Evaluation: enhanced periodontal skills training in London
Research type
Research Study
Full title
To evaluate the London Training Initiative to develop enhanced skills in Periodontics for General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) and Dental Care Professionals (DCPs) and make recommendations for models of service delivery in England and inform future training initiatives.
IRAS ID
130489
Contact name
Jennifer E Gallagher
Contact email
Research summary
There is a range of different ways for dentists and dental care professionals to further develop and enhance their skills after qualification. Within the past decade in England, there has been a significant emphasis on developing dentists with enhanced skills. A series of documents to support this concept were produced in 2004 by the Department of Health to inform the development of ’Dentists with a Special Interest’. Currently this concept is being developed across the team to support clinicians in developing ’Enhanced Skills’ whilst also continuing to work as a generalist.
London leads the way in developing clinicians, both General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) and Dental Care Professionals (DCPs) with ’enhanced skills in Periodontics’, through a two-year educational and training initiative established at King’s College Hospital in January 2012.
The former London Deanery (now known as the Dental Department of ’Health Education England (HEE) London LETB (London Education and Training Board)’ has commissioned King’s College London (KCL) to conduct an evaluation of this initiative as a similar evaluation was carried out by KCL for a joint education and service initiative for ’Dentists with Special Interest’ in Endodontics in 2012.
The key objectives of this service evaluation will be:
1 To assess patients’ clinical outcome based on retrospective analysis of the trainees’ clinical notes.
2 To explore the views of patients on their oral health and the dental services provided.
3 To explore the extent to which the perceived aims of the commissioners, educators, training providers and trainees have been met through this scheme.
4 To explore the role of skill-mix in the provision of periodontal care.
5 To explore the programme’s role in supporting clinical and professional development of the dental workforce.
6 To identify learning from this project and make recommendations for the future models of dental service delivery in England, and ’extended skills training’ initiatives.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
13/NS/0102
Date of REC Opinion
29 Aug 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion