Oral screening is a role for dental hygienists and therapists

According to a new study dental hygienists and therapists should be used to screen for dental caries and periodontal disease in a bid to improve the delivery of primary dental health care.

The findings of the report – The Efficacy of Screening for Common Dental Diseases by Hygiene-Therapists A Diagnostic Test Accuracy Study¹ – has important ramifications for service design in public-funded health systems.

Lead author, Richard Macey, research assistant at Manchester's School of Dentistry, explained: ‘Researchers here at the School of Dentistry have been examining whether dental care professionals (DCPs) can screen for common oral disorders. The research is part of a five-year programme that is supported by a NIHR Clinician Scientist award granted to Dr Paul Brocklehurst to examine the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of role substitution in primary dental care.

‘We now have the results of the main study which recruited 1,899 asymptomatic patients into 10 dental practices across the north west of England. Before their full check-up, patients saw a dental hygienist and therapist (H&T) and a general dental practitioner (GDP) for a screening assessment. Clinicians were asked to decide whether the patient screened positive for dental caries or periodontal disease and so required further investigation.

‘The results show a comparable performance between H&Ts and GDPs and demonstrated H&Ts can screen for the two principal dental diseases.

Credit: ©milosljubicic/iStockphoto/Thinkstock

‘In particular, H&Ts were good at identifying those patients the GDP had confirmed were caries free (specificity 0.87) and at identifying periodontal disease where the dentists confirmed its presence (sensitivity 0.89).’

Richard Macey believes these findings, coupled with the recent GDC regulatory change permitting direct access to DCPs, opens up the potential for a ‘much more comprehensive use of skill mix in the design and delivery of dental services’.

Dr Paul Brocklehurst will be presenting the results in full at the BDA Conference & Exhibition (7–9 May) at the Manchester Central Convention Complex.

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