Personal development plans (in primary dental care)--getting started

This article reviews how to develop a personal development plan, its benefits and how it may relate to the GDC's proposed revalidation scheme. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Revalidation is an essential part of reassuring the public that the profession delivers care to appropriate standards in safe work environments. A personal development plan is a key element in improving performance and quality of care.     

Academics for dental primary care

Driven by the need to address integrated dental care, many UK dental schools have recognised the advantages of teaching dental practice, or dental primary care (DPC), as a separate and defined subject area. In such schools, DPC may be taught alongside specialist subjects such as restorative dentistry, oral surgery, oral medicine and those traditionally forming elements of the dental undergraduate curriculum. As a result, departments or units of general dental practice or DPC have been established.     

Developing a primary dental care outreach (PDCO) course – part 2: perceptions of dental students

Background:  The perspective of participating students in a primary dental care outreach (PDCO) course, with regard to clinical and educational value, has informed course development and delivery.
Objectives:  To evaluate students' perception of the PDCO experience including clinical experience gained, teaching and learning and the teaching environment.
Methods:  Likert Scale-based questionnaires were completed: (A) prior to the start of PDCO teaching, (B1) after one term, (B2) after one year and (C) for entry year 2001 students at completion. Additionally, a cohort of entry year 2000 students with no PDCO experience was surveyed at the end of their 4th year. Factor Analysis with Crohnbach's alpha was used to investigate perception of (i) confidence and skills in treating child patients, (ii) confidence and skills in treating adult patients; (iii) general clinical skills and experience; (iv) team working. Data from entry years 2000–2003 were analysed using ANOVA and independent sample t- tests.
Results:  For entry years 2001 and 2002, perceived confidence and skills in treating child patients and general clinical experience increased, although for entry year 2002 students the levels of perceived general confidence and skills achieved after 1 year were similar to the entry year 2000 cohort who had received no PDCO teaching. There was consistently high satisfaction with teamworking. After 2 years in PDCO, 11 of the 13 overall satisfaction scores were over 70%.
Conclusion:  The majority of students perceive PCDO as a valuable component of professional training and development. Further evaluation, including analysis of value for money, would help to inform funding decisions and further curriculum development.     

Child dental care and serial extraction: a long-term survey

Serial Extraction is a useful means of improving the shape and function of the developing dento-alveolar system in selected cases. However, it requires an ability to recognise departures from normal development and to predict growth changes. This may be beyond the skill of the average practitioner. Much depends upon careful monitoring with the aid of study casts and radiographs. It is often necessary to carry out simple interceptive measures such as grinding of deciduous teeth or simple tooth movements at carefully selected ages. The selection of suitable cases and the procedures for managing them are illustrated by examples of treated cases.     

Research in primary dental care part 4: measures

An important part of the design process for any study is deciding how to assess and measure the phenomena you are aiming to research. In this article we will use the term outcome measure to indicate the tool or index that can be used to quantify, in an accurate and predictable way, the phenomenon under investigation. This might, for example, be a patient's opinion, the effect of a treatment, the outcome of an intervention, or the prevalence of an oral disease. The paper presents an overview of outcome measures which can be used in research. We will discuss the properties to look for in a measure, suggest suitable evidence-based measures and briefly introduce how to go about developing new measures, in particular, questionnaires.     

Introducing care pathway commissioning to primary dental care: measuring performance

Care pathways have been used in a variety of ways: firstly to support quality improvement through standardising clinical processes, but also for secondary purposes, by purchasers of healthcare, to monitor activity and health outcomes and to commission services. This paper focuses on reporting a secondary use of care pathways: to commission and monitor performance of primary dental care services. Findings of a project involving three dental practices implementing a system based on rating patients according to their risk of disease and need for care are outlined. Data from surgery-based clinical databases and interviews from commissioners and providers are reported. The use of both process and outcome key performance indicators in this context is discussed, as well as issues which arise such as attributability of outcome measures and strategic approaches to improving quality of care.     

Research in primary dental care Part 6: Data analysis

The analysis of data from a research project seeks to answer the research question which the investigators set at the outset of the study. This article provides information on data analysis for both quantitative and qualitative data, always referring the reader back to their initial research question. Advice is also given on software which can be used for the analysis of data. A guide is provided to the choice of appropriate statistics for studies involving quantitative data.     

Developing dental education in primary care: the student perspective

A pilot outreach course in restorative dentistry based in community clinics began in 2001. As part of the evaluation, 48 fourth year students completed a questionnaire about their opinions of the new course, and about restorative dentistry clinics in the dental hospital. Time management was the most frequently mentioned gain from outreach. In relation to the dental school, students most often saw the specialised teaching staff as a gain. Outreach was equally or more important for students' confidence in clinical diagnosis of dental caries, treatment planning, direct restorations, communicating with patients, and managing patients, time, and resources. The dental hospital was equally or more important for their confidence in the diagnosis of periodontal disease, root planing, crowns, bridges, dentures, and communicating effectively with laboratory staff. Patients in outreach were seen as different from those at the dental hospital because they were unselected, and had different treatment needs. Meeting course requirements was the most frequent concern about outreach. In relation to the dental hospital, students were most often concerned about the quality of teaching and support available. Outreach and the dental hospital provided complementary experiences and the new course met its educational objectives.     

Scottish consortium for development and education in dental primary care

A national consortium for dental primary care in Scotland has been formed as a result of integrated planning by groups involved in managing and delivering postgraduate dental education in Scotland. In 1998 a partnership was formed with representatives from the Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education (SCPMDE) and the three Scottish dental institutions at Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities. The principal aim of the Consortium is to promote evidence-based dental care through postgraduate education and research. The activities of the Consortium will provide a broadly based adjunct to current postgraduate provision with partner institutions contributing in different ways. Since its inception the Consortium has focused on two main areas: 'Higher Training' for Primary Care. Scottish Dental Practice Based Research Network.     

Digital clinical records and practice administration in primary dental care

Usually, a 'computerised dental practice' has included a series of diagnostic instruments, intra-oral cameras, digital radiographic systems, treatment planning systems, CAD-CAM systems, management systems etc. However, these 'island solutions' have not been integrated into one system. Nevertheless, it is possible to produce fully integrated systems for digital clinical records, based on established physiologic and cognitive-ergonomic concepts. The first part of this paper outlines the philosophy behind the development of such a totally integrated system for digital clinical records. The second--digital practice administration--considers how the 'digital revolution' has impacted upon practice administration.     

Informing research in primary dental care: setting priorities.

This paper suggests that priorities for research in primary dental care should follow the examples set in other areas of primary healthcare. It reviews the history of research in primary dental care, since 1990, and goes on to explain how the Delphi exercise, initiated by the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK), has identified five priority areas for research in primary dental care. These areas are:1. Research into the application of evidence-based dentistry into practice.2. The effects of different systems of remuneration on treatment patterns in practice.3. The oral health assessment on determining recall intervals and its effect on oral health.4. Factors that influence and affect dentists' treatment modalities.5. The evaluation of the cost benefits of whole team training.