The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating health, economic and social impact on the UK health services. The learning from redeployment demonstrated that dental professionals can be rapidly integrated into the wider healthcare system, but the challenge is how this can be sustained in the future. This is an opportunity for dental training to be incorporated into a more integrated model of care, and this article outlines a collaboration between NHS England and NHS Improvement, Health Education England and Local Dental Networks to establish a novel training opportunity. This Assistant Dentist Integrated Care Pilot Programme has provided retention of dentists within areas of unmet need and introduced innovative opportunities for dental workforce transformation.
Aim: To describe the Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust Dental Service's experience of the oral surgery training of two general dental practitioners (GDPs). Materials and methods: Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust Dental Service has previously presented the results of a 12-month clinical attachment to develop the skills of a referring general dental practitioner in oral surgery. We now describe our experience of further oral surgery training of two general dental practitioners who benefitted from a 6-month programme. This included one half day per week of "hands on" oral surgery experience and the development of a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate competence. Results: Our results led us to conclude that a 6-month training programme in a primary care clinic can develop trainees with appropriate skills to safely provide the full range of oral surgical treatment that is appropriate to deliver in a primary care setting. Conclusion: GDPs can be taken from low confidence and over referral to high confidence, low referral rate and the ability to take a lead in this area of clinical dentistry within their own practices. We would like Health Education England/LETBs to consider training in primary care when planning oral surgical training at all levels. Clinical relevance Scientific rationaleThis article describes how we are developing training in a primary care environment and evaluates the critical aspects of this training. Principal findingsPrimary care can be an acceptable location for training in oral surgery. Practical implicationsThroughout the UK and Scotland, provision of oral surgical services is increasingly occurring in primary care settings. Despite this innovation, the majority of training in oral surgery still takes place in teaching hospitals and secondary care oral and maxillofacial surgery departments. Consideration needs to be given to expanding training opportunities in a primary care setting.
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