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Prevention is better than Cure
31st Oct 2005
Pre·ven·tive (noun) - something that stops something unwanted from happening, especially something that protects against illness. That’s Bill Gates Microsoft Word 2004 definition of the word and that’s the subject of this week’s rant. Dental experts from around the world met in Liverpool for the eighth World Congress on Preventative Dentistry (WCPD) last month, to discuss international joint policies in oral health promotion and oral disease prevention, particularly promoting equity and reducing health inequality. From this meeting the global child dental health task force was established to tackle these issues at Government level (story on page 3). This is a perfect segue to the issue of preventive dentistry and its importance in every day practice. There are hundreds of column inches written about the new contract, PDS contracts and how the new delivery system, being introduced by the Department of Health, aims to free up time to educate patients on prevention dentistry. The aim is noble and admirable and for the sake of the UK’s dental health, I hope this national initiative delivers. Raman Bedi had his detractors but he was at the vanguard of the successful campaign to get fluoride back into water, which provides irrefutable benefits for the majority of children. For a future focused on preventive dentistry, the stage is set, but the actors are still to receive their lines! Preventive dentistry is about to take centre stage in the UK and practices signed up to PDS or waiting to sign GDS should be trained and ready for this progression. They could start preparing for the change with education. There are a number of easy ways to do this that can work for the whole practice team, including: 1. Talking to oral healthcare company reps 2. Reading the dental journals 3. Introducing more periodontics into the practice 4. Introducing hygienists and an oral hygiene policy in the practice and so on. We do not yet know everything about the new contract, UDAs and NHS access, but we do know that preventive dentistry is the focus and linchpin of the entire system. Those practices most geared up to deliver preventive dentistry will have the greater chance of success after April 2006. Julian English Executive Editor
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