FGDP(UK) publishes new guidance on dementia-friendly dentistry

With around 850,000 people in the UK with the condition – 5 per cent of the population - the Faculty says that dental professionals need to understand it, and adapt their patient management and clinical decisions accordingly.The result of a multidisciplinary collaboration, notably with the Alzheimer’s Society, Dementia-Friendly Dentistry: Good Practice Guidelines covers: 

The epidemiology and diagnosis of dementia, and its implications for dental professionals

Principles of care management, including patient identification, competence and referrals, communication, consent and capacity.

Clinical care, including history taking, treatment planning, care delivery and prescribing; and

Site-specific considerations for dental practices, care homes and domiciliary care. 

The new book also signposts readers to local support, educational programmes and resources for patients, and contains over 50 recommendations for practitioners, categorised using the Faculty’s ‘ABC’ (Aspirational, Basic, Conditional) notation. 

Dr Mick Horton, Dean of FGDP(UK), said, “The Faculty’s core function is to raise the standards of care delivered to patients, and the provision of guidance by dentists, for dentists, is central to achieving this. As we mark our quarter century with our anniversary theme of a lifetime of dental care, it is fitting that our new guidance sets out what we can do to improve our care of patients with a condition that is of growing importance as the population ages.”