JCDA - Canadian Dental Association

Letters
into this discussion. For good or ill, we
have become commercial competitors.
Dr. Fred Eckhaus
Toronto, Ontario
Increase in Decay
I practise in a middle-class to uppermiddle-class
area in a Vancouver
suburb. My practice provides treatment
for many children. In my first
18 years of practice, it was usual for
most children to be consistently
cavity-free. Indeed, it would be
unusual for any child to have more
than a couple of cavities at any given
time. About 3 years ago, I noticed a
gradual increase in decay. It has now
developed into a truly worrying
phenomenon. I now routinely see
children (ages 5 to 18) with 6, 8 and
12 cavities — usually interproximal,
but also many occlusal. Much of this
decay is rapidly progressive.
A recent article in the National Post
described a similar pattern throughout
North America. At a symposium
not long ago, I had a chance to speak
to Dr. Max Anderson (an expert in the
bacterial basis of decay) and asked if
he was aware of this increase in caries.
Dr. Anderson confirmed that he was
also aware of this trend.
So my question is why? My
suspicion is a diet heavy in carbonated
beverages. Coke machines are very
prevalent in schools nowadays and
access to candy has probably never
been higher. The National Post article
suggested it was the increase in drinking
nonfluoridated bottled water, but
I doubt this is the cause. Are you
aware of any up-to-date statistics in
this area? I suspect that most of the
data is not yet showing this trend.
Dr. Harold H. Punnett
Fort Langley, British Columbia
SOCAN Licensing Fee
The tariff that the Society of
Composers, Authors and Music
Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is
attempting to impose on dentists is
unreasonable. How do dental offices
634 November 2003, Vol. 69, No. 10
differ from shops and restaurants
where music is played in the background?
Evidently, SOCAN will go
after them as well. Where will it end?
If I play music of my choosing —
my own CDs — at my workplace,
how does that differ from playing
music at home for guests? Should I
have to pay a fee whenever I have a
party?
I do not profit from playing music
at work. I am not selling compilations
to patients, nor would I lose any
patients if I did not have background
music. In fact, I turn a lot of patients
on to a lot of music. They in turn
make recommendations to me and
we all go out and buy more CDs. Is
that not a good thing?
I have already purchased my CDs
legitimately. Why should I have to pay
for their use again? What SOCAN is
attempting to do is double-dipping.
Dr. John Martins
Ottawa, Ontario
Ronald McDonald House
On behalf of all those associated
with the Ronald McDonald House in
Westmead, New South Wales, I wish
to thank you for the generous
donation of Braun/Oral-B electric
toothbrushes. (The toothbrushes were
donated to CDA by Oral-B. — Ed.)
Your support is vital and does make
a difference to the lives of these seriously
ill children and their families.
When families find out that their
child has a serious illness, life takes an
abrupt departure from the realm of
the normal. Doctors agree that children
tend to respond better to medical
treatment if their family is with them.
Ronald McDonald House is there for
these families, providing a home away
from home and helping families stay
together and support their child,
while drawing comfort and hope from
staff, volunteers and other families.
Our doors are open to accommodate
hundreds of families of seriously
ill children who come from all over
Australia and the Pacific/Asia Region.
With your generosity and support,
together with the dedication of our
staff and volunteers, we can make a
huge difference in providing much
needed assistance to these children
and their families.
Julie Neave
Ronald McDonald House Coordinator
Westmead, Australia
Great Experience for Dental
Volunteers
I recently returned from Jerusalem,
where I volunteered my services for
the third time at a clinic catering to
the dental needs of underprivileged
children aged 5 to 18. The services of
the Dental Volunteers for Israel (DVI)
clinic are available free of charge for all
needy Jerusalem children, regardless
of their race, colour or religion.
Since the clinic’s inception in 1980,
over 4,000 dental professionals from
all over the world have served as
volunteers. Some have returned many
times.
The volunteer dentists (up to 3 at
any one time) provide amalgam and
composite restorations, simple extractions
and, occasionally, pulpotomies
and stainless steel crowns. The volunteers
work from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
4 days a week for 1 to 4 weeks. Their
trip is tax-deductible from Canada,
the United States and France.
Otherwise, dentists must come totally
at their own expense. They are given a
rent-free apartment in Jerusalem for
the duration of their volunteer work.
The DVI offers a most rewarding
working vacation in Israel, as there is
ample opportunity for the volunteer,
alone or with accompanying family, to
relax and tour. I highly recommend
this to any dental colleague (notably
general dentists, pediatric dentists and
endodontists) who has any interest in
donating his or her time and expertise
to this worthy cause.
Dr. Lorna Katz (Lornakatz@hotmail.com)
Montreal, Quebec
Journal of the Canadian Dental Association