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A. Aljawad,1M. Z. Morgan,2R. Fairchild3 and J. S. Rees4 describe the link between acidic drinks and dental erosion, and discuss the potential risk of developing dental erosion as a result of frequently consuming novelty sweets.
J. S. Chandan and T. Thomas summarise the treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and how anti-inflammatory medications can have side effects that affect the oral cavity.
Stephen Turner and Margaret Ross conducted a survey of dental hygienists and therapists working in direct access practices in the UK to find out how they were functioning, which treatments were involved, and the barriers they had encountered.
R. Macey, A. M. Glenny and P. Brocklehurst report the patient-perceived acceptability of dental hygienist-therapists when completing routine dental examinations.
M. Estai, J. Winters, Y. Kanagasingam, J. Shiikha, H. Checker, E. Kruger and M. Tennant investigate the use of ‘mid-level dental practitioners’, such as dental therapists, to remotely screen for oral diseases using a ‘telehealth’ model.
A considerable number of children with an oral healthcare need under 16 years of age are not brought to their Barts Health Special Care Community Dental Service (BHSCCDS) appointments. The BHSCCDS needed to understand more about why parents/carers (parents) were failing to bring their children, in order to identify appropriate strategies to reduce the non-attendance. Thus, an audit was conducted to assess the number, frequency and reasons for all missed appointments (MA); this included feedback conversations with dental staff and parents. Information obtained from this cohort of high-risk children's families through personal, respectful and supportive contact improved understanding of the parents' individual and collective issues and led to recommendations that could reduce the number of MA in the future.
A case study of dental clinical waste composition and potential greenhouse gas emission savings, by J. Richardson, J. Grose, S. Manzi, I. Mills, D. R. Moles, R. Mukonoweshuro, M. Nasser and A. Nichols.
The population of the United Kingdom is ageing. More people are living for longer. Many of those older people want to retain their natural teeth and will continue to be regular attenders at the dentist. However, Age UK estimates that one in 20 older people are abused by a family member or carer. As health care professionals, the dental team have a responsibility to identify the signs of elder abuse and report them as appropriate. This article explains some of the causes and signs of abuse and the dental team's responsibilities to act.