CDO letter: dementia post-diagnosis
A real opportunity for the profession to offer an early assessment of dental need.
Scotland’s Chief Dental Officer (CDO), Tom Ferris, has written to the Directors of Dentistry regarding dementia post-diagnosis and oral health.
In his letter, the CDO notes that that Scottish Government launched its dementia strategy, Dementia in Scotland: Everyone’s Story, in 2023 and that it restated its policy that every person in Scotland is offered a year of post-diagnostic support following a diagnosis of dementia.
Staff from health and social care partnerships in Scotland visit people with a diagnosis of dementia, advising them on what to expect, how to prepare them and their family for what might lie ahead and give advice on health matters.
The CDO said: “There is a real opportunity for us as a profession to offer an early assessment of dental need, do some forward treatment planning and hopefully prevent future dental problems. It is helpful to have early discussions about future dental treatment need before capacity and consent, as well as potential patient distress, become issues.”
The Quality Improvement Framework advises that post-diagnostic support practitioners should encourage people newly diagnosed with dementia to make an appointment with their dentist, to start these discussions and pre-empt dental problems from arising.
To highlight this new initiative, NHS Education Scotland has developed on the topic of Dementia Awareness Training for Dental Teams, which will be made available on Portal TV. These cover assessment and treatment for those living with dementia and also include some information on prevention and the national oral health improvement programmes.
The webinars can be found at:
Dementia Awareness Training for Dental Teams – Webinar 1
Dementia Awareness Training for Dental Teams – Webinar 2
Early assessment in the dementia post-diagnostic support period aligns to the pillars of ‘Realistic Dentistry’, such as person-centred care and shared decision making, so this topic is also included in the webinars.
Additionally, there is a TURAS module on shared decision making which can be completed. NES Dental Directorate will offer 1.5 hours of verifiable CPD to those dental team members registered with the GDC who complete the module.
“The aim of these webinars is to equip you to deal with patients who may present at your dental surgery, saying: ‘I’ve just been diagnosed with dementia and I’ve been told to see my dentist.’
“I imagine, that many of you or members of your team will have been impacted by dementia, either directly or indirectly, and you will be aware that preparing for the future is important. So, I hope that we as a profession can actively play our part in supporting our patients as they adjust to living with dementia.”