BSPD advises members to discuss immunisation with patients in response to measles reports
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 13th October 2023
Dentists will be asking about patients’ vaccination status anyway – as part of the routine medical history. The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) believes that this is the moment to ask specifically about MMR immunisation and recommends Dental Check by 1 (DCby1), as an ideal time to remind parents and carers to ensure their children’s immunisation records are up to date (DCby1 is BSPD’s campaign to get children into a dentist’s chair before their first birthday).
Measles is an infection that spreads very easily and can cause serious problems in some people. Having the MMR vaccine is the best way to prevent it. Good advice is to check if a child has measles which usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by sore red eyes, a fever and a rash a few days later. It’s very unlikely to be measles if an individual has had both doses of the MMR vaccine or had measles before. Parents should check their children are fully vaccinated with 2 MMR doses, which gives 99% life-long protection. Anyone not up-to-date with their MMR vaccines can catch-up through their GP practice whatever your age. Achieving high vaccination coverage across the population, ‘herd immunity’, is important as it indirectly helps protect very young infants (under one) and other vulnerable groups.
Professor Paula Waterhouse, BSPD President said: “BSPD supports MECC and it makes sense for our members to take this opportunity to spread the message about the importance of vaccination. We recommend paediatric dentists and GDPs seeing children – and their parents or carers – take this moment to discuss the MMR vaccine, which is free for all on the NHS. We recommend suggesting a parent or carer checks their child’s Red Book or contacts their GP practice or health visitor to arrange an appointment. We know that vaccines are our best defence against measles, which spreads very easily, but is preventable.”
Reference:
[1] https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/measles/
