles adopts "Sam's Storybook"
April 2019
We are grateful to Alison Hughes (Clinical Director, Pacific Smiles Group) for organising that all dental centres in the Pacific Smiles network have a copy of "Sam's Storybook" and allied educational guidelines for staff.
New website referral cards
April 2019
Responding to requests from practitioners wanting space for handwritten notes, we've made new "D3G website referral cards" that are single-sided (order here).
ANZSPD's RK Hall lecture series
March, 2019
The Australian and New Zealand Society of Paediatric Dentistry kindly hosted D3G at their recent meeting in Perth (Western Australia), providing Mike Hubbard the opportunity to both share and absorb new information related to this key component of our membership. The ever-improving level of communication between scientist and clinicians led to some important progress with forthcoming educational and research initiatives. Our thanks to the organisers and participants.
Featured article: Why are Molar Hypomin prevalence data so varied?
March, 2019
Molar Hypomin prevalence data are as notable for their heterogeneity as for their disturbingly high average values – see graphs here. A report by D3er Birgitta Jalevik addresses two likely contributors to this diversity – training of examiners and subject age at time of examination. This work builds on their 2018 study which examined DDEs across the whole permanent dentition rather than adopting the abbreviated focus on 6-year molars and incisors that is modern-day "MIH". Reexamining children from the 2018 report after a gap of 3 years, the present study found that most earlier DDE diagnoses remained valid but the prevalence of "MIH" decreased by about a third due to co-involvement of other teeth. Examiners from the 2018 study largely retained their "DDE smarts" 2 years later whereas untrained clinicians struggled to diagnose DDEs correctly. These findings reinforce D3G's scientifically-biased viewpoint that diagnostic descriptions should focus on tooth (not case) level and embrace the whole dentition (primary and permanent) rather than index teeth. Read more here. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Featured article: Molar Hypomin is often a real pain
March, 2019
Numerous reports refer to sensitivity being a troubling aspect of Molar Hypomin yet a major gap in quantitative analysis has remained until now. D3G member Soraya Leal and colleagues have undertaken a robust analysis incorporating two triggers (air blast, scratch test) and two sensitivity assessments (child, clinician) with internal controlling (i.e. comparing hypomineralised and unaffected 6-year molars in the same mouth). Overall, 35% of Molar Hypomin cases were judged sensitive, and pain was assessed as being low grade on average but many children had good reason to say otherwise! Although sensitivity was more common in severe and moderate lesions relative to mild, on an absolute basis it was actually mild lesions that were responsible for most sensitivity numerically (see abstract here). A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Continuing education podcast for Australian Dental Association
March, 2019
"The Dental Practitioner", a podcast published by the New South Wales branch of the Australian Dental Association, interviewed Mike Hubbard about clinical aspects of MH through a translational lens. The interviewer was well prepared (with a little help) leading to a rewarding interaction despite several decades having passed since Mike did "real clinical work" – as opposed to "fooling around in a lab" (listen here, 23 mins).
Interview on ABC Radio Australia
February, 2019
Hot on the heels of Radio New Zealand (see October 2018), Australia's national ABC Radio interviewed Mike Hubbard about Molar Hypomin and the Chalky Teeth Campaign. Although the show's researcher was familiar with D3G educational materials through having a child diagnosed with MH recently, things turned "interesting" when the interviewer announced he'd never heard of this problem and so forced Mike back to absolute basics ("Mums and Dads: It's time to talk about chalky teeth"; listen here, 12 mins).
Auckland's "Hypomin Management Plan"
February, 2019
A third D3 innovation aired at the CE events (below) is the "Hypomineralised Teeth Management Plan" formulated by public health dentist Satha Kanagaratnam for OHPs and dentists in Auckland's Community Dental Services (ARDS). Addressing the need to intervene early, the plan covers timely screening for Molar Hypomin and puts affected kids on a "Hypomin Track" to foster best care through to 18 years. Included are the needs to address all molars, to consider severity grade, to seek orthodontic opinion, to monitor regularly, and to educate about appropriate homecare. Consequently, children are screened from birth and 2-year molars are checked once fully erupted. Other important aspects covered are patient anxiety, timing of extractions, and choice of restorative material. An associated "Hypomineralisation Fact Sheet" for patients/families outlines the basics and refers to D3G for further information. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Christchurch's "Virtual Orthodontic Consultation"
February, 2019
A second advance exposed by the CE events (below) concerns severe cases of MH where panoramic radiographs (OPGs) and specialist inputs (paediatric dentist, orthodontist) are needed. In Christchurch, although community practitioners may refer to D3-savvy dentists at the "Hypomin Kids Clinic" for OPGs and subsequent follow-up, orthodontics isn't covered by the community service and so a strong reliance exists on Hypomin families to pay for a private orthodontist. However, for families who can't afford this, a needy case may be elevated to hospital specialists for a "virtual orthodontic consultation". Lead paediatric dentist Arun Natarajan says that, before deciding on an extraction plan, he will solicit orthodontic advice by emailing patient records plus thoughts on prognosis to an in-house orthodontist who then squeezes this unscheduled task in when convenient. Done under informed consent, the ad hoc virtual approach proves expeditious for all parties in terms of time and cost. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Christchurch's "Hypomin Kids Clinic"
February, 2019
The continuing education events (below) exposed some inspirational D3 activities including the "Hypomin Kids Clinic" at Christchurch hospital. New Zealand's pioneering "free" (i.e. government-funded) school-based dental service continues today with increasing focus on prevention but "Hypomin kids" generally remain underserved. The core issue is that, even if a severe case is recognised, there's at best a weak referral and funding pathway for advanced care. The free Hypomin Clinic targets cases where timely extraction might hold long-term benefit. Tule Misa who has run the service for 10 years says that consultation with a D3-savvy dentist enables a forward-looking management plan to be offered – including specialist paediatric and orthodontic input as appropriate. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Continuing education events in New Zealand
February, 2019
In February, "Kiwi D3Gers" Peter Barwick (paediatric orthodontist) and Arun Natarajan (paedodontist) joined Mike Hubbard (translational scientist) to deliver a full-day continuing education event to members of the NZ Dental Association in Auckland and Christchurch. The program was a longer version of that served up in our Colgate America webinar (see Nov News) with extra time spent on research and case analyses with audience participation. This two-way learning experience led to exciting stories about problems faced and progress being made in different hotspots of awareness across New Zealand. It was clear these two days led to important bridges being built across the nation. Our thanks to NZDA for this opportunity and their generous donation, and to the 95 attendees for their enthusiastic and informative contributions. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter (Join here).
Recognition for D3G in Australian Bite Magazine
December, 2018
We're thrilled that Australian Bite Magazine called out D3G and founder Mike Hubbard in its feature on dental innovation (see here). Thanks to all involved in this pleasing example of peer-recognition.
Featured article: Alleviating psychosocial impacts of Molar Hypomin
December, 2018
Building on their previous research into other enamel defects, researchers at the University of Sheffield (led by D3G member Helen Rodd) have now undertaken a ground-breaking prospective study about psychosocial impacts of Molar Hypomin. The child's opinion about his/her "quality of life" was established before and after cosmetic treatment of their hypomineralised front teeth. The findings showed a strong improvement in quality of life across 93 subjects, establishing that relatively straight-forward interventions (microabrasion, resin infiltration, bleaching) can provide major benefits to susceptible kids (read more here). A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Featured article: US paediatric dentists' knowledge about Molar Hypomin
December, 2018
A shock finding from a survey of paediatric dentists in the US Midwest was that nearly half use amalgam to restore hypomineralised 6-year molars (MH). D3G member Azza Tagelsir found that nearly all respondents were aware of MH and 85% regarded it a significant clinical problem. Diagnostic confidence was high yet 44% erroneously linked this condition to excessive fluoride. Except for amalgam, these findings mirror those from similar surveys done elsewhere around the world (see abstract here). A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
"D3G update" articles published for Australian oral health professionals
December, 2018
D3-awareness appears to be growing amongst "oral health professionals", by which we mean the dental therapists, dental hygienists and oral health therapists who play a major frontline job dealing with Molar Hypomin. Thanks to ongoing support from the leadership of ADOHTA and DHAA, update articles about D3G and the Chalky Teeth Campaign were published in their respective members' newsletters recently. Judging by ensuing orders for Sam storybooks, D3G referral cards and memberships, these articles "hit the spot" – consequently we plan to co-opt other D3G associates to extend such awareness-raising across the D3 family.
Colgate America polls awareness about Molar Hypomineralisation
November, 2018
Before the aforementioned webinar, Colgate America polled registrants by asking "How familiar are you with the condition Molar Hypomineralization?" Of 542 replies, only 18% said "very", 46% said "somewhat", and a whopping 36% said "not at all". We are hopeful this depressing picture has since improved because the webinar attracted 1,700 live views (an all-time record says Colgate) and another 1,200 views in the following month. Although watched around the world, 80% of live views came from the US – explaining why USA topped D3G's website traffic in November, leaping past usual leaders Australia and New Zealand.
Colgate America sponsors D3G webinar on Molar Hypomineralisation
November, 2018
We were thrilled by Colgate America's invitation to present a webinar about "the Molar Hypomineralisation problem" and our Chalky Teeth Campaign. D3G-NZ rep Erin Mahoney provided an elegant summary of clinical aspects sandwiched between Mike Hubbard's latest translational take on MH definitions, terminology and social impact. Our thanks go to Barbara Shearer and her team at Colgate America for making this wonderful opportunity possible and the allied donation. Watch the free webinar here.
D3G connects with Melbourne dentists
October, 2018
An invitation from the Australian Dental Association's Group H to update their study group about "the Molar Hypomin problem" and D3G's Chalky Teeth Campaign was met with a well-attended lecture by Mike Hubbard. Our thanks to the organisers for this opportunity and their generous donation, and to the participants for the interest shown.
