Selecting Appropriate Recall Intervals for Patients in General Dental Practice – An Audit Project to Categorize Patients According to Risk

From Volume 35, Issue 3, April 2008 | Pages 188-194

Authors

Clive Gibson

BDS, MFGDP, MGDS, MSc

General Dental Practitioner, Wolverhampton

Articles by Clive Gibson

Alif Moosajee

BDS

General Dental Practitioners, Wolverhampton, UK

Articles by Alif Moosajee

Abstract

In 2004, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) was asked to prepare guidance for the NHS in England and Wales on the clinical need and cost-effectiveness of a dental recall examination for all patients at an interval based upon their risk from oral disease. (Dental Recall: recall interval between routine dental examinations).1 Unlike other NICE guidelines, this potentially applies to the whole population. The Department of Health wishes to reduce the number of ‘routine’ six-monthly check-ups. Best practice now recommends that all patients undertake an oral health assessment prior to categorizing them into a recall programme. The article describes how an audit project was undertaken to establish compliance within General Dental Practice to the guidelines.

Article