NEW GUIDELINES RELEASED TO HELP PATIENTS MAKE MORE INFORMED CHOICES ABOUT THEIR CARE
Oral health charity the British Dental Health Foundation have this month introduced an entirely new set of guidelines, created with the express aim of helping more patients make better informed choices about how they proceed with their dental care.
The new guidelines, which have been termed the NICE guidelines, cover how dental practice teams can help communicate lifestyle advice to help support patients in making better dental health decisions. Such advice will cover improving personal dental hygiene, the effects that smoking, e-cigarettes, alcohol and diet all have on oral hygiene.
This is designed to empower patients from the very beginning to make health and lifestyle choices that complement the precision care they receive with their dentist.
The guidelines will also include information for dental health professionals that will assist them with effective communication with patients, allowing them to more persuasively offer advice that patients are likely to heed.
Information on medicines, industry standards and legal issues that are likely to affect dental professionals will also be included. This is in an effort to both improve patient support as well as safeguarding more at risk individuals.
The establishment of these new guidelines is clearly an attempt to help everyone take their dental health more seriously. However, this extra information is the perfect way to help dental professionals support their clients’ dental health with useful and practical information they can use outside of the clinic.
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, said of the guidelines:
"Putting the patient front and centre and giving them all the information they need to make an informed decision can educate them. By developing a more preventive approach to their treatment dental professionals can help to stop problems before they even exist. The new guidelines recognise how oral health is vitally important to general health and well being too and acknowledged how it can affect people's ability to eat, speak and socialise normally. Poor oral health can also lead to absences from school and workplaces as well as affecting the ability of children to learn, thrive and develop.”
If you want to keep your dental health in the best condition then make sure you book a consultation with Blyton Dental. We can get to know exactly what it is you’re looking for in a dentist and provide you with the help and advice you need to get you smiling again!
To find out more about our range of general dentistry treatments simply visit our treatments page to find out how we can help you get your dental health on track and relieve any concerns you may have.