D3G attends Australian paediatric dentistry meetings
October, 2018
D3G was represented by Mike Hubbard at the back-to-back meetings of paediatric dental organisations AAPD and ANZSPD-NSW in Sydney. We thank both groups for hosting D3G gratis, and a special thanks to AAPD for sponsoring copies of our new "chalky molar" edition of "Sam's storybook" for all delegates.
Radio New Zealand interview
October, 2018
D3G-NZ rep Dorothy Boyd and Mike Hubbard were interviewed on Radio New Zealand about Molar Hypomin. Although we have some reservations about this topic being headlined as "a distressing dental condition", we are grateful for the massive public exposure achieved. The interview can be replayed here.
New edition of Sam's storybook gets further dental exposure
September, 2018
Extending from earlier discussions (see News), the Australian Dental Association's NSW branch generously sponsored a copy of "Sam's storybook" (the new "Chalky Molar" edition, see News) to all 300 delegates at their annual convention in Canberra. Our thanks to Abby Corrigal and her team for making this wonderful advance happen.
A third international ambassador for D3G
September, 2018
We're pleased to introduce Bernadette Drummond as D3G ambassador for the United Kingdom, joining Vidal Perez (Latin America) and Rami Farah (Middle East) [see News & News]. Now Professor and Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry at the University of Leeds, Bernadette was influential in D3G's genesis having discussed medico-dental research needs with Mike Hubbard over many years. Bernadette subsequently supervised several postgraduate studies into Molar Hypomin (including Rami's) and helped conceive our PRACTITIONER pages. She has enjoyed a career-long interest in enamel defects seeking to extend compatriot Grace Suckling's wonderful legacy in this blossoming field. A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Featured article: Extra time allocation for Molar Hypomin cases?
September, 2018
Most practitioners agree that Molar Hypomin (MH) cases can soak up lots of extra time, effort and patience – but they're also likely to say it's hard to quantify this given numerous variables involved. A Nigerian study led by D3G member Morenike Folayan has broken the ice by timing various clinical activities (history taking, diagnosis, treatments) in MH cases of varying severity. Some but not all procedures were significantly lengthened by MH leading to almost twice as many visits overall (see abstract here). A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Featured article: Genetic contributions to Molar Hypomin vulnerability?
September, 2018
Following June's feature linking subtle genetic variations ("polymorphisms") with dental fluorosis, we highlight a similar study addressing Molar Hypomin (MH) and its hypothesised links to inflammatory childhood illnesses. A Brazilian group including D3G member Rita Cordeiro surveyed 11 genetic markers for inflammation and found that one (TGF-beta) correlated significantly with severe cases only. While not suggesting direct causation, this work supports recent thoughts that subtle genetic variations contribute to MH vulnerability (see abstract here). A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
'We Fight Chalky Teeth' specialist network reaches 10
September, 2018
An exciting milestone for our new 'We Fight Chalky Teeth' specialists initiative has been reached with the 10th member practice now getting its "website makeover". It's pleasing to have both orthodontic and pedodontic practices on board and to see that the "three-way benefits" (for clients, practice and D3G) are working as hoped. Further pioneers are sought to help develop this ground-breaking venture, which has exciting potential to support major contributions to research, education and society.
Researcher 'call to arms' article reaches 5,000 views
September, 2018
Our first "translational" article about D3G and the Molar Hypomin problem has reached a major milestone having attracted 5,000 views since it was published in a highly ranked scientific journal a year ago. This and other statistics, including our expanding army of researchers interested in D3s, confirm we're doing well "getting the D3 word out". Moreover, by introducing "chalky molars" to the academic literature after successful road-testing on the public and practitioners, this article provides a rare example of "reverse translation" – most talk today is about the other direction (getting science out to the public), but clearly both matter.
D3G connects with Melbourne orthodontists
August, 2018
D3G members Yana Istkovich and Mike Hubbard attended the Australian Orthodontic Society's Victorian branch meeting in Melbourne to provide an update on recent happenings with D3G and the Chalky Teeth Campaign. We are grateful for the interest shown and look forward to further interactions with ASO.
NZ dental hygienists endorse D3G
August 2018
D3G is honoured to have received endorsement from the NZ Dental Hygienist's Association. Together with earlier such recognition from the NZ Dental and Oral Health Therapists Association, we now have comprehensive links with the all-important "oral health practitioners" subsector in New Zealand. We look forward to collaborating with both NZ organisations and their Australian counterparts (ADOHTA, DHAA) to improve D3 awareness and management "down under".
New edition of Sam's storybook gets broad dental exposure
August, 2018
Extending from earlier discussions (News), the Australian Dental Association's Victoria branch generously sponsored a copy of "Sam's storybook" (the new "Chalky Molar" edition, see News) to all 600 delegates at their annual convention in Melbourne. Our thanks to Matt Hopcraft and Caroline Kaur for making this wonderful advance happen.
D3G websites roar past 5 million hits
August, 2018
It was only 8 months ago that thed3group.org reached 4 million hits and now the 5 million hits milestone has flown by. It's notable that, besides steadily increasing traffic (now averaging about 350 visits/day), overseas countries account for a growing share. Indeed, after publication of the D3-themed editorial in JADA, most visits arose in the USA during May.
New 'chalky molar' edition of 'Sam's storybook'
July, 2018
Now widely known as 'Sam's storybook', our educational reader was originally titled "It's just one of those things Sam. A kids' guide to Molar Hypomin". In referencing a famous song by Cole Porter, this title was intended to put a "positive coping" spin on the subject and included our public-friendly contraction of Molar Hypomineralisation introduced in 2013 with the Chalky Teeth Campaign and thed3group.org. Since then, D3G's chalky teeth terminology has gained a strong foothold across the sector, academia included (1, 2). Hence the public can be guided intuitively from a colloquialism for teeth that look different ("chalky teeth") through to "early decay" or "chalky enamel spots" and "chalky molars" as the case may be. With supplies running low, we took the plunge and gave Sam's story a "chalky molar makeover". It was shocking to discover that, despite all the original efforts made to avoid genderising Sam and PJ (so kids can decide for themselves), a textual slip-up had occurred on one page – now fixed!
Biomineralisation researchers exposed to D3s and translation
July, 2018
D3G received valuable exposure at the Gordon Conference on Biomineralisation, a scientific "think tank" event held near Boston, USA. Widespread interest surrounded not only D3s (being biomineralisation anomalies) but also the Chalky Teeth Campaign as a role model for translational research and education. Our thanks to conference chairs Derk Joester and Janet Oldak for inviting Mike Hubbard to be a discussion leader at this influential event.
D3G showcased at world dental research congress
July, 2018
At the International Association of Dental Research's congress in London, Mike Hubbard's keynote lecture "Molar Hypomineralisation research – past, present and future" seemed well-appreciated and various other interactions with researchers and companies raised exciting promise for internationalisation of our D3 movement. For example, the D3 family has been extended to Africa by Morenike Ukpong-Folayan who signed up with 4 fellow practitioner-researchers and connected us with her wonderful worldwide academic network. And after many fun years interacting with Stephen Haynes at GC Australasia, we're thrilled to have Mark Heiss and Gaurav Joshi from GC America on board now too.
Featured article: Do remineralization products work with Molar Hypomin?
June, 2018
In perhaps two thirds of children with Molar Hypomin their demarcated enamel opacities have smooth (intact) surfaces placing them at less risk of decay compared to severe cases with broken surface enamel. Asking "do the remineralisation therapies available for enamel caries also work on Molar Hypomin?" our Argentinian member Ana Biondi tested three fluoride products using laser fluorescence to track enamel hardening (see abstract here). A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Featured article: Genetic contributions to dental fluorosis susceptibility?
June, 2018
Modern genetics can be mind-numbing not least with many human conditions (including fluorosis, caries, and Molar Hypomin) having recently discovered "genetic associations". Illustrating this issue, a Brazilian study involving US-based friend Alex Vieira has convincingly connected subtle genetic variations (i.e. "polymorphisms") in two enamel proteins with fluorosis susceptibility in children exposed to community water fluoridation (see abstract here). A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
D3G attends American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry meeting
May, 2018
Aiming to build on USA exposure through the JADA editorial (below), and courtesy of an invitation from D3G member Kevin Donly and colleagues at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), D3G was represented at the AAPD annual meeting in Honolulu by Mike Hubbard. Besides tangible benefits (subscribers, storybooks), this was a great learning opportunity, both in hearing reactions from those who had read the JADA article and absorbing opinions from others encountering D3G for the first time. It appears a large upside remains for improving US awareness when compared with similar meetings "Down Under". Our thanks to AAPD Exec members for not only providing a "D3G table" but also visiting it, and to Harleen Kumar and several other D3G members for support.
Guest editorial in JADA
May, 2018
May 1st was a big day for connecting D3G with the USA – the latter which by some measures lags many other developed countries in its awareness of Molar Hypomin (MH). An invited editorial about MH+D3G appeared in JADA, the leading American dental journal. After highlighting USA's anomalous lack of MH prevalence studies, the article argues this deficit reflects academic inattention rather than absence of MH itself and then finishes with a "call to arms". This is our second article written in "translational style", with D3 terminology and referencing the D3G website. A huge thanks goes to JADA chief editor Michael Glick for nurturing this breakthrough project, plus Kevin Donly, Rebecca Slayton and Tim Wright for helpful inputs. The response from the US and beyond
has been pleasing at many levels as will be elaborated in future news items.
