Ex-CDO shows support for dental therapists
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- Published: Tuesday, 05 May 2015 07:26
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In an interview with Fiona Sandom, president of the British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT), the former CDO, Barry Cockcroft said that many dentists tend to overestimate the public’s concern about receiving their oral health care from other members of the dental team. He also said that any reluctance by patients to receive treatment from a dental hygienist or dental therapist instead of a dentist would be ‘unusual’.
In an exclusive interview with Fiona Sandom, president of the British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT), the former CDO explained: ‘If you look at the changing health needs of the population now – compared to 20 years ago – and then look ahead another 20 years, it’s clear the pattern of disease has been changing. The majority of the population are going to have much simpler needs and I think this is bound to lead to dental care professionals (DCPs) having a greater role in the delivery of care – in both the NHS and private sectors.’
He added: ‘There is also a growing cohort of older dentate people with potentially complex needs and a range of co-morbidities and it is probable that dentists will need to concentrate more on the needs of those patients. I think dentists tend to overestimate the public concern about the use of DCPs. It would certainly be unusual for a patient to feel reluctant to see a hygienist instead of a dentist for periodontal treatment.’
The BADT president also heard Mr Cockcroft’s thoughts on the need to further educate the public about the role of dental therapists, the legislative changes required to empower DCPs to play a greater part in the delivery of services, and the need for practices to implement a more skill mix-focused workforce. He told Ms Sandom: ‘If I was still in practice, I’d be looking to work in a team with a wide range of skills in order to offer as wide a range of services to our patients as possible.’
Barry Cockcroft is a keynote speaker at the BADT Conference, taking place in Birmingham (Friday 25 until Sunday 27 September 2015).
Fiona Sandom’s interview with him is published in the current issue of Dental Therapy Update.
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