contingency plan was made: to devise a triage screening tool and implement triage clinics at CIRC to help reduce its dental waiting list. Triage appointments were booked and conducted. 20-patients were seen: 12-patients required urgent care; eight patients, detained less than a year, required routine care. All urgent problems were booked appointments. The 20-patients were removed from the waiting list. This led to a reduction of patients, therefore, reduced waiting times. Quality improvement and its use in enhancing practice performance; decision-making theories within triage systems and screening tools; the value of evidence-based dentistry, and the importance of evidence-based management and strategic decision-making were significant learning points. Working with healthcare, administrative and officer teams encouraged collaborative leadership. In medical and secure establishments, dental teams may not always be present. Thus, some sort of triage system and screening tool should exist, so that patients can receive dental advice or emergency first-aid care from suitably trained staff. This will be of particular importance to medical staff, in perhaps, preventing inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.
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