Website updates – Chalky Teeth Campaign and 'D3 world map'
April, 2018
With over 100 subscribers on board plus surging interest in the Chalky Teeth Campaign (CTC), several website updates were made recently. Foremost the earlier CTC "landing page" was expanded to a standalone CTC website aiming to better serve the public's immediate needs and enable future projects. This site can now be thought of as a funnel that captures interest (questions) from multiple avenues, provides initial answers, and then steers those requiring further information to appropriate sections of our "D3 encyclopedia". The next goal in this "standardised learning" approach is to establish a peripheral ring of "CTC satellite sites" as illustrated by the fledgling We Fight Chalky Teeth practice network). Similarly, the new "D3 world map" of paid-up members aims to strengthen social impact externally and also to help internally through "visibility driven" network growth.
1-in-12 kids have "Hypomin Es"
April, 2018
Following the March update for hypomineralised 6-year molars ("hypomin 6s"), equivalent data were compiled for hypomineralised "2-year molars" ("hypomin Es") aiming to bolster D3G's public health message that all molars are at risk of Molar Hypomin. The new bar graph shows average prevalence is 8% across 12 studies from 9 countries (vs 15% for 6s). These studies agree with historical findings and prompt a generalisation that Hypomin Es are half as common as Hypomin 6s. This information holds significance (1) for "early childhood caries" and tooth decay risk in "baby teeth", (2) for predicting risk of Hypomin 6s, and (3) for untangling the mysterious causes of Molar Hypomin. A fuller analysis appears in our members' newsletter.
100th subscriber signed up
April, 2018
Following launch in October 2017, D3G's individual membership offering has steadily attracted subscribers from around the world. A pleasing milestone was reached in April with Ben Ganss (University of Toronto, Canada) becoming our 100th paid-up member. Given the research mission of D3G, it's rewarding that we already know "Professor Ben" as a widely respected scientist who has researched enamel for many years. A fuller article appears in our members' newsletter.
A new Social Impact infographic
March, 2018
Thanks to Sharon Dunn our long-serving graphic designer, D3G now has a smart infographic portraying "key numbers" associated with our goals and activities (see here). Importantly, reflecting our philanthropic origins and humanistic mission, D3G strives to do good for the world through our unique blend of translational research, education and advocacy. In other words, we aim to create "social impact" by targetting the public, the healthcare sector, and the medico-dental research community. When reflecting on the efforts put in and seeking funds to do great new things, it's important to be able to quantify impacts already made across the target groups. Before now, we've used a text-based "brag sheet" to relay our progress – this remains a good backup to the infographic for those wanting a bit more explanation.
1-in-6 kids have Molar Hypomin – still
March, 2018
We used the slogan "1-in-6 kids have hypomineralised 6-year molars" to launch our Chalky Teeth Campaign in 2013 (see media release) – this referenced an average prevalence of 16% across the 42 studies then depicted on our "world map of Molar Hypomin". In 2015, the average prevalence across 59 studies stood unchanged at 16%. And now, a further 20 studies on, the average remains almost the same at 15%. This latest update includes 4 new countries (giving 36 in total), amongst which Mexico stands out as a neighbour to the USA which perplexingly still lacks any prevalence data. Regards variations between studies, our updated "bar graph" reveals little change with the range extending from 2% to 44% and most action still happening between 6% and 22% prevalence. A fuller analysis appears in our members' newsletter.
Featured article: D3s and caries experience in 6-year molars
March, 2018
The 8-year-follow-up to Peter Arrow's benchmark DDE study of Western Australian schoolchildren provides a rare longitudinal perspective on their dental and emotional burdens. Regards Molar Hypomin, caries risk was found to parallel the number of affected 6s and to also be higher in those who'd previously had decayed primary teeth read (see abstract here). A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
Featured article: Imaging demarcated opacities
March, 2018
A diagnostic system that accurately predicts the lifecourse of demarcated opacities, the defining pathology of Molar Hypomin, would be revolutionary. Melbourne PhD student, Karla Gambetta-Tessini, took a step towards this lofty goal by comparing the results of two imaging systems, QLF and microCT, in laboratory conditions (see abstract here). A fuller report appears in our members' newsletter.
D3G attends dental industry mega-show
March, 2018
Hosted by ADA-Victoria, Mike Hubbard presented a "chalky teeth" lecture during the continuing education program at ADX18, the southern hemisphere's biggest dental tradeshow (over 140 companies represented). This well-attended event in Sydney's brand new convention centre provided much useful networking opportunity for D3G. Our thanks to ADA-Victoria and ADX18 for this opportunity and their generous donations.
D3G attends ANZSPD's biannual congress
February, 2018
Following recent tradition (see November 2015 and March 2017), ANZSPD again kindly shouted a "D3G table" at their biannual congress on Queensland's Gold Coast. This networking opportunity was much appreciated as it prompted helpful feedback about emerging and ongoing projects plus allied funding quests. And many new subscribers signed up making our new membership map look much busier!
Two ADA branches team up with D3G
January, 2018
Following from ADA-NSWs continuing education event last August (see news), Abby Corrigal kindly travelled from Sydney to join Matt Hopcraft and Caroline Kaur (ADA Victoria) and Mike Hubbard to discuss ways to promote the Chalky Teeth Campaign across ADA's membership and the public. Broadening D3G's exposure in continuing-education events, including at the forthcoming dental tradeshow in Sydney, was one of several plans hatched. Our thanks to ADA-NSW and ADA-NSW for this pleasing engagement.
Another milestone for D3G's websites
December, 2017
Just 10 months since the last "million hit milestone", December has seen D3G's online-education resource pass 4 million hits, reflecting over 250,000 visits and 800,000 page reads since launch in August 2013. Traffic now averages over 300 visits/day, and also continues to build at our public-facing site, the Chalky Teeth Campaign, with a noticeable increase evident since the 'We Fight Chalky Teeth' practice initiative was launched. By these measures at least, D3G is achieving a significant level of social impact around the world.
Featured article: Hypomin and caries in 2-year molars
December, 2017
Disentangling enamel defects from childhood caries is a "clinical snake pit", yet postgrad student Marilyn Owen and colleagues jumped right in with a well-designed study of Melbourne preschoolers. In their high-socioeconomic population, 1-in-7 children had hypomineralised 2-year molars (HM-Es), a third of which were affected severely. Severe HM-E cases generally had multiple teeth affected by relatively large, yellow-brown opacities and although statistics were hampered by low caries prevalence (only 13% of children had dentinal cavities), a significant association was found between opacity size and caries severity in HM-Es. The surprising finding that HM-Es had little impact on overall caries prevalence matches recent reports for 6-year molars in low-caries populations (read more here).
Featured article: Resin bonding & Molar Hypomin
December, 2017
Failure of resin bonding to hypomineralised enamel remains a common clinical complaint. Previous studies have shown that hypomin enamel contains more protein than normal and that chemical pretreatment with hypochlorite bleach improves its resin-bond strength. Realising potential safety benefits over hypochlorite, Mani Ekambaram and colleagues tested a natural protein-degrading enzyme gel and found it to be equally effective as hypochlorite on hypomin enamel, increasing bond strengths to about 90% of the normal-enamel level. Given that the enzyme gel has previously been recommended for removal of carious dentine, further investigation of its utility for hypomin teeth appears worthwhile (read more here).
Connecting with corporatised dentistry
November, 2017
A chance "social bump" into a D3-savvy manager from Pacific Smiles Group led to a "chalky teeth" lecture from Mike Hubbard at their swish clinical centre in downtown Melbourne. This was a great instance of reciprocal education and left Mike much better versed in the benefits and challenges of corporatised dentistry. Our thanks to Caroline Townsend and Walter Reid for this opportunity and to PSG for their generous donation.
Second international Ambassador for D3G for named
November, 2017
We're pleased to introduce Rami Farah as our ambassador in the Middle East. Rami joined D3G while doing his paediatric dentistry specialisation and PhD in New Zealand and continues to contribute actively. His postgrad research focussed on biochemical and biomechanic aspects of Molar Hypomin, leading to several publications. Rami's recent clinical experience in Saudi Arabia has not only heightened his awareness of how badly Molar Hypomin can affect children and their families, but also exposed patchy awareness of this problem amongst some international peers. Accordingly, he now intends to recruit other 'D3 cognoscenti' to help him foster D3-family growth across the Middle East.
'Spanish Sam' storybook translation initiative launched
November, 2017
Being hosted in Latin America, the IAPD congress was an ideal opportunity to gather support for translating 'Sam's story' into Spanish. Tempted by a flyer (see here) and mock book cover in Spanish, delegates from numerous Spanish-speaking countries offered to help with fundraising, translation and distribution. Requests were made for other languages too, so hopefully Sam's story can grow to become both a useful educational tool around the world and a serious fundraiser for D3G's research ambitions. Thanks to Vidal Perez and colleagues for the Spanish translation work and their willingness to help coordinate this important venture.
IAPD-Santiago congress a success
November, 2017
IAPD's world congress on paediatric dentistry was a wonderful event, both in itself and for exposure of D3G. Molar Hypomin received unprecedented attention in the lecture halls – that is, two 2-hour sessions back to back and both jam-packed with about 600 delegates. Vidal Perez and Mike Hubbard each presented scientifically-flavoured talks, and translational research was the focus of another talk given by Mike. Subsequent discussions led to many pleasing advances including pledges for further collaboration with IAPD's exec, new members from across the globe, support for the "Spanish Sam" storybook translation initiative, and many other offers of help. The new "I love D3G" membership badges were snapped up, and the promotions team (wearing matching 'I love D3G' T-shirts) were kept busy providing information, signing up members and selling Sam's storybook. Some photos from this event are here.
