The British Dental Association (BDA) has collaborated with NHS England and leading disability charities and advocacy groups to co-produce a suite of new resources that support the goal of a positive dental experience for all.
A dedicated website – NHS Team Smile – features a series of short videos demonstrating what it’s like to visit the dentist or a member of the dental team, including getting a check-up, an x-ray, having a tooth extracted or a filling and having your teeth cleaned. The resources are aimed at helping children and adults with learning disabilities to have a positive experience at dental appointments.
There is also a set of SeeAbility versions of the videos with audio descriptions for people who have learning disabilities or autism- who may also have sight loss.
‘Team Smile’ aims to promote a positive dental experience, so that everyone, including adults and children with learning disabilities, who often face extra barriers to care, can maintain good oral health.
The new website also has a resources section with a set of Makaton dental visit prompts and dental procedures cards, and relevant Makaton signs and fact sheets.
We encourage all dental practices to download the resources and use with their patients when needed, as well as signposting patients to the website.
Former Chair of the BDA’s England Community Dental Committee, Charlotte Waite said:
“Building on our previous collaborative work, it is great to now see these resources in one place, so they can be easily accessed by dentists, dental teams and patients. We hope they will support the whole dental team in making the experience a positive one for people with learning disabilities and safeguarding the oral health of these vulnerable patient groups. We know access to NHS dentistry can be challenging for all patients at the moment, but ensuring your patients are well prepared, less anxious and confident about attending can also help reduce missed or cancelled appointments.”
Linda Lacey, Programme Support Officer for Oral Health Improvement, Directorate of Multi-Professional Dental Education for NHS England North East Said:
“The project has been a fantastic multi-disciplinary collaboration, as everyone involved is so passionate about improving the oral health of people with a learning disability. Together we have progressed “Your Dental Appointment- A Positive Choice” further by producing a user-friendly website to host a range of resources including videos of five dental procedures. These resources can be used by both dental staff and people who are visiting the dental practice to make the visit a positive and inclusive experience. Our aim is to promote this website and support our workforce to use the resources, as raising awareness and providing communication support can make a huge difference to people with learning disabilities.”
Amanda Glennon, Makaton Ambassador and Tutor at Inclusive Teaching Matters, said:
“This project has truly been an amazing coproduction that has been my pleasure to be involved with. It has resulted in a portfolio of essential and robust resources which include Makaton signs and symbols, to help support communication and understanding during a Dental Appointment. Creating an inclusive environment and using direct communication with patients makes a huge difference to patient experience and positive outcomes.”
Helen Laverty MBE, Positive Choices Network and Professional Lead Learning Disability Nursing, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, said:
“We at Positive Choices believe strongly in our mantra ‘together we are better’ being able to work with the BDA to bring our vision to life will be life changing for people who have a learning disability.”
What is Makaton?
Makaton is a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs, alongside speech to enable people to communicate more effectively. All people with a learning disability should have the support they need to access oral care and this tool can be helpful in supporting communication in day-to-day dental practice.
The new films on the Team Smile website feature Charlotte Waite, former Chair of the BDA’s England Community Dental Services Committee, and actors with learning disabilities who are part of the MiXit theatre group.
This collaboration has been led by North East and North Cumbria Multi-Professional Dental Education team at NHS England, together with the British Dental Association, the Makaton Charity, IT Matters, MiXit and Positive Choices
