Dudley Dental Practice Joins New Government Pilot Scheme
A dental practice in Dudley has joined a national pilot scheme, which has been created to try and find ways of improving standards of oral health among adults and children. The overall aim is to make the dental care system more effective and efficient.
Purity dental practice, which is based in Dixon’s Green Road, has joined the scheme. Speaking at an event, Lord Howe, Health Minister said that he was pleased that Purity has joined the pilot programme.
The pilot scheme has been underway for some time and a new wave of practices have joined recently. The findings of the programmes will be used to influence the new dental contract.
The main aims are to find a more efficient way to pay dentists and encourage people to take better care of their own teeth and gums by promoting oral hygiene. Dentists across the UK are trialling new measures and their feedback is being sent to ministers working on the new contract. The aim is to produce a contract, which suits both dentists and patients.
Currently, dentists are paid according to the number of treatments they complete but the existing contract has attracted widespread criticism and ministers are considering a change. This change will see dentists being paid according to the number of patients they have and the outcomes they achieve.
Participating dentists are also looking into ways to promote preventative dental care and good oral hygiene, including a traffic light system, which will enable dentists to properly analyse their patients’ oral hygiene. The idea is that those who are given red or amber will be advised to improve their oral hygiene regime, in order to reduce their risk of developing oral diseases.
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