UK-wide resources provide latest clinical advice to health and care staff managing dental-related conditions

UK-wide resources provide latest clinical advice to health and care staff managing dental-related conditions

Two updated clinical guidance resources are now available to support dental and other health and care staff across the UK improve the quality of patient care.

The Antibiotic Prophylaxis Against Infective Endocarditis implementation advice and the 'Management of Acute Dental Problems' guidance – published by NHS Education for Scotland's (NES's) Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP) – provide evidence-based, practical advice relevant to practitioners in Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

'Antibiotic Prophylaxis Against Infective Endocarditis' (which can be accessed via www.antibioticprophylaxis.sdcep.org.uk) provides implementation advice to help dental teams manage patients at increased risk of this rare but potentially life-threatening infection, with relevance to cardiac teams managing these patients.

The 'Management of Acute Dental Problems' guidance (which can be accessed via www.acutedentalproblems.sdcep.org.uk) provides decision support for any healthcare professional to identify the immediate attention or advice to give a patient presenting with an acute dental problem, and to determine the appropriate provider of subsequent care.

Professor Karen Reid, NES CEO, said of the UK-wide efforts:

"These latest publications from NES’s SDCEP are valuable contributions as educational resources, supporting health and care professionals across the UK to deliver safe, effective, person-centred care. I congratulate and thank the members of the respective working groups for their expertise and dedication."

Both resources are acknowledged by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) and the UK's four Chief Dental Officers as having UK-wide relevance. The dental faculties of the UK Royal Colleges also endorse these as providing reliable, high quality professional advice.

Antibiotic Prophylaxis Against Infective Endocarditis implementation advice

This updated implementation advice aims to help dental teams implement the recommendations from NICE Clinical Guideline 64 (CG64) Prophylaxis Against Infective Endocarditis. The advice has been developed by a broad group of stakeholders, drawn from across the UK, that included individuals from relevant branches of the dental profession and other healthcare disciplines, including cardiology, cardiac surgery, pharmacy, and microbiology, with patient representatives.

Dr Andrew Paterson, Clinical Senior Lecturer, University of Glasgow and chair of the working group that developed the advice, said:

"Managing the oral health care of patients with cardiac conditions that put them at increased risk of infective endocarditis is a challenging area for dental teams, given the potentially serious outcomes, limited evidence to support clinical decision making, and increased focus on antimicrobial stewardship.

"The implementation advice aims to support dental teams by clarifying which patient groups are at increased risk of infective endocarditis, and which patient groups may benefit from antibiotic prophylaxis and for which dental procedures. Clear and practical advice is provided on how to advise and care for these patients, with an emphasis on shared decision making. Supporting tools, including patient information, are also provided."

Professor Jan Clarkson, Associate Postgraduate Dental Dean for NES and Director of SDCEP, added:

"The updating of this implementation advice has involved a significant collaboration between dental and cardiac experts, with influential contributions from patients and family members with experience of infective endocarditis.

"Endorsement of the SDCEP advice by the British Cardiovascular Society, the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery, the British Heart Valve Society and the British Congenital Cardiac Association recognises this collaboration and signifies the relevance of the implementation advice to cardiac teams in the UK.

"As with the first edition of SDCEP’s Antibiotic Prophylaxis Against Infective Endocarditis, NICE recognises the applicability of this updated resource to healthcare professionals and patients, explicitly directing users of their CG64 guideline to the updated SDCEP implementation advice."

Management of Acute Dental Problems guidance

This guidance aims to ensure that patients with an acute dental problem are given appropriate initial care and advice and are directed, with the urgency needed, to the most appropriate provider of subsequent care.

Heather Ballantyne, Senior Dental Officer, NHS Tayside and chair of the guidance development group, said:

"This second edition of the guidance, developed by a multidisciplinary group of healthcare professionals, provides up to date clinical advice for a range of acute dental problems. Since patients with acute dental problems can present in a variety of clinical settings, the guidance has broad applicability across healthcare professions in the UK and aims to support a consistent approach to the management of these patients."

Dr Lee Savarrio, Postgraduate Dental Dean and Director of Dentistry, NES, said:

"We welcome the publication of these updated SDCEP resources, which provide practical advice and guidance for dental professionals and contribute to both undergraduate and postgraduate dental education, supporting the delivery of high quality oral healthcare."

Find out more

Find out more about the work of NES's SDCEP by visiting: www.sdcep.org.uk

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