Dental pilots to be extended
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- Published: Friday, 05 October 2012 00:03
- Written by News Editor
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Around 25 further dental practices are set to be added to the existing 70 programmes as work continues to develop the new contract. The extra sites will help fine tune different parts of the new contract which will see dentists paid for the number of patients they care for and the health results they produce rather than the number of courses of treatment they perform. The 25 new pilot sites will join the scheme from April 2013. |
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The care pathway approach – which offers dentists guidance on treatment for their patients depending on their oral health – will also form a significant part in making sure practices are delivering quality care when the new contract is rolled out. Findings from the early pilots show how dentists are putting a firm focus on more preventative dental care.
Barry Cockcroft, Chief Dental Officer for England said: “I am delighted the pilot scheme has been received so positively by dentists and a lot of excellent work has been carried out so far. We have worked closely with the sites and know some of the elements being tested need fine tuning. Making sure the new dental contract is fully tested and fit for the future is a vital part of our plans to modernise the NHS and the pilots have a key role to play.”
Inventive ways to encourage adults to take a bit more care with their toothbrush are being trialled and significant steps have been made to protect the teeth of children. The number of fluoride varnishes have increased by 63 per cent in the last year.
Some of the pilot sites are also trialling a new self care plan based on a traffic light system. A new care pathway is being tested which suggests methods of treatment for patients following a check up. This gives patients a rating of green, amber or red following an oral health assessment. They are then given advice on how to improve their dental health in the long term.
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