The natural history of the dental pellicle and its relationship to dental erosion in elite sport

A three year PhD project based at UCL Eastman Dental Institute in London, in partnership with the Quadram Institute Bioscience based in Norwich is being funded by a multinational industrial partner to investigate the natural history of the dental pellicle and its relationship to dental erosion.

Dental erosion (DE) describes non-carious tooth surface loss, usually caused by exposure of acid from dietary sources or gastro-oesophageal reflux. Progressive loss of tooth surface initially causes increased sensitivity but can ultimately lead to pulpal involvement if unchecked. Athletes are thought to be at particular risk due to consumption of sports drinks which have been linked with an increased risk of dental erosion (Freese et al. 2015, Søvik et al. 2015). Many of the causes of DE are common to both athletes and the general population (Bartlett et al. 2013). In view of the high prevalence of DE in athletes and the common aetiology with the general population, the athlete is a useful model to investigate DE and possible preventive interventions.

One method for reducing the erosive potential of sports drinks is to raise the pH through the addition of buffering agents. However the resulting formulations are often unpalatable. Therefore we propose a different approach whereby the erosive potential of a sports drink is reduced by strengthening the dental pellicle (DP). The DP is a protein rich film that forms on all surfaces within the mouth, and provides a barrier to dissolution of enamel by dietary acids. As the pellicle is the primary interface between the oral environment and the hard and soft tissue of the mouth it plays an important role in oral physiological and pathological processes. Understanding the mechanisms by which the dental pellicle protects the tooth against erosion will allow us to develop effective intervention/prevention strategies to help reduce erosion, not only in elite athletes, but also other vulnerable groups.

We require a well-qualified, highly motivated student to work on this exciting. The work will consist in the development of in-vitro dental erosion models focussing on the impact of sports drinks and dental pellicle. We anticipate the successful candidate to work on the prediction of solutions to minimise the impact of these dental assaults. The candidate will also be exposed to clinical cases, but it is not required for the candidate to be clinically trained.

The successful candidate needs to possess excellent qualifications with a minimum of an upper second class degree or equivalent and a strong background in materials science with excellent analytical capabilities and chemical knowledge. Alternatively, a background in physical science and chemistry would also be highly suitable. In particular, experience in organic chemistry or food science would be an asset as it will form a core part of the work.

Interested candidates should contact Professor Ian Needleman in the first instance on the contact numbers below. The post will be held open until a suitable candidate is found.