Last bite

03 February 2011
Volume 27 · Issue 2

Optimistic futures

It seems indeed that it is an ill wind that blows no-one any good. The recent rioting and disquiet over student tuition fees, while not specifically mentioning dental students, will doubtless have their impact. It seems that far from erecting a further barrier to undergraduate dentistry the announcement has created a surge of additional interest. Apparently there has been an increase in the number of university applications to study subjects which lead directly to jobs, as young people seek to prepare for higher debts after graduating rather than dodging courses that generate them.

Dentistry, engineering, veterinary science and the sciences have increased in interest in the past few months, while applications linked to medical subjects, nursing, midwifery and pathology, have increased more rapidly than any other subjects. I wonder if NHS or private fees in three, five and more years time will 're'-fund the deficits?

Thinking and chewing

German pupils are now being encouraged to chew gum in class as part of a pilot project following new research which claims that continuous chewing 'stimulates the brain'. Although the teachers involved have sought assurance that their students will have to keep their mouths closed while chewing, early results seem to show that chewing gum can improve memory performance by about 25 per cent.

But on the other foot, literally and metaphorically, those responsible for cleaning our streets are grappling with the problem of how to shift the UK's 9,000-tonnes-of-chewing gum-per-year habit: 80 per cent of which ends up on our pavements. With clean up costs amounting to £150m a year, the search is on for new products to sate the demand for chewing and lighten waste management. Biodegradable options and recycling programmes are being discussed but perhaps the added intellectual abilities now bestowed by chewing will mean that we're closer to finding a solution to the problem.

Left behind

How many of us have left items behind in our departures from hotel rooms?

The Travelodge chain have revealed that amongst the quirky items in their left luggage haul are a set of gold teeth, a life-size Dalek and £10k cash left in a dustbin. The gilt nashers must surely have been missed by someone at the next meal, or photo shoot.

While rap artists are often known for their flashes of the gold-stuff, I don't know whether hip hop artist, Ghostface Killah falls into that category. He has been 'tweeting' as a secret champion of dental health, urging fans to 'scrub that [expletive] halitosis off that tongue of yours'. I wonder if he chews gum?

 

December Winner

The winner of the December prize of Beverly Hills Formula products is Clare Jackson of York for the caption: ‘I’m just doing a Choir Quality Control check!’