National Standards For Prison Dentists Revealed

Mon, 10 Dec 2007

New dental standards for prison dentists and those commissioning prison dental services have been announced by the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) .

The standards were drawn up by the FGDP (UK) in conjunction with the Department of Health, the Oxford Deanery, the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry and NHS Primary Care Contracting.

The ‘Guidelines for the Appointment of Dentists with Special Interests in Prison Dentistry’ is intended to aid prison managers and healthcare commissioners to define the role and working arrangements of prison dentists .

The new standards will also help the dentists to identify their learning needs, and undertake further training in order to improve standards of care .

The FGDP said the dental health needs of prisoners differ from those of the general population, as prisoners generally have a poorer standard of oral health – with increased levels of emergency cases, higher rates of substance misuse and smoking, and poor nutrition .

Meanwhile the ever-increasing prison population is resulting in an increase in demand for prison dentists, the dental group added.

Helen Falcon, postgraduate dental dean for NHS Education South Central, said: "Prison dentists, along with other healthcare workers in the prison setting, are in a unique position in that they are required to balance the need to provide the best possible care to their patients with the priorities and restrictions imposed by the prison environment ."

"These include the inability to provide sedation and general anaesthesia within the prison setting, different protocols for pre and post-operative pain relief, the need to minimise referrals outside of the prison and security issues, "added Falcon.
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