'D3 Snack' – a foray into continuing education
October, 2017
With the 'D3 family' now enriched with healthcare professionals wanting "continuing education" (CE, or CPD), it was timely to start a CE program as part of D3G's individual membership scheme (below). D3G is uniquely positioned to offer CE that is both D3-centric and scientifically robust, being founded by a scientist and having a comprehensive online-education resource on tap. An experimental "D3 snack" concept, involving short learn+test modules that can quite literally be completed during a 15-minute office break, is now being consumer-tested. Moreover, an updated format for the D3G Dispatch newsletter includes various "academic" elements (quiz, literature mini-reviews, latest D3 publications) to complement this advance.
Individual member subscription launched
October, 2017
Following successful introduction of basic email membership (see here), an individual membership subscription to D3G was launched at the IAPD congress. This subscription package offers globally-unique educational and scientific information about D3s through a regular e-newsletter ('D3G Dispatch'), an hour of D3-flavoured continuing education, discounted entry to D3G events, and a membership pin on our 'D3 family map'. We're thrilled to now have our first international subscribers on board, representing a dozen countries.
International Ambassador for D3G for named
October, 2017
As part of our International Friends initiative (see here), we're proud to name Vidal Perez (University of Talca, Chile) as D3G's first international ambassador. Deeply aware of the Molar Hypomin problem in South America, Vidal came to Melbourne to do a translationally-crafted PhD with Mike Hubbard's group. His work led to a research award, a breakthrough publication about D3G, and several other forthcoming papers. Now back in his homeland, Vidal intends to foster D3 family growth across Latin America.
Continuing education about Molar Hypomineralisation
August, 2017
Supported by GC Australasia and fronted by Philippa Sawyer and David Manton (all D3 family members), ADA-NSW ran a day-long seminar about Molar Hypomineralisation at their wonderful CPD centre in Sydney. D3G is most grateful to have received a donation from the proceeds of this event.
World-first 'Champions for chalky teeth'
August, 2017
In another world-first for D3G, and after February saw the pilot "We Fight Chalky Teeth" co-branded practice go online in Tasmania (see here), three more practices have joined in to create a budding network of D3-championing practices. And to enrich public-friendliness, we created a new "chalky molar"-inspired logo and tagline ("Champions in the fight against chalky teeth") for the Campaign landing site – thanks to Sharon Dunn for the cool design work. It is hoped this initiative will improve public and professional awareness of D3s, facilitate access to D3G educational materials, and provide financial support for D3 research and education. Read more here.
Featured article: Improved restoration of hypomin molars with GIC
August, 2017
Now back practising in Chile, Melbourne PhD graduate Vidal Perez reports a novel approach to improving the robustness of GIC restorations in severely hypomineralised molars. After filling the tooth with GIC, an orthodontic band was fitted as a strong metallic casing. Orthodontic bands are thought to be less harmful on gums when compared with stainless steel crowns (a commonly used approach). After 18 months observation, the gums were in good condition and the restoration remained essentially intact – something that would normally be unexpected for a GIC filling of that size. It will be interesting to see if these findings hold up beyond the single case reported (read more here).
Featured article: Resin infiltration of hypomineralised enamel
August, 2017
Delving deeper into the attractive but (so-far) vexed proposition of using low viscosity resin to harden hypomineralised enamel, Melbourne postgraduate student Harleen Kumar asked whether reliability of resin infiltration could be improved by removal of the surface enamel layer. Using polarised light microscopy, the surface layer was found to vary widely in thickness and its removal by acid etching was also variable. With subsequent resin penetration remaining unreliable (i.e. some success in about half of lesions studied) and adding little if any hardness, it was concluded that this approach cannot be recommended as a clinical procedure currently (read more here).
D3G's winter family gathering, Melbourne
August, 2017
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, the scientific networking meeting and gala fundraiser events have been postponed. We will advertise the new arrangements as soon as possible.
A publication milestone for D3G and more
August, 2017
This month's publication of the first academic report about D3G's approach to the Molar Hypomin problem (free download here) constitutes an important milestone, not just for D3G but hopefully for the field and ultimately child health too. Until now, translational channels (websites, lectures, mass media) have been used to report D3G's advances and obtain valuable feedback from across the sector. This departure from tradition was driven by necessity, reflecting academia's generally weak grasp on Molar Hypomin and the need for translational approaches to fix it. Stemming from a "call to arms for enamel researchers" (see here), this article seeks to rally broader research attention around Molar Hypomin which is outlined translationally for the first time as a 3-level problem. Translational terms and several other "D3-isms" developed in collaboration with the D3G community are introduced to the academic literature for the first time. It's also noteworthy that the D3G website is used heavily for referencing, aiming translationally to assist non-academic readers.
'D3G Dispatch' – a newsletter at last!!
August, 2017
Strong families depend on great communication – therefore a priority for 2017 has been putting mechanisms in place for this and related matters to happen effectively. So, with communications and membership foundations in place (see here and here), Sharon has turned to crafting a newsletter that is translationally suited for our broad variety of members. The first issue of "D3G Dispatch" has been....umm....dispatched to Joined Up members in a trial two-device format (i.e. quick read on mobile, and longer PDF version for tablet/print). Once we've caught up on the major backlog of news and achievements, we plan to add educational items about D3 research as a stepping stone to future "Continuing Education" offerings.
D3G as a role model for translational research
July, 2017
An article arising from last year's International Symposium on Enamel (see here), which recommends priorities and directions for future research in the enamel field, emphasises both the need for stronger research efforts into Molar Hypomin and the allied translational opportunities offered by D3G. Furthermore, D3G is held up as a pioneering model for translation that could be adapted to other problem areas. A free download of this article is available here (disclosure: Mike Hubbard is a totally biased senior author).
A branding refresh for D3G
June, 2017
We're really happy that the "D3 brand" draws numerous compliments from many directions and so we're keen to continue developing it – as always, tips and suggestions are welcomed from all our stakeholders. Most obviously, Sharon has designed a chalky-molar logo for the Chalky Teeth Campaign and also adapted it for the We fight chalky teeth practices network where "Toothy" was employed as flagwaver for the new tagline "Champions in the fight against chalky teeth". The "love D3G" concept was also picked up for D3G membership and "Toothy" was used to inspire people to gift memberships ("pay it forward") to others in less-fortunate circumstances. And eagle-eyes may have noticed that Sharon recently renovated the D3G logo, aiming to increase its public appeal.
World peak for dental hygienists endorses D3G
June, 2017
D3G is honoured to receive endorsement from the International Federation of Dental Hygienists which represents over 82,000 members worldwide – many of whom serve at the frontline for detecting D3s in children. IFDH joins the International Association of Paediatric Dentists as our second world-peak endorser and we hope that the complementarity between these two organisations (from D3 perspective) can be harnessed to advance appreciation of D3 issues and D3G's efforts worldwide. We thank President Robyn Watson for prioritising this key endorsement.
Broader clinical representation for D3G
June, 2017
While paediatric dentists undoubtedly play a crucial role in the D3 field and so have dominated academic and clinical thinking, we felt it was time to better acknowledge the key parts played by other areas of the dental sector. So, alongside David Manton (a paediatric dentist and D3G's founding co-director), we're now proud to welcome Paul Schneider (orthodontist and co-founder of MRUFD) and Julie Satur (dental therapist/hygienist) as lead academic clinicians for D3G. We encourage people from these disciplines to share their "D3 thoughts and wishes" with our clinical leads.
D3G-ANZ becomes the global hub and 'D3G Down Under'
May, 2017
With the wonderful expansion of our D3 family to include International Friends came the need to rebadge our Antipodean core as "the hub" of a global effort. And with Australia and New Zealand known by many as "the land Down Under", what could be better for this purpose than "D3G Down Under"? Well perhaps something that doesn't attract the standard jokes about "down underwear?" and "downunder in the mouth?"...but that's something we're prepared to work around!
'International Friends' group launched
May, 2017
Long-term international interest in D3G plus the wonderful reception Mike Hubbard received overseas recently (see here, here and here) has spurred the introduction of an International Friends subgroup and membership entitlement. At launch, 22 countries are represented by 60 friends comprising scientists, dentists, company folk plus a D3-affected family. This expansion brings with it the exciting opportunity to start thinking about what we might accomplish together as a broader collective, and also to ask what is needed to get there? Accordingly, to generate a more-globalised perspective about how best our D3 community can develop, we've added a public "Suggestions Board" to collect ideas and wishes from around the world.
Company support for D3G at Australian Dental Congress
May, 2017
Two of D3G's supporting companies kindly waved D3G's flag at Australian Dental Congress, the biennial mega-meeting for Australian dentists held this year in Melbourne. As part of their promotion of a filling material often used on Hypomin teeth, GC advertised their association with D3G and generously donated us a slice of that month's sales. And aiming to encourage broader uptake across general dentistry, Colgate purchased 100 Sam storybooks and distributed them from their stand. We thank GC and Colgate for these family-spirited initiatives.
D3G offers 'nearly free' basic membership with 'Pay it forward'
May, 2017
With an "eShop" now available (see here), the next step in our self-sustainability agenda was to upgrade from regular emails to an efficient communications system. Sharon has worked her design magic in establishing a Join D3G portal that includes a "Pay-it-Forward" option for those socially driven types wanting to Share D3 Love. For starters, we've opened an "Almost-Free Basic Membership" category to cover simple email communications and get a regular newsletter underway – once the newsletter and other value-add features are in place, we intend to offer higher levels of membership by subscription. Although D3G membership has been free up till now, the time has come to move from reliance on charity into cost-recovery mode. And to help existing users adapt to this change, we've started with a very low bar – just A$5 to cover the external cost of our new communications system.
