Oral health
Despite the decline in the number of people going regularly to the dentist and instead presenting their oral health concerns to their GP, a UK-wide survey identified important gaps in the training of GP trainees in relation to oral health care.
(Current training provision and training needs in oral health for UK general practice trainees: survey of General Practitioner Training Programme Directors) BMC Medical Education 201616:142
Training resources from BMJ Learning for non-dental staff around oral health include:
- Mouth ulcers: a guide to diagnosis and management
- Oral ulceration: a guide to diagnosis and treatment
NICE guidance on Oral Health for adults in Care Homes (July 2016) calls for oral health and access to dental treatments to be given the same priority as general health for all adults in care homes. Improving Mouth Care elearning was developed by Health Education England Thames Valley/ Wessex to train carers and nursing staff in care homes. It is available free to all NHS healthcare professionals on the eLearning for Health platform.
The British Society for Disability and Oral Health has complied a collection of Oral Health resources giving oral care information for patients and their carers, including links to disability organisations and other groups which have web based information on oral and dental care.
Oral Health for General Practice (NECS) is aimed at General Practitioners and other GP staff to give an overview of the importance of good oral healthcare and its implications on general health.
Poor oral health can have a huge impact on people with dementia. Read about the work to support development of Dementia Friendly Dental Practices on the Dental staff page.
Read about the CPD requirements and resources for dental care professionals and experienced dentists here.
The CPD Zone is brought to you by the GP schools of Health Education England working across Thames Valley and Wessex, in association with Oxford Health FT Library.
Page last reviewed: 15 January, 2021