AN INTEGRAL PART OF PHARMACISTS’ ROLE IS TO GIVE PERSONALISED ORAL HYGIENE ADVICE TO PATIENTS SO THAT THEY CAN IMPROVE THEIR BRUSHING REGIME ON THEIR OWN
The BDA has underlined the need for clear and consistent guidelines and public communications alongside practical support to underpin a safe de-escalation of IPC requirements across dentistry.
In addition to the fact of difficulties in accessing care, and with rumours that routine dental services won’t be available until 2023, there is no doubt that pharmacists will, once again, be the first port of call for standard oral care advice and support.
On top of the fact that patients are worrying about their general oral health, there is also increasing evidence to support detection of coronavirus within saliva!
Clarity in the spread of infection and whether there is ability to break down the walls of the virus within the mouth remain questionable, but, with the ongoing restricted dental guidelines, dentists’ scope of practice is limited.
As such, an integral part of pharmacists’ role is to give personalised oral hygiene advice to patients so that they can improve their brushing regime on their own.
So what advice should be given to the general public?
Top brushing tips Patients should be advised to: • Brush twice daily for at least two minutes using firm pressure and a fluoridated toothpaste
• After brushing, spit out rather than rinsing out with water
• Adopt a good brushing technique as opposed to scrubbing at teeth and gums
• Avoid brushing immediately after eating. Wait 45 minutes to allow time for the saliva components to break down the food in the mouth
• Regularly check that everything in the mouth looks and feels normal.
Dental service statistics
• In March 2020, there was an abrupt and sharp fall in the number of patients seen by an NHS dentist, followed by an even larger fall in April
• Despite figures subsequently climbing, the number of children seen between May and December 2020 was around a quarter of the 2018-19 monthly average
• Between September and November 2020, the number of adults seen was around a third of the 2018-19 monthly average, before falling to 28 per cent of the 2018-19 average in December 2020
• 96.0 per cent of the Scottish population were registered with an NHS dentist as at 30 September 2020
•Registration rates for adults continued to increase (97.0 per cent compared to 96.0 per cent in 2019). However, this increase was smaller than seen in previous years
• As at 30 September 2020, six out of ten registered patients (3.4 million) had seen an NHS dentist within the last two years.
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