A chalky teeth makeover at www.thed3group.org
April, 2017
With the Chalky Teeth Campaign landing site (see here) now attracting strong traffic and new endorsements, we felt it was time to merge this "public entry point" with the main D3G website more seamlessly. Hence, the latter has been given a makeover by introducing the public-friendly "chalky terms" (chalky teeth, chalky molars, chalky enamel spots) into appropriate areas of the KIDS and FAMILY sections. Most importantly, the new "What are chalky teeth?" page explains that, in having no fixed meaning, this colloquialism is a translationally useful device for starting conversations with the public before leading them into more explicit professional terminology.
Paediatric dentists support the Chalky Teeth Campaign
April, 2017
We are thrilled that AAPD, the Australasian peak body for specialist paediatric dentists, has come on board as financial supporters of the Chalky Teeth Campaign. AAPD endorsed D3G's website at launch in 2013 and many of its members have since made invaluable in-kind contributions to our ongoing activities. We look forward to furthering our collaborative efforts "towards better understanding and care of people with D3s". Presidents Philippa Sawyer and Bernadette Drummond are thanked sincerely for making this important step happen.
D3G's new e-commerce facility
April, 2017
Kicking off our self-sustainability agenda, new project manager Sharon Dunn (see here) has added a customised e-commerce facility ("eShop") into the D3G website. Initial offerings are Sam's storybook (separately targeting families and practitioners), D3G referral cards and a forthcoming basic membership. Early indications are that this long-awaited facility will be a win-win for customers and D3G operations.
D3G at ANZSPD meeting in NZ
March, 2017
Stopping over in Auckland on his way back from IADR, Mike Hubbard was pleased to wave D3G's flag amongst the wide range of child-centric practitioners and company folk at ANZSPD's RK Hall lecture meeting. Many helpful discussions were had and lots of D3G materials distributed. Thanks to Marilyn Owen for representing the We Fight Chalky Teeth practice initiative (see here) and to ANZSPD president Tim Johnston for sponsoring D3G's table.
D3G's first offshore network meeting
March, 2017
Spurred by burgeoning interest in internationalising D3G plus a timely gathering of researchers (IADR General Session), our first offshore network meeting was held on Friday 24th March at an Irish pub in San Francisco. Over a scrummy pub lunch, the launch of overseas membership in D3G ("International friends of D3G") was toasted and ideas exchanged about what should come next. Read more here.
D3G at IADR General Session in San Francisco
March, 2017
Encouraged by positivity received from researchers during his overseas trip last year (see here and here), Mike Hubbard followed up with a much broader audience attending IADR's General Session. Numerous discussions were had with researchers, journal editors and company folk, leading to a more rounded impression of how best D3G might serve a broader international audience. Mike also gave a lecture on "chalky teeth" lecture and a research seminar at UCSF's School of Dentistry, hosted by enamel scientist colleague Pamela Den Besten.
A project manager for D3G
March, 2017
Already famous as D3G's website designer and illustrator of Sam's storybook, Sharon Dunn has stepped up to a broader project management and secretarial role. Until now, D3G's founder Mike Hubbard has been running the show almost single-handedly "after hours". However, with workload blossoming beyond his and other volunteers' capacity to deliver, a steady pair of helping hands has become essential. Generously, Sharon is working at a discounted rate to "give D3G a helping hand" – but as primary breadwinner and with a young child, she does need to be paid. It is hoped that by putting Sharon's design skills to good effect across various revenue-generating opportunities, her position will soon become self-supporting.
Aussie hygienists support the Chalky Teeth Campaign
March, 2017
Following their 2015 endorsement of D3G (see here), Australia's peak body for dental hygienists (Dental Hygienists' Association of Australia) has kindly "upgraded" to become financial supporters of the Chalky Teeth Campaign. We thank DHAA and President Melanie Hayes for their keen interest and support, and look forward to working together to increase D3 awareness.
ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR THE D3G WEBSITE
March, 2017
The "three million hits" milestone was passed in February, reflecting interest from around the world. Usage continues to climb (now averaging 250 visits per day) and Sam's storybook has been downloaded over 5,200 times. Most traffic comes from Australia, USA and UK but with many other countries not far behind it appears D3G's impact is spreading.
World-first "We Fight Chalky Teeth" practice
February, 2017
In another world-first for D3G, February saw the first "We Fight Chalky Teeth" co-branded practice go online at Tassie Kids Dental. With so many practitioners praising the D3G website, an obvious next-step was to connect the Chalky Teeth Campaign (CTC) with practice websites via a CTC satellite page. And because "the fight against tooth decay" slogan enjoys universal recognition, we thought it logical to extend a "battle" metaphor to the world of chalky teeth (thanks to Garry Nervo for this idea). Hence "We Fight Chalky Teeth" was born as an informative and self-explanatory catchphrase for dental practitioners concerned about state-of-the-art management of D3s. This in turn led to a new logo for the practice homepage and stationery. It is hoped that, by bringing in other D3G supporters, a broadly beneficial network of D3-savvy practices can be established.
Growing links with the AI community
January, 2017
Following up on bonding with the AI (amelogenesis imperfecta) community at last November's Enamel symposium (see here), D3G's Mike Hubbard was honoured to host Susan Parekh (Kings College, London) when she visited Melbourne this month. Besides her longstanding role in managing AI cases from across the UK, Susan is highly aware about Molar Hypomin and D3G's efforts to engage translationally across the sector. Discussions ended with the hope firstly that Susan could work with other D3-savvy colleagues to improve D3G's visibility in the UK, and secondly that D3G could increase its engagement with the AI community globally.
International support for D3G
November, 2016
On the back of his trip to the Enamel 9 Symposium, Mike Hubbard visited several "key opinion leaders" to gauge international interest in growing D3G beyond its current Australia+NZ scope. Discussions were had in the USA (Rebecca Slayton, Wendy Cheney, Colgate), UK (Nicola Innes, Mike Harrison, Susan Parekh) and France (Sylvie Babajko, Ariane Berdal), and D3G-centric lectures delivered in Boston, London and Paris. Opinions were overwhelmingly positive and while resourcing struggles remained the elephant in the room, it was felt that further internationalisation would be helpful in this regard.
D3G saluted at International Symposium on Enamel
November, 2016
D3G was strongly represented at the 9th International Symposium on Tooth Enamel held this month in Harrogate, England. Vidal Perez presented biochemical findings from his PhD, attracting much interest in an overlooked aspect of enamel hardening. And in an enamel pathology session he chaired, Mike Hubbard rounded out several talks about Molar Hypomin by overviewing D3G's translational efforts and making a "call to arms" for enamel researchers – surprisingly, unlike amelogenesis imperfecta and dental fluorosis, Molar Hypomin has attracted little attention from enamel scientists before now. The subsequent discussion session went way overtime, and conversations continued for the remainder of the meeting. D3G was also involved in a workshop considering an international network for enamel geneticists. Those discussions brought us one step closer to the foundational hope that D3G could serve an umbrella role for interfacing various D3s with the public and politicians.
Educational grant from NZ Dental Association
October, 2016
D3G has won a grant from NZDA's Waikato Bay of Plenty branch to provide educational materials for dental professionals and affected families in their region. Fronted by D3G's local representative, Katie Ayers, the grant enabled supply of 500 educational packages (comprising Sam's storybook, website referral cards, GC patient brochures and Colgate kiddie stickers). We thank GC and Colgate for supporting this initiative, and NZDA-WBOP for handling the local distribution.
Australian Dental Students endorse D3G
October, 2016
We're thrilled to have the Australian Dental Student Association join their NZ counterparts (see here) as endorsers of D3G. Naturally it is hoped that the next generation of dental professionals have a better understanding of D3 issues than their predecessors – we look forward to working collaboratively with ADSA towards this goal. We thank the ADSA president Cheryl Chen, past presidents (Mohit Tolani, Audrey Irish), Velanni Martins and several other members of ADSA for supporting the various steps that led this endorsement.
D3G referral cards updated for Chalky Teeth Campaign
August, 2016
Following successful uptake of both the new "family-friendly" website referral cards (see here), and the Chalky Teeth Campaign landing site (see here) we decided it was time to merge these two advances. So D3G's referral cards now list both website addresses, letting families be directed to the chalky teeth site, and from there onto appropriate parts of the main website. The new cards are available from the secretary.
Featured article: D3s and caries in primary teeth
July, 2016
Addressing caries risk associated with D3s in the primary dentition, Kim Seow and colleagues from Queensland recently reported a ground-breaking longitudinal study that followed children from birth through to 6-years old. Enamel hypoplasia and severe Molar Hypomin (yellow/brown opacities undergoing surface breakdown) were associated with 4.5 to 6-fold higher incidence of caries. About 10% of 725 children studied had at least one tooth affected by D3 and their caries developed much earlier than in teeth lacking D3s (read more here). These findings strengthen the evidential base for our Chalky Teeth Campaign.
Australian dental students swot up on chalky teeth
July, 2016
At invitation of the conference organisers, director Mike Hubbard lectured on "the chalky teeth problem" at the Australian Dental Students Association's annual convention, held this year in Melbourne. Beyond the formal opportunity to put D3G's spin on things, it was wonderful to discuss Molar Hypomin with many students and learn not just how patchy their understanding is, but also to get some insights as to why (e.g. some tutors denying or downplaying the problem). We thank the organisers and previous ADSA reps for their interest over the past couple of years that prompted this opportunity.
Public health exposure for D3G's translational education model
May, 2016
Building on recent linkages with the public health sector (see here), director Mike Hubbard lectured at the Public Oral Health Innovations conference hosted in Melbourne by Dental Health Services Victoria. His talk, which discussed the Chalky Teeth Campaign as being a new educational system for patients and practitioners, is available online (video here).
Research award for D3G PhD student
December, 2015
Winner of this year's Colgate-ANZSPD research award was Vidal Perez, a Chilean paediatric dentist studying for a PhD in Melbourne (see here). [August 2014] Competing against a variety of fabulous presentations, Vidal's engaging description of his biochemical investigations into the pathogenesis of chalky enamel won the day, helped perhaps by closing remarks expressing intent to spread his "Australasian D3 family" experiences across Latin America. Vidal graduated in December, with his thesis earning a commendation for the Chancellor's Prize at the University of Melbourne. Pictures here.
