Promoting access to dental care in South London: adult patients' perspectives.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patients' views on health service initiatives established to improve uptake of NHS primary dental care amongst adult patients in a socially deprived area, comparing practices with extended and regular contract capacity. STUDY DESIGN: Service evaluation and cross-sectional survey. METHOD: Questionnaire survey of patients attending a random sample of dental practices in three inner-metropolitan boroughs of south London following initiatives to improve access to dental care (across dental practices delivering regular and extended contracts for services) exploring attendance patterns and the influence and awareness of local initiatives to promote access. RESULTS: Four hundred fifty adults across 12 dental practices completed questionnaires: 79% reported attending for routine and 21% for urgent care. Patients were most aware of banners outside practices, followed by dental advertisements in newspapers. Vouchers for free treatments were considered of the highest possible influence, followed by vouchers for reduced treatment costs and an emergency out-of-hours helpline. Awareness and influence were not aligned, and there was no evidence of difference by practice contract type whilst there were differences by age and type of attendance. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that financial incentives and emergency services are considered the most influential initiatives for adult patients whose attendance patterns appear to be related to personal circumstances rather than merely being influenced by the provision of information.

Dental workforce development as part of the oral health agenda for Brunei Darussalam.

BACKGROUND: Brunei Darussalam is a Sultanate with a Malay Islamic monarchy. There are high levels of dental disease among its 406,200 population. The population's oral health needs require an integrated blend of primary and specialist care, together with oral health promotion. PROCESS AND OUTCOMES: This paper describes the planning and measures taken to address these needs. In accordance with an oral health agenda published and launched in 2008, focusing on access, health promotion and prevention, and the education and training of the dental workforce, the Brunei Darussalam Ministry of Health is seeking to improve oral health status and reduce the burden of oral disease. It also seeks to transform the country's oral health services into a preventatively orientated, high-quality, seamless service underpinned by the concept of 'teeth for life'. In the process of effecting this transition, the Brunei Darussalam Ministry of Health is developing a dental workforce fit for future purpose, with an emphasis on a modern approach to skill mix. An important element of this programme has been the development of a highly successful Brunei Darussalam Diploma in Dental Therapy and Dental Hygiene. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the Brunei Darussalam oral health agenda and, in particular, the forward-looking programme of dental workforce development is a model for other countries facing similar oral health challenges.