ROLE OF THE DENTAL PRACTICE

The role of the Dental Practice Advisor in the improvement of Dental Practice and the development of a Strategy to improve oral health within the population of City Z



The Role of the Dental Practice Advisor in the Improvement of Dental Practice and the Development of a Strategy to Improve Oral Health within the Population of City Z

Introduction

The Department of Health definition of oral health is:

“A standard of health of the oral and related tissues which enables an individual to eat, speak and socialise without active disease, discomfort or embarrassment and which contributes to a general well-being”

The definition recognises that oral health involves more than just teeth and their diseases, and recognises that poor oral health has a profound impact upon the general well being of individuals and that good oral health is central to quality of life. (Dummett, 1996, pp. 454-459)

The Government produced Choosing Better Oral Health -An Oral Health Action Plan for England which identified the need to integrate oral health into the wider public health agenda and encouraged SHAs, PCTs and Primary Care Professionals to deliver further improvements by working together, across agencies and sectors to develop a range of complementary approaches.

It is vitally important for PCTs to appoint a Dental Practice Advisor who is able to provide advice, guidance and support to the primary care team.

The duties of a Dental Advisor are extensive and include organising, managing a programme of quality assurance for dental practices, provision of clinical input on dental commissioning and contracting matters, and helping to develop the oral health agenda. (Cissy, 2007, pp. 45-46 )

Background

An Oral Health Needs Assessment paper was submitted to the board of Primary Care Trust outlining the health needs of population of the City Z.

There is a diverse population in the city. In the 2001 census, 34% of the population considered that they came from a minority ethnic group. In addition to a rich variety of ethnic backgrounds, other differences exist in the different cities, socio-economic status and health experience. These can be identified in different regions are also vulnerable groups such as residents and the homeless and asylum seekers for the specialist services exist.

The paper provided an in depth insight into the dental needs of the City Z's population. The paper looked at the population, type of treatment given to patients, the type of patients treated in the NHS, number of UDAs contracted and the number of people accessing NHS dentistry. (Dummett, 1996, pp. 454-459)

The role of the Dental Practice Advisor was to work closely with the PCT officers and the Consultant in Dental Public Health in developing a detailed Oral Health Needs Assessment and Commissioning Plan and to support its successful deployment.

The Dental Practice Advisor must have a comprehensive knowledge of the issues in relation to oral health and needs to understand:

National drivers - ensuring oral health is commissioned in accordance with Department of Health expectations.

Local need - ensuring that local demand is identified and being ...