Technical turmoil with D3G website
November, 2015
After nearly 3 years operation without missing a beat, the D3G website hit a wall due to a technical "innovation" introduced by our service provider – simply put, a feature our site depended on was no longer supported. Rather than rework the website, we decided to change service providers. Our sincere thanks to our website guru Suzanne Thomson for dropping everything and sorting this all out in amazingly short time (down 25/11, back up 27/11).
Chalky Teeth Campaign landing site launched
November, 2015
With the Chalky Teeth Campaign idea taking off, it was decided to develop a landing site of the same name as a public entry point to the main D3G website. The new site was launched by ANZSPD president John Sheahan at the society's recent conference in Adelaide. With its easily remembered address (www.chalkyteeth.org), summary of the problem, and streamlined links to topics of lay interest, we hope this site will become a focal point for public awareness raising. We thank the University of Melbourne for funding support (public engagement grant).
Inaugural 'D3G table' at ANZSPD conference
November, 2015
After a career of standing on the customer side of the table at trade shows, the "table turned" for director Mike Hubbard at ANZSPD's biennial conference in Adelaide where for the first time D3G had a display table. On display were Sam's storybook, D3G referral cards and flyers about the websites and an upcoming D3G supporting practice initiative, plus the compulsory clipboard for registrations of interest. A busy time was had, with Mike's PR efforts kindly supported by Vidal Perez and Elissa McElroy. The organising committee is thanked for hosting D3G's display at no charge.
An online tribute to Grace Suckling, D3G's founding patron
November, 2015
Honouring Grace Suckling's remarkable life, D3G was proud to launch an online tribute that puts her research into a translational context. Drawing on material assembled for the 2013 event where Grace became our founding patron (see here), this new page presents both a listing of her research publications and a categorical recompilation that highlights the wide-reaching nature of her work – across lab, clinic and populations. A full-length version of Grace's interview with Erin Mahoney is also now available.
Vale Elizabeth Waters
October, 2015
D3G respectfully acknowledges the passing of Elizabeth Waters (University of Melbourne), whose many interests in child health extended to providing guidance for our Chalky Teeth Campaign.
ANZSPD supports the Chalky Teeth Campaign
October, 2015
Following their 2013 endorsement of D3G (see here), Australia's peak body for child-centric dental professionals (Australian and NZ Society of Paediatric Dentistry) has kindly "upgraded" to become financial supporters of the Chalky Teeth Campaign. We thank ANZSPD and President John Sheahan for their keen interest and support, and look forward to working together to increase D3 awareness.
D3G referral cards for ADOHTA conference delegates
September, 2015
We are grateful to ADOHTA for distributing D3G website referral cards and flyers to delegates at their 50th anniversary congress held recently in Melbourne.
Farewell to Grace Suckling, our Patron
August, 2015
After a remarkable life spanning 93 years, Grace Webster Suckling (b. 22/1/22) passed away on July 20th in Waikanae (near Wellington, NZ). Trained as a dentist in Dundee, Scotland, Grace practised in the UK before moving to NZ in 1956. After raising her family, she joined the Dental Research Unit in Wellington and, at the age of 50, started researching developmental defects of enamel (DDE) in sheep. A stunning 29 research papers later, she had not only spawned the DDE index but also produced what remains today an unsurpassed and rock-solid contribution to terminology, diagnosis and aetiology (i.e. DDE epidemiology and pathogenesis, enamel biophysics, fluorosis and tetracycline staining). In becoming our Patron (see August 2013, below), Grace was interviewed by D3G-NZ rep, Erin Mahoney (clips). We plan to bring the full interview, and other remembrances of Grace's fabulous and oft-overlooked gems, to this website shortly. From doyen of DDE to patron of D3G, thankyou, and rest in peace Grace Suckling.
USA exposure for D3G's chalky teeth message
July, 2015
D3G's director Mike Hubbard was invited to present the Chalky Teeth message at a "scientific showcase" meeting in Canberra attended by the USA ambassador to Australia, John Berry. This golden opportunity, which originated from Mike's alumni status with the USA National Institutes of Health, was secured by the organisers interest in D3G as a groundbreaking example of a translational research network. Mike's talk played on the surprising lack of USA studies about Molar Hypomin and ensuing prospects for USA-Australasian partnerships in research and education. A pleasing level of positive feedback was received from both the official party and other presenters.
D3G's "Sam's helping hand" fundraiser
July, 2015
Facing increasing workload and dwindling finances, several D3G members got together and organised a "Sam's helping hand" fundraiser in time for the end-of-financial-year giving period. We are grateful to our partner organisations (AAPD, ANZSPD, RACDS) for helping spread the word across their memberships, and of course to those who donated.
Strong D3G presence at the IAPD Congress in Glasgow
June, 2015
Besides the usual participation by many D3G members, this year's biennial worldwide meeting of paediatric dentists features a D3-themed talk by Melbourne PhD candidate, Vidal Perez, and D3G promotional materials in delegate's bags (all 1,700 of them!). Vidal will outline how the "D3 family" has helped his molecular investigations into the pathology of "chalky enamel", and invite people to attend the next IAPD congress being held in his home country, Chile. Our thanks to ANZSPD, IAPD, and Vidal's travel sponsors for making this important exposure possible.
D3G referral cards for Australian dental students
June, 2015
We are grateful to ADSA for distributing D3G website referral cards and flyers to delegates at their annual congress held recently in Cairns.
Featured article: Improving epidemiological investigation of Molar Hypomin
June, 2015
Teaming up with two MIH stalwarts, Melbourne academics Aghareed Ghanim and David Manton have admirably broached two troubling topics in the Hypomin field. First, the need for better standardisation of epidemiological studies (and allied aetiology) is argued, and a statistical basis for sample sizing offered. Second, standardised scoring and charting regimes are suggested, in essence being further adaptations of the DDE index that emanated from studies by our patron Grace Suckling ("atypical fillings/extraction", review). Although D3G offers a different perspective on several details, the general principles of these arguments clearly need to be heeded (read more here and here).
Featured article: Resin infiltration of hypomineralised enamel
June, 2015
Following the illustrious footsteps of Rami Farah, Otago postgraduate student Arun Natarajan applied a new approach to characterise the composition of Hypomin enamel. Teaming up with experts from Chemistry and Mathematics, Raman microscopy was used to chemically map "chalky" lesions, and then the effects of different resin infiltration procedures were examined. Pretreatments (acid, protein removal) improved Hypomin enamel properties (in most cases) and resin penetration (in most cases). The exceptions, plus evidence that clinically similar "brown opacities" diverged at chemical level, offer multiple possibilities why a Melbourne group had found such resin treatments to be inconsistent (read more here and here).
Another milestone for the D3G website
June, 2015
Having passed "one million hits" last November, www.thed3group.org has now reached a new milestone by hosting its 100,000th visitor. Usage continues to climb (now averaging 180 visits per day) and Sam's storybook has been downloaded 4,000 times. It appears D3G's impact is spreading, both in Australasia and beyond.
ADOHTA to distribute D3G referral cards
June, 2015
With high demand following our recent Chalky Teeth promotion, ADOHTA has kindly agreed to distribute website referral cards to their members on behalf of D3G. This family-spirited move provides much-needed relief for the D3G secretariat. We thank ADOHTA president Hellene Platell for sanctioning this pioneering step.
Chalky Teeth promotion to Australian therapists
May, 2015
Thanks to sponsorship by the ANZSPD, all ADOHTA members will receive a glossy copy of Sam's storybook along with website referral cards and a sheet of the Colgate-D3G reward stickers. With therapists playing such a key role in identifying "Hypomin kids" and educating their families, this generous initiative from the paediatric dentistry community exemplifies the "family ethos" of D3G. We thank presidents John Sheahan (ANZSPD) and Hellene Platell (ADOHTA), and Colgate, for colloborating with D3G on this milestone project.
NZ orthodontists treat local therapists to Sam's story
May, 2015
Having received a glossy copy of the Sam book at the NZAO conference, orthodontist Betty Keng obtained a further 50 copies to give to school therapists in her region (Taranaki). On hearing this fabulous example of "D3 family spirit", two other orthodontists (Mark Ewing, Sax Dearing) did the same thing for their respective regions (Waikato, Hawkes Bay). We thank Betty, Mark and Sax for pioneering this wonderful initiative, and for their allied donations to D3G.
Strong D3G presence at the NZ orthodontists' biennial conference in Napier
April, 2015
Building from a D3G-themed presentation by Nina Vasan in 2013, three D3G stalwarts (Erin Mahoney, Paul Schneider, Mike Hubbard) gave "world-first" interlinked talks about Molar Hypomin from paediatric dental, orthodontic and D3G+scientific aspects, respectively. And delegates were treated to a glossy copy of Sam's storybook thanks to sponsorship by NZAO. We were thrilled to find so many Kiwis clued-up about the orthodontic aspects of Hypomin and already using our website. Thanks to NZAO for providing this opportunity.
GC+D3G Molar Hypomin brochures prove popular
March, 2015
GC's education+marketing brochure for Molar Hypomin families, developed collaboratively with D3G (see December 2013 news, below), is proving highly popular. Since GC's initial distribution of 8,000 copies across Australasian dental practices, a further 12,000 copies have been requested by practitioners (available through Henry Schein at no cost). The partner brochure for dental practitioners continues to be available online.
