A retrospective analysis of NHS patient dental charges in England, Scotland and Wales.

Objectives This analysis aimed to: i) review how patient dental charges (PDCs) changed over time in England, Scotland and Wales; ii) determine how these changes relate to a) inflation and b) minimum wages; and iii) how the charges have varied in the devolved administrations.Methods Data were obtained from NHS and Office for National Statistics (ONS) records and historical valuations of the national living wage (NLW). General inflation was calculated using the ONS Consumer Price Index.

Systemic antibiotics for symptomatic apical periodontitis and acute apical abscess in adults.

Background: Dental pain can have a detrimental effect on quality of life. Symptomatic apical periodontitis and acute apical abscess are common causes of dental pain and arise from an inflamed or necrotic dental pulp, or infection of the pulpless root canal system. Clinical guidelines recommend that the first-line treatment for these conditions should be removal of the source of inflammation or infection by local operative measures, and that systemic antibiotics are currently only recommended for situations where there is evidence of spreading infection (cellulitis, lymph node involvement, diffuse swelling) or systemic involvement (fever, malaise).

Time to complete contemporary dental procedures - estimates from a cross-sectional survey of the dental team.

Background: There are few contemporary studies on the time taken to complete dental procedures, those most heavily relied on in the United Kingdom date back to 1999.

Objectives: This work aimed to establish how long members of the dental team took to complete specific dental procedures, relevant to their scope of practice.

Methods: Data were collected via a purposive sample of 96 dentists, dental hygienists/therapists and dental nurses.

The implications of a cost-of-living crisis for oral health and dental care.

A cost-of-living crisis is currently affecting the UK. While this has been explored in terms of the effect on dental practice, the dental implications for patients and for population oral health have not received sufficient attention. This opinion piece discusses how: i) financial pressures leading to hygiene poverty may limit the ability to afford the basic products necessary to maintain oral hygiene; ii) food insecurity is associated with a diet high in sugar and lacking in appropriate nutrition; and iii) reduced disposable income may limit the ability to attend and successfully engage with dental care.

The development and application of a chairside oral health risk and need stratification tool in general dental services.

Objective: To describe the development and application of the Assessment of Clinical Oral Risks and Needs (ACORN) stratification tool based on a traffic light system in National Health Service (NHS) general dental services (GDS) Wales, UK.

Materials And Methods: This was a secondary analysis of routinely-collected dental care data. All courses of treatment provided in dental practices participating in NHS GDS Reform Programme between July 2018 and September 2019, in which an ACORN assessment and age were recorded were included in the analysis.

A qualitative exploration of decisions about dental recall intervals - part 2: perspectives of dentists and patients on the role of shared decision making in dental recall decisions.

Introduction Patients are sensitive to both the frequency and costs of dental recall visits. Shared decision making (SDM) is a principle of patient-centred care, advocated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and policymakers, whereby joint decisions are made between clinicians and patients.Aims To explore NHS dentists' and patients' attitudes towards SDM in decisions about recall interval.

A qualitative exploration of decisions about dental recall intervals - Part 1: attitudes of NHS general dental practitioners to NICE guideline CG19 on the interval between oral health reviews.

Introduction The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guideline CG19 recommends that the intervals between oral health reviews should be tailored to patients' disease risk. However, evidence suggests that most patients still attend at six-monthly intervals.Aim To explore facilitators and barriers to the implementation of CG19 in general dental practice.

Patients' reasons for consulting a GP when experiencing a dental problem: a qualitative study.

Background: There are approximately 380 000 dental consultations in UK general practice every year.

Aim: To explore the reasons why patients may consult a GP rather than a dentist when experiencing problems with their teeth or gums.

Design And Setting: A qualitative semi-structured interview study with adults who had consulted a UK GP with a dental problem in the previous 12 months.

Systemic antibiotics for symptomatic apical periodontitis and acute apical abscess in adults.

Background: Dental pain can have a detrimental effect on quality of life. Symptomatic apical periodontitis and acute apical abscess are common causes of dental pain and arise from an inflamed or necrotic dental pulp, or infection of the pulpless root canal system. Clinical guidelines recommend that the first-line treatment for teeth with these conditions should be removal of the source of inflammation or infection by local, operative measures, and that systemic antibiotics are currently only recommended for situations where there is evidence of spreading infection (cellulitis, lymph node involvement, diffuse swelling) or systemic involvement (fever, malaise).

Antibiotic Guardians: the Role of the Dental Profession.

The increasing emergence of antibiotic resistance is a major international public health problem. As a consequence, it is essential that steps are taken to conserve the effectiveness of existing antimicrobial agents. Consumption of antibiotics is the prime contributor to the development of resistance.

Dental consultations in UK general practice and antibiotic prescribing rates: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The frequency of consulting for dental problems in general medical practice, and antibiotic prescribing associated with these consultations, is poorly described.

Aim: To describe consultation rates and antibiotic use for dental problems in UK general medical practice, and explore factors associated with antibiotic prescribing for dental conditions.

Design And Setting: A retrospective cohort study using Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a database of general practice patient records in the UK.

Antibiotic prescribing in UK general dental practice: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To assess the extent to which antibiotic prescribing in general dental practice conforms to clinical guidelines and to describe factors associated with antibiotic prescription in the absence of spreading infection or systemic involvement.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of the management of adult patients with acute dental conditions by General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) in Wales, UK. Clinical information on the management of patients was compared to clinical and prescribing guidelines published by the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme and the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK).

General practitioners' attitudes towards the management of dental conditions and use of antibiotics in these consultations: a qualitative study.

Objectives: This study aimed to produce an account of the attitudes of general practitioners (GPs) towards the management of dental conditions in general practice, and sought to explore how GPs use antibiotics in the treatment of dental problems.

Design: Qualitative study employing semistructured telephone interviews and thematic analysis.

Participants: 17 purposively sampled GPs working in Wales, of which 9 were male.

Inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics in primary dental care: reasons and resolutions.

The injudicious use of antibiotics is one of the key contributors to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. It is therefore imperative that antibiotics are prescribed only when they are likely to result in clinical benefit for a patient. Clinical guidelines have been produced to assist dental practitioners in the appropriate use of antimicrobials.