View more from Listerine
Switch to Dark theme

References

Birch S. Health human resource planning for the new millennium: inputs in the production of health, illness and recovery in populations. Can J Nursing Res. 2002; 33:109-114
Cannell P. Skill mix – a paradigm shift?. Br Dent J. 2016; 220:307-308
Freund T, Everitt C, Griffiths P, Hudon C, Naccarella L, Laurant M. Skill mix, roles and remuneration in the primary care workforce: who are the healthcare professionals in the primary care teams across the world?. Int J Nurs Stud. 2015; 52:727-743
London: RCS England; 2014
Laurent M, Reeves D, Hermens R, Braspenning J, Grol R, Sibbald B. Substitution of doctors by nurses in primary care. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005; 2
London: The Nuffield Foundation; 1993
London: General Dental Council; 2009
London: General Dental Council; 2013
, 2015 revised edition. London: General Dental Council; 2015
Bullock A, Firmstone V. A professional challenge: the development of skill-mix in UK primary care dentistry. Health Serv Manag Res. 2011; 24::190-194
Westgarth D. Getting the mix right. BDJ in Practice. 2016; 8-11
London: ICM; 2012
Cannell P.Manchester: BDA Conference; 2016
Barker N. Prototypical. Riskwise. 2017; 52:16-17
Harris R, Sun N. Translation of remuneration arrangements into incentives to delegate to English dental therapists. Health Policy. 2012; 104:253-259 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2011.11.013
Brocklehurst P, Tickle M. Is skill mix profitable in the current NHS dental contract in England?. Br Dent J. 2011; 210:303-308
Steele J, O'Sullivan I. Adult Dental Health Survey.London: The Health and Social Care Information Centre; 2011
Brocklehurst P, Tickle M. The policy context for skill mix in the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. Br Dent J. 2011; 211:265-269
Van den Heuvel J, Jongbloed-Zoet C, Eaton K. The new style dental hygienist: changing oral health care professions in the Netherlands. Dent Health. 2005; 44::3-10
London: Centre for Workforce Intelligence; 2014
London: General Dental Council; 2015
Sun N, Burnside G, Harris R. Patient satisfaction with care by dental therapists. Br Dent J. 2010; 208
Dyer T, Owens J, Robinson P. What matters to patients when their care is delegated to dental therapists?. Br Dent J. 2013; 214
Skills for Health. Healthcare Apprenticeships – Helping employers find the right apprenticeship standards. http://haso.skillsforhealth.org.uk/consultations/ (Accessed 26 June 2017)
Teeuw W, Kosho M, Poland D, Gerdes V, Loos B. Periodontitis as a possible early sign of diabetes mellitus. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2017; 5
Brocklehurst P, Ashley J, Walsh T, Tickle M. Relative performance of different dental professional groups in screening for occlusal caries. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2012; 40:239-246

Skill mix – the challenges for practice

From Volume 45, Issue 5, May 2018 | Pages 449-454

Authors

Phillip Cannell

FDT RCS(Ed), FFGDP RCS(Eng), MSc, MFGDP(UK), PCMedEd, BDS

Professor in Oral Health Science, School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex, Elmer Approach, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 1LW, UK

Articles by Phillip Cannell

Abstract

Abstract: Skill mix is a term that has started to appear in the dental arena over the last few years. The intention of this article is to enable the reader to appreciate what the term means, its relationship to the scope of practice of the various members of the dental team, offer a consideration of the economics of using a broad skill mix approach within primary care dental practice, and consider possible implications that skill mix may have on the delivery of dental services to our patients in the future.

CPD/Clinical Relevance: This article will assist those involved in the delivery of dental services to patients within the practice setting, to appreciate some of the opportunities as well as challenges that exist in utilizing a skill mix approach, as well as considering further potential changes that it may bring about in the delivery of care to patients in the future.

Article

Within dental practice, skill mix is concerned with the combination of different members of the dental team who are used to deliver dental care and services to patients. In his seminal paper, Birch considered that what we should be trying to achieve in healthcare workforce planning is to ‘ensure the right number of people with the right skills are in the right place at the right time to provide the right services to the right people’.1 This was perhaps more specifically concerned with workforce planning at a macro level, but essentially it also holds true for the individual dental practice delivering care to its patient base.

What that mix looks like in terms of the number of individuals with differing clinical professional titles and competencies will vary from dental practice to dental practice and be determined by the services that the practice provides or wants to offer to its patients. However, it is also influenced by the economic and regulatory framework within which dentistry is delivered, and this will be discussed later in this article.2

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Dental Update and reading some of our resources. To read more, please register today. You’ll enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included

  • Up to 2 free articles per month
  • New content available

Already have an account? Sign in here