Sam's story is at the Australian Dental Congress
March, 2015
The Chalky Teeth Campaign marches on, this time to Brisbane where 3,000 glossy copies of Sam's storybook will be distributed to delegates, along with the website referral card. D3G warmly thanks GC Australasia for sponsoring this promotion, and ADA for their support.
Public health exposure for D3G's chalky teeth message
February, 2015
Stemming from recent interactions with Victoria's public oral health provider (DHSV), Mike Hubbard was invited to talk about the Chalky Teeth problem at DHSV's regional health conference held in Wangaratta. Valuable feedback was obtained about the practical challenges faced by those at the coal-face in the public health sector.
Aussie hygienists endorse D3G
January, 2015
Australia's peak body for dental hygienists (Dental Hygienists' Association of Australia) has now joined the D3 family, complementing the presence of their therapist colleagues (ADOHTA). We thank DHAA for their endorsement and look forward to working together.
Glossy copies of Sam's storybook available now
December, 2014
Since airing the commemorative copy last August (see website launch report, under Events), the "glossy print" version of Sam's storybook has attracted praise as a valuable adjunct to the free digital versions, which can be viewed online or downloaded for printing. It appears we are not alone in enjoying the pleasure of holding (and smelling?) a real book, and flipping through its shiny pages. So, we are now making glossy print copies available in exchange for a donation to D3G (A$4 per copy plus delivery for bulk orders). Please email d3-sam@thed3group.org to order.
Middle East dentists exposed to D3G
December, 2014
Rami Farah, a longtime Molar Hypomin researcher and D3G supporter from New Zealand (see here) is now spreading D3G's message across the Middle East. This month Rami is delivering lectures about Molar Hypomin in Saudi Arabia (his new homebase) and Jordan, incorporating a video introduction about D3G from director Mike Hubbard. Thanks Rami – we are thrilled to see D3G's reach being extended in this way.
Major milestone for the D3G website
December, 2014
The "one million hits" milestone was passed in November, reflecting steady usage that continues to climb (currently averaging 160 visits per day). All audience sections (KIDS, FAMILIES, COMMUNITY, PRACTITIONER, RESEARCHER) are being accessed strongly, suggesting a diverse user base. And Sam's storybook has now been downloaded more than 3,400 times. Clearly, with this amount and diversity of traffic in just over a year since launch, www.thed3group.org is helping many people around the world.
Sam's storybook features at therapists' conference
October, 2014
Complementing a lecture by D3G co-director, David Manton, the South Australian & Northern Territories branch of ADOHTA kindly sponsored a copy of Sam's storybook for all delegates at their annual conference in Adelaide. This move caps a recent groundswell of interest in D3G by the therapist community, as evidenced by numerous requests for website referral cards and membership. D3G thanks ADOHTA-SANT for this pioneering step and the allied donation.
Bite magazine article on D3G
September, 2014
Instigator and co-director of D3G, Mike Hubbard, was interviewed by Bite magazine's Chris Sheedy about his vision and experiences in establishing D3G as a translational research and education network. This new article relays how "the D3 family" approach is steadily overcoming a variety of longstanding barriers, complementing an earlier outline of Hubbard's thoughts about D3G.
NZ Dental Students endorse D3G
September, 2014
Naturally we all hope that the next generation of dental professionals have a better understanding of D3 issues than their predecessors. An added bonus of the 2014 Wrigley project was that the NZ Dental Students Association became endorsers of the D3G website initiative. We look forward to working collaboratively with NZDSA on future educational projects.
D3G lands another two Wrigley grants
September, 2014
For the second year running,D3G has won funding support from the Wrigley Company Foundation's Community Service Grants in Australia and NZ. This year's "Student Power" project took the Chalky Teeth campaign to dentistry and therapy students in both countries, providing them with a glossy copy of Sam's storybook, plus a sample of the new website referral cards and Colgate-D3G reward stickers. Our thanks to Marilyn Owen and Alejandra Hernandez (Oz) and Bernadette Drummond, Omar Alsabiry and Erin Mahoney (NZ) for fronting these projects, and the many other volunteers and dental school representatives that made this promotion possible.
New website referral cards released
September, 2014
Having distributed 16,000 of the original "professional look" business cards, D3G decided it was time to better serve our main target audience. The new "family-friendly" card features the Sam and Toothy characters from www.thed3group.org. Our thanks to D3G designer, Sharon Dunn, for this colourful new addition to the D3 family, and to Julie Barker (President, ADOHTA) for suggesting it. The new cards are available by emailing d3-sam@thed3group.org.
D3G PhD student gives lectures in South America
August, 2014
Vidal Perez, a Chilean paediatric dentist studying for PhD at the University of Melbourne, has returned from a 3-week tour of Uruguay, Brasil and his home country, delivering 9 lectures to diverse audiences (2 dental conferences, 2 paediatric dentistry societies, staff and postgraduates at 4 universities). Great interest was received in the general concept of research translation, as exemplified by D3G, as well as the specific translational approach used by Vidal to investigate the pathogenesis of Molar Hypomin. The tour culminated with a 20-minute interview televised by ChileGlobal, which took our D3 research+education message to an international Latin audience. Our thanks to Vidal's hosts and travel sponsors for making this important exposure possible.
Colgate and D3G collaborate to produce children's reward stickers
August, 2014
Early in the D3 project, several members said it would be nice for "Hypomin kids" to have their own "special reward" stickers and so this prospect was embedded in the website and Sam's storybook. Pleasingly, the "Colgate ladies" in Sydney agreed and suggested a design based on D3G's "Toothy Scientist" giving an oral hygiene message. This vision was brought to life by our graphic designer, Sharon Dunn, respecting the "rules" developed for educational+marketing brochures (i.e. avoiding exclusivity and D3G endorsement of particular products; see December 2013 news). We thank Susan Cartwright, Lenore Tuckerman and Sarah Raphael from Colgate for collaborating on this great addition to the D3 toolbox, and Colgate Australasia for sponsorship of a substantial print run.
Kiwi therapists endorse D3G
March, 2014
Further acknowledgement of the key role played by therapists in identifying "D3 children" has come from D3G's latest endorsement, the NZ Dental and Oral Health Therapists. We welcome NZDOHT to the D3 family and look forward to working together on shared educational interests.
GC and D3G team up to produce educational brochures
December, 2013
In a pioneering "D3-family effort", two educational brochures were developed collaboratively by GC and D3G this year. Targeting dental professionals and Molar Hypomin families respectively, this multilevel education+marketing campaign was designed to be a "4-way win" (i.e. benefiting families, practitioners, GC and D3G). To avoid any suggestion that D3G endorses GC products, both brochures clearly endorse D3G educational resources (rather than the other way round) and are being produced and distributed by GC. D3G hopes that, by making its educational content available non-exclusively to companies and other "distributors", a consistent message will be relayed to the public, politicians and healthcare professions alike. We thank Stephen Haynes and Alexandra Sbaraini at GC for helping develop suitable "rules of engagement" and then producing documents that honour the "look and feel" of D3G. Independent contributions from several D3G members are also acknowledged.
World peak for paediatric dentistry endorses D3G
November, 2013
D3G was thrilled to receive endorsement from the International Association of Paediatric Dentists, which represents over 15,000 members from 59 children's dentistry societies worldwide. D3G members have played leadership roles in IAPD over many years, including hosting the 2005 Congress in Sydney. We salute their contributions for engendering global respect of D3G's social mission, and particularly thank IAPD President Eduardo Alcaino for prioritising this key endorsement.
Kiwi orthodontists endorse D3G
November, 2013
Hot on the heels of their trans-Tasman colleagues, the NZ Association of Orthodontists has kindly added their endorsement of D3G's educational website and Chalky Teeth campaign. Welcome to the D3 family NZAO.
Aussie orthodontists endorse D3G
October, 2013
Better recognition of the intricate interrelationships between Molar Hypomin and orthodontics is a central plank of D3Gs educational mission. Consequently, D3G was pleased to have the Australian Orthodontic Society endorse its website initiative. We look forward to working collaboratively with ASO on research and educational areas holding mutual advantage.
Aussie therapists endorse D3G
September, 2013
Recognising the crucial "early detection" role that dental and oral health therapists play with D3s in children and adolescents, D3G was honoured to have their Australian peak body (ADOHTA) endorse our website initiative and offer collaborative assistance with ongoing developments (including kiddie stickers and family-friendly referral cards). We look forward to further interactions with this important branch of the dental healthcare family.
D3G lands two Wrigley grants
September, 2013
D3G has won funding support from the Wrigley Company Foundation's Community Service Grants for its website rollout activities in Australia and NZ. Drawing on voluntary inputs from the large student membership in Melbourne, our ADAF-Wrigley project brings "student power" to the promotion and further development of D3G's educational resource. Likewise, the NZDA-Wrigley project will boost Kiwi awareness through distribution of promotional materials. Our thanks to Marilyn Owen and Daniel Cocker (Oz) and Erin Mahoney (NZ) for fronting these projects.
A special patron for D3G
August 24, 2013
A closely kept surprise for those attending the D3G launch event was news that research pioneer Grace Suckling has agreed to be D3G's patron. D3G co-director Mike Hubbard outlined how, as "doyen of the DDE era", Grace made huge contributions to the D3 field, including the first diagnostic index for "Developmental Defects of Enamel" (DDE index) and publication of 29 research papers spanning a remarkably broad range of science (e,g, epidemiology, pathogenesis, biophysics). Still going strong after 91 years, Grace was interviewed for the event by D3G-NZ rep, Erin Mahoney (video). Pursuing its translational mission, D3G plans to bring more of Grace's fabulous and oft-overlooked contributions to the forefront shortly.
