B751 Dental Nursing

1. 1 Explain the reasons for providing patients with oral health information 

a) Demographic and social trends in oral health in the UK and Internationally 

b) Inequalities in health

c) Socio economic factors

d) Health policy

e) Oral diseases pose a major health burden for many countries and affect people throughout their lifetime, causing pain, discomfort, disfigurement and even death.

f) These diseases share common risk factors with other major noncommunicable diseases. (1)

g) It is estimated that oral diseases affect nearly 3.5 billion people. (2)

h) Untreated dental caries (tooth decay) in permanent teeth is the most common health condition according to the Global Burden of Disease 2017. (1)

i) More than 530 million children suffer from dental caries of primary teeth (milk teeth).

j) Severe periodontal (gum) disease, which may result in tooth loss, is also very common, with almost 10% of the global population affected.

k) Oral cancer (cancer of the lip or mouth) is one of the three most common cancers in some countries of Asia and the Pacific. (3)

l) Treatment for oral health conditions is expensive and usually not part of universal health coverage (UHC). In most high-income countries, dental treatment averages 5% of total health expenditure and 20% of out-of-pocket health expenditure.

m) Most low- and middle-income countries are unable to provide services to prevent and treat oral health conditions.

n) Factors contributing to oral diseases are an unhealthy diet high in sugar, use of tobacco and harmful use of alcohol.

o) Most oral health conditions are largely preventable and can be treated in their early stages.

1.2 Why do you need to analyse current promotional campaigns to improve health and oral care Campaigns help to increase people’ awareness and provides knowledge and understanding, for example the Smile Month is a campaigns which looks at improving people smile by good oral hygiene 

 

1.3 Explain how national campaigns can be implemented within the dental setting National campaigns

I took the informations from http://www.nationalsmilemonth.org/

Who is the target group if you are to promote this campaign at work? The target are all the patients. 

How would you promote this? By having a private conversation with the patients about the campaign, remained people how many days are left until the campaign, leave leaflets and posters in the waiting area, give information to the patient how to download application of the campaign directly on the mobile phone, display videos in the waiting area for the patients to see.

a) Department of health campaign

 

Health Action Campaign  Implemented

 

a) Target audience patients/dental and other healthcare professionals

There is a new campaign in the UK, that encourage people to stop smoking. This campaign shows that people who can stop smoking for more than 28 days, are more likely to be smoke free for good.

By following this campaign, the people are encouraged and they can also get advices from the local stop smoking services.
Smoking leads to dental problems, such as bad breath, tooth discoloration, increased build-up of plaque and tartar on the teeth, lost bone, it increases the risk of leucoplakia, gum disease and oral cancer.

When people are attending their dentist appointment, the dentist is informing the patients about the damage that smoking does to the oral and physical health and it tells that their health will improve faster than they think if they give up smoking. The dentist is informing the patients that smoking is the main factor for periodontal disease, and smoking reduce the blood supply in the mouth and delays the healing.

The dentist also is encouraging the patients to give up smoking by offering the information leaflets and by referring the to the smoking clinics or to talk to their GP.  The campaign is also going into schools and is informing young people about the damages that smoking does, and it informs them that the smoking clinics are available on NHS for free.
 

2.8 Explain the system for internal and external referrals for advice, support and treatment

 

3.1 Describe the principles of preventative care

- Some of the preventative care methods are as follows:

- Make sure you follow a healthy diet, this includes having 5 a day, fruits and vegetable 

- Make sure you have good oral hygiene this includes the following:

- Brushing 2 a day with a fluoride toothpaste

- Using fluoride mouth wash rinses 

- Using interdental brushes to clean between the teeth 

- Also making sure you visit the dentist and the hygienist every 6 months 

3.2 Explain how a patient's oral and physical health may be affected by

 

a) Diet Oral health 

- Sugars and how tooth decay form  Physical health 

- Diabetes 

b) Medication

A patient who use epanutin will affect the oral health by resulting in overgrowth of the gingival tissue which is called gingival hyperplasia. 

Patients who have inhaling medication with salbutamol through the mouth can cause a fungal infection called oral candidiasis and erosion, due to having acidic environment in the mouth.

Chemotherapy has a toxic side effects, which can lead to anaemia, it can kill the good cells from the body, the patient can have problems in fighting the infections as the body will be weak.

c) Medical conditions

d) People with diabetes suffer from poor wound healing generally, which affect the oral soft tissues, and make the patients more prone to postoperative complications, as well as oral infections such as periodontal disease. Diabetes affects the body’s ability to produce or use insulin, a hormone that allows the body to turn glucose into energy. Diabetes left untreated can lead to possible complication that include heart disease, stroke, kidney and nerve damage. 

e) Medical condition such as Sjogren’s syndrome can result in reduced salivary flow, which relate to dry mouth. 

f) Vitamin C deficiency, AIDS, leukaemia conditions alter the patient’s ability to fight infection or to heal when attack by pathogens.

 

g) Psychological conditions