Presentations 2020: Special Care

402 - Dental screenings – how we are performing?

F Shah C Curitn
Presented by: Fayjel Shah
Cardiff Dental Hospital

Introduction:Medical specialties refer patients to our department via telephone for acute odontalgia and dental screening. Dental screening and degree of exodontia / restorative rehabilitation vary depending on the primary medical condition being managed. However, the importance of preventative advice should be highlighted for medically compromised patients due to their increased risk of complications from dental pathology i.e. infective endocarditis, sepsis, osteonecrosis. Currently challenges in providing high quality screening include a lack of evidence on appropriate treatment, high junior staff turnover and limited time between referral and medical intervention. This quality improvement project aims to maximise patients’ dental episode as an opportunity to provide prevention and minimise delays to medical treatment through a robust screening process. Methods:Through retrospective inspection of patient records, we investigated the quality of prophylactic dental screenings. Verbal feedback about the referral pathway and confidence in managing these medically complex patients was gained from dental nurses and core trainees. Results:The findings highlighted 70% of screening patients did not receive a clinical dental charting or periodontal screen (BPE) and 90% did not receive prevention advice. Changes were made to the triage referral form for greater formality of the current pathway. Improvements were made to documentation available for clinicians undertaking dental screening, combined as a record keeping tool and aide-memoire. Data will be collected prospectively to show impact to the service. Conclusion:Introduction of improved resources will enable comprehensive dental screening and ensure prevention is delivered to high-risk patients. These findings contribute to a wider project aiming to; enhance local dental screening, provide teaching to dental / medical teams and improve patient information.
Consent Statement: There are no details on individual patients reported within the abstract.

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