Launch of Chalky Teeth, website and medico-dental initiatives
August 24, 2013
After more than 3 years' gestation, D3G's online education resource was finally launched officially by MRUFD benefactor Maria Myers. Adding excitement, paediatrician Sharon Goldfeld announced the intention of two Australasian Royal Colleges (Physicians, Dental Surgeons) to collaborate with D3G on preventive aspects of "D3-caries". And as icing on the cake, unfurling of our public-friendly "Chalky Teeth" campaign gained worldwide attention. For further information, see the three reports under Past Events.
Royal Dental College endorses D3G
August, 2013
D3G was honoured to receive endorsement for its website initiative from the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. This liason is pleasing at multiple levels, noting RACD's interactions with RACP on child oral health (see news item below) and that many RACDS members have supported development of the D3G website. Also enticing is the collaborative interest expressed by RACDS in adding assessment capabilities to some sections of the website, with a view to boosting utility for practitioner education (cf. possibility of a terminology test).
RACP Oral Health update
August, 2013
In 2012, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (Paediatrics and Child Health Division) released a pioneering position statement about oral health in children and young people. Following input from D3G, the document has now been extended to cover D3s and associated risks including caries. The updated strategy document, which is supported by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons, can be downloaded from here or directly. This initial interaction with the RACP is a key milestone for D3G, particularly noting the all-important medical aspects of Molar Hypomin and ensuing prospects for involving medical and allied health practitioners in preventive interventions.
Dental associations endorse D3G
August, 2013
Ahead of the official website launch in late August, D3G was honoured to receive endorsements from the national bodies for general dentistry in Australia and NZ: the Australian Dental Association and the NZ Dental Association. We view these connections as particularly important, noting the key role that dental GPs play in early detection of D3s and interception before "the rot" (caries) sets in.
Paediatric dentists endorse D3G
August, 2013
Following its pre-launch in April, the D3G website initiative was privileged to receive endorsements from both Australasian peak bodies for paediatric dentistry: the Australasian Academy of Paediatric Dentistry and the Australian and NZ Society of Paediatric Dentistry. With members of both organisations having made invaluable contributions during website development, we look forward to further collaborative activities.
Website referral cards distributed
August, 2013
To help connect needy families with our education resource, D3G has developed website "business cards" for practitioners to hand out as a modern alternative to patient brochures (which are more costly, less readily updated and offer only a fraction of the information on the website). To grow awareness within the profession, these cards are being distributed at conferences and by mailouts. We are grateful to the branch secretaries of ANZSPD for their help in distributing cards to over 300 members across Australia and NZ, and to our financial supporters that enable these cards to be provided free. To request cards, see here, and to download the associated flyer click here
Companies support D3G rollout
August, 2013
As acknowledged on the homepage, the Australasian branches of three multinational companies have become "supportive family members" of D3G by subscribing to D3G's cross-sector-family philosophy and donating generously towards the website rollout activities. Joining long-time supporters Dentsply and Colgate are GC Corporation and A-dec. Additionally, Acteon made a helpful donation towards costs of the launch function. We look forward to further collaborative efforts in education, research and advocacy, and welcome other companies to join the D3G family (for further info please contact D3G's Directors).
Featured article: First severity index for Molar Hypomin
August 12, 2013
In what turned out to be a herculean research project, Melbourne DCD student Kelly Oliver undertook the first "real-world" testing of the Molar Hypomin Severity Index (MHSI) developed earlier by Louise Messer and colleagues. By teaming up with five specialist paediatric dental practices, an impressive 283 cases were gathered and characterised in detail (e.g. lesion colour, location, breakdown, restorations and sensitivity). The real-life spectrum of presentations was found to be well-captured by the MHSI, suggesting this diagnostic index will serve as a useful guide in the clinical management of Molar Hypomin. (read more)
Featured article: Complex properties of Hypomin enamel
August 12, 2013
Having treated members to several previews at D3G meetings, Felicity Crombie has now advanced to publishing three reports from her PhD investigations of Hypomin molars. Firstly, using a variety of lab tests (chemical and physical), she found that not only was Hypomin enamel strikingly different than normal, but also that its clinical appearance and physical properties weren't tightly correlated. (read more) This perplexing variability was echoed in two lab studies of treatment options, where resin infiltration was found to "work" in some cases but not others (read more) and treatment with caries-remineralising solution (CPP-ACFP) led to varied improvements in hardness of Hypomin enamel (read more). Like all good PhD projects, this one opens the door to many intriguing opportunities for follow-up research.
Website pre-launch
April 2013
After three years gestation, D3G's new website was unveiled to the dental community at annual meetings of specialist paediatric dentists (Australasian Academy of Paediatric Dentistry) and general practitioners (35th Australian Dental Congress).These events generated much positive feedback and a major surge in website traffic. For more information see the separate report above (under Events).
Featured article: Prevalence of Molar Hypomin in Iraqi children
March, 2013
In a remarkably productive PhD project, Aghareed Ghanim characterised many facets of Molar Hypomin in her home country, Iraq. Exploiting her experience as a paediatric dentist, Aghareed examined the second primary molars and permanent (adult) teeth in a large group of children from Mosul City. MIH was found to affect about 19% of permanent dentitions and 7% of second primary molars (read more here and here). Medical history analysis suggested causal associations with illness during infancy but no single factor was identified as a potential cause of MIH (read more here and here). Affected adult molars were found to have higher incidence of caries and to require at least twice as much restorative treatment as unaffected molars (read more here and here). In a prior survey of Iraqi dental academics, a vast majority reported they encountered MIH on a regular basis (read more).
Featured article: Profiling the protein composition of hypomineralised enamel
March, 2013
Using clinical proteomics, two D3G research teams have characterised Molar Hypomin lesions at protein level for the first time. Dunedin-based workers (Farah, Monk, Swain & Drummond) found that discoloured Molar Hypomin enamel had much higher amounts of protein than normal. Some of the proteins identified are typically associated with serum, leading the team to suggest a mechanism that could help explain the abnormal protein and mineral contents of Molar Hypomin enamel (read more).
A multidisciplinary team from Melbourne (Mangum, Crombie, Kilpatrick, Manton & Hubbard) also found high protein contents and went on to show that lesions with intact surfaces contained different types of protein than those with broken surfaces. These findings enabled the team to discriminate serum-derived proteins from those originating in saliva, so leading to novel insights about the pathogenesis of Molar Hypomin (read more).
Featured article: Comparing D3 prevalence in primary and permanent teeth
2011
Kim Seow and colleagues from Brisbane have compared the prevalence of D3s in baby (primary) and adult (secondary) teeth of school children. They found that the primary teeth had almost half as many enamel defects as secondary teeth, and that these were mostly demarcated opacities with about 1 in 7 exhibiting surface breakdown. These findings confirm that Hypomin lesions could contribute substantially to caries risk in the primary dentition. (read more)
Featured article: Mineral density analysis of Hypomin enamel
2011
Rami Farah and colleagues from Dunedin investigated Molar Hypomin lesions of varying severity using X-ray microtomography. They took particular care over density calibration, so enhancing their quantitative interpretations. Mineral density was found to vary according to position on the tooth, depth within the lesion, and relationship to developmental lines. (read more)
Featured article: Prevalence of Molar Hypomin in NZ schoolchildren
2011
In a world-first study asking whether ethnicity influences the prevalence of Molar Hypomin, Wellington researchers (Mahoney & Morrison) found equal rates in children representing Maori, Pacific Island and NZ European groups. The overall prevalence (15%) and heightened risk for caries (up to 12-fold increase in DMFT) puts this NZ subpopulation in line with reports from other countries. (read more)
A follow-up study comparing children from a central-city environment with "out-of-towners" revealed a somewhat higher prevalence for city kids (about 19% had Molar Hypomin, vs 15% as above) but no obvious association with socioeconomic status was found. Compared with Hypomineralisation, Hypoplastic defects were an uncommon finding (affecting less than 1% of kids). (read more)
Featured article: Aetiological review of Molar Hypomin
2009
Felicity Crombie (then a PhD student) and her Melbourne colleagues critically reviewed previous reports about suspected causes of Molar Hypomin. Although specific causes were unable to be established, some potential risk factors were identified. Overall, the level of evidence was found to be low and the need for long-term prospective epidemiological studies was highlighted. (read more)
Featured article: Risk factors for Molar Hypomin in Western Australia
2009
Following from his prevalence study (see below), Peter Arrow investigated the potential risk factors associated with Molar Hypomin in Western Australian schoolchildren. Children with an infection during the neonatal period were found to be over six times more likely to have demarcated enamel defects. (read more)
Featured article: A spectrum of Molar Hypomin presentations
2008
A retrospective study of 182 children with Molar Hypomin seen in a Melbourne paediatric dental practice led Chawla, Silva and Messer to describe an “MIH spectrum”. That is, cases ranged from mild, where only the molars were affected, to severe with involvement of both incisors and molars. Aetiological associations with combinations of antibiotic use, ear infections, fevers, perinatal conditions and other illnesses in the child’s first three years of life were also found. (read more)
These data were also used to develop a Hypomineralisation Severity Index intended to help clinicians determine the best management options for Molar Hypomin. (read more)
Featured article: Molar Hypomin awareness amongst ANZSPD practitioners
2008
The knowledge, clinical experience and opinions of specialist practitioners in regards to Molar Hypomin have been assessed by Felicity Crombie and colleagues. Questioning members of the Australia and New Zealand Society for Paediatric Dentistry revealed that Molar Hypomin was widely recognized and posed significant clinical problems. A majority of respondents felt a need for further research in this area. (read more)
Featured article: Prevalence of Molar Hypomin in Australian children
2008
Peter Arrow reported the first comprehensive study of Molar Hypomin prevalence in Australian schoolchildren (n= 511). Investigating a Western Australian population, 22% were found to have demarcated opacities on at least one first permanent molar, a figure that is somewhat higher than the average reported elsewhere in the world. (read more)