Sir, I read with interest the letter from R. S. Randhawa et al.1 which highlighted the neglect of dental care on hospital wards.
Back in the 1970s I was employed as an in-patient dental officer at Guy's Hospital where my duties were to look after the dental care of hospital in-patients. A large part of my work included pre-operative assessment and treatment of cardiothoracic patients and dealing with dental emergencies when they arose, not just at Guy's but the associated hospitals and care homes in the Guy's group. I had a standalone surgery in the main hospital and a dental nurse to assist me.
Informal seminars were also given to nurses about the importance of the oral health of patients in their care.2
Unfortunately, the job eventually fell victim to one of the early cutbacks in NHS funding in the 1980s. This was a short-sighted expediency and resulted in a lost opportunity to improve patient care at a relatively low cost.
Perhaps it is time to revisit this aspect of holistic care so aptly raised by your correspondent.
References
Randhawa R S, Chandan J S, Thomas T . Oral health: Dental neglect on wards. Br Dent J 2017; 223: 238.
Feaver G P . The dental care of cardiothoracic and radiotherapy patients. Nursing Mirror 1977.
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Feaver, G. Health policy: Hospital cutbacks. Br Dent J 223, 464 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.845
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.845
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