Oral health improvement plan
This document sets out the future of oral health improvement and NHS dental services in Scotland.
Glossary
Allowances
A range of payments made to eligible General Dental
Practitioners and dental practices, These include maternity,
paternity and adoptive leave payments to General Dental
Practitioners and reimbursement of non-domestic rates and rent to
practices.
Capitation Payments
A monthly payment made to dentists for each
registered child (0-17 years), to cover dental examination and a
set range of treatments.
Childsmile
A national programme which combines targeted and
universal approaches to tackling children’s oral health
improvement in Scotland through the programme’s four
components (Core, Nursery, School and Practice).
Clinical Quality Monitoring
Collective term for systems which ensure patients
receive appropriate high quality
NHS dental care
in Scotland.
Consultant in Dental Public Health (
CDPH)
Take an epidemiological approach to improving
health, planning services and advising Boards on strategy.
Dental Advisor
A dentally qualified member of the Practitioner
Services Division of
NHS National
Services Scotland who will decide, after examination of a patient,
that a course of treatment which will be of high cost to the
NHS is in the
best interest of the patient. This is known as ‘prior
approval’, the current prior approval limit is
£390.
Dental Care Professionals (
DCP)
A collective term for dental nurses, dental
hygienists, dental therapists, orthodontic therapists, dental
technicians and clinical dental technicians.
Dental Examination
A routine inspection of the teeth and surrounding
soft tissues of the oral cavity.
Dental Reference Officer (
DRO)
A dentally qualified member of the Scottish Dental
Reference Service who monitors the standard and quality of
NHS dental
treatment by inspecting a patient’s mouth, either before
extensive work is carried out or after it.
Dentist
A collective term for General Dental Service and
Public Dental Service dentists. Depending on the context, this can
also include Hospital Dental Service dentists.
Domiciliary Care
NHS dental care
that is provided in the person’s home or a care home
setting.
Enhanced skills
Advanced clinical skills in relation to patient
assessment, examination, diagnosis and treatment provision in a
primary care setting.
General Dental Council (
GDC)
Regulatory body for dental professionals in the
UK.
General Dental Services (
GDS)
Legal terminology for
NHS dental
services in Scotland provided by General Dental Practitioners,
Dental Bodies Corporate and Public Dental Service dentists on
behalf of
NHS Boards.
Health and Social Care Partnerships (
HSCPs)
Constituted under the Public Bodies (Joint Working)
(Scotland) Act 2014, primary function relates to the strategic
planning and commissioning of health and social care services
provided by Local Authorities and
NHS Boards.
‘High Street’ environment
Most general dental services are provided in a
primary care setting, that is, through general dental practices
which are found throughout Scotland often in areas where there are
many people passing; hence the ‘High Street’.
Hospital Dental Service (
HDS)
Secondary care
NHS dental
services for treatment of patients on referral from medical and
dental practitioners.
Intravenous sedation
When a drug is administered into the blood system
during dental treatment to induce a state of deep relaxation. The
patient will remain conscious and will also be able to understand
and respond to requests from the dentist.
Listing arrangements
If a dentist or a Dental Body Corporate wishes to
provide general dental services on behalf of a Health Board they
must first apply to join the Health Board’s Dental List.
Listing arrangements are the processes in place to allow this to
happen.
Minor oral surgery
Smaller surgical operations which include removing
wisdom teeth, impacted teeth, and severely broken-down teeth, as
well as apicectomies, certain biopsies and other procedures. These
can be undertaken in a primary care setting and do not require
general anaesthesia.
NHS
Commitment Criteria
A practice that meets certain commitment criteria
in terms of numbers of patients and General Dental Services
activity is entitled to certain allowances. For example, for a
non-specialised practice to be “
NHS
committed”, General Dental Services must be provided to all
categories of patient, with an average of at least 500 registered
patients per dentist (100 of whom should be fee-paying adults), and
average gross earnings per dentist of £50,000 or more in a
given period of 12 months.
National Health Service (General Dental Services)
(Scotland) Regulations 2010
Regulations that govern the arrangements for the
provision of General Dental Services in Scotland.
Oral Health Inequalities
Oral health inequalities are avoidable differences
in oral health status between groups of people within a population.
These are often due to inequalities in social and economic
conditions and their effects on people’s lives which
determines their risk of oral disease, the actions they are able to
take to prevent disease or their access to treatment when it
occurs.
Oral Health Risk Assessment (
OHRA)
A comprehensive assessment of the oral health of
the patient with a particular emphasis on a preventive, long-term
approach that is risk-based and meets the specific needs of
individual patients. The Oral Health Risk Assessment also aims to
encourage the involvement of patients in managing their own oral
health.
Patient Charges
Unless entitled to free
NHS dental
treatment or help towards the cost, an adult patient is required to
pay a percentage of their
NHS dental
treatment cost up to a set maximum per course of treatment. The
Scottish Government meets the remaining costs. Children under 18
years of age receive free
NHS dental
treatment.
Periodontal care
Periodontal care is the treatment required by
patients to treat periodontal disease; which is itself the result
of untreated gingivitis. If left untreated, periodontal disease can
lead to receding gums, loose teeth and eventual tooth loss.
Public Dental Service (
PDS)
Dentists who are directly employed by the
NHS Board, their
primary function is the provision of
NHS dental
treatment to people with special care needs.
Restorative Care
Restorative care involves the dentist replacing
missing teeth or repairing damaged tooth structure due to decay,
deterioration of a previously placed restoration, or fracture of a
tooth. Examples of restorations include; fillings, crowns, bridges
and dentures.
Scottish Dental Practice Board (
SDPB)
Statutory Body responsible for the authorisation of
item of service fees to General Dental Practitioners and practices
providing General Dental Services in Scotland.
Statement of Dental Remuneration (
SDR)
Statement that includes all items of treatment that
can be provided under General Dental Services, and allowances
payable to General Dental Practitioners and dental practices
providing General Dental Services in Scotland.
Third Sector Organisations
A term used to describe the range of organisations
that are neither public sector nor private sector. It includes
voluntary and community organisations (both registered charities
and other organisations such as associations, self-help groups and
community groups), social enterprises, mutuals and
co-operatives.
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