Knowledge Project

Dominic Hurst, one of our deputy editors, is currently looking to recruit UK-based dentists to participate in a study as part of his DPhil research at Oxford.

He needs to recruit general dental practitioners willing to record their knowledge encounters for a week and be interviewed for between 30 minutes and one hour about one or more of the encounters.

For more information about the study visit the study website at www.knowledgeproject.info

Oral Health Promotion approaches for dental teams.

A new draft guideline from NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) is currently out for consultation. The guideline makes recommendations on how general dental practice teams can effectively convey the 'advice for patients' set out in Delivering Better Oral Health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention (Public Health England). This includes recommendations on how to deliver those messages so that people leave the dentist satisfied about their visit and motivated to follow the advice.

The aim is to encourage people to:

  • improve their oral hygiene and use of fluoride

  • reduce their consumption of sugary food and drinks, alcohol and tobacco and so improve their general, as well as their oral health.

The consultation closes on the 10th July 2015 at 5pm. The documents are available at http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-phg60

UK National Screening Committee (NSC) – Oral cancer screening in adults.

The NSC is currently reviewing its recommendations or oral cancer screening in adults. Screening for oral cancer in adults was last reviewed against the NSC criteria in 2010. The current NSC policy is that screening should not be offered.

As part of the latest review an expert review was commissioned and comments and feedback on that review are welcomed during the consultation period that runs from 3rd June 2015 until 4th September 2015. Further information is available at http://www.screening.nhs.uk/oralcancer

Coming soon: Management of Patients Who Are Taking Anticoagulants or Antiplatelet Drugs and Require Dental Treatment

The Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP) is finalising their new guideline on the manageent of patients who are taking anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs and require dental treatment. The guidance is directed at dentists, hygienists and therapists in primary care dental practice, although it will also be of relevance to the secondary care dental service, those involved in dental education and undergraduate trainees. The guidance document is expected to be available on the SDCEP website (www.sdcep.org) towards the end of July.