KEY POINTS * Dental therapists are now permitted to work in all sectors of dentistry (from 1 July 2002). * The NHS Plan encourages greater use of PCDs within dentistry. * In general,

dentists have little knowledge of the training and work practices of dental therapists. * Therapists are a relatively small group of PCDs – only 453 in the GDC register (December 2001). *

Acceptance of therapists by GDPs is crucial to their employment in general dental practice. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To investigate general dental practitioners' knowledge of and attitudes

towards dental therapists, to ascertain the likelihood of their employment in general dental practice, what client groups they would be likely to treat, and to identify the main perceived

legislation allowed. Main perceived barriers were cost, lack of knowledge and dentists' acceptance. CONCLUSIONS In general, dentists had a favourable attitude towards dental therapists,

although there was a real lack of knowledge about their permitted duties. Most dentists felt therapists should treat children and people with special needs. MAIN General dental

practitioners' knowledge of and attitudes towards the employment of dental therapists in general practice J. L. Gallagher and D. A. Wright _Br Dent J_ 2003; 194: 37–41 COMMENT The

changes in the legislation that now allow therapists to work in all sectors of dental care provision have removed a major obstacle to ensuring that their potential contribution to oral

health can be maximised. When combined with the apparent present shortfall in personnel required to deliver care, one might expect that practitioners would seize the opportunities for their

employment. However, the authors have identified a number of issues that those responsible for planning should be aware of. With little or no experience of working with therapists,

misconceptions arise on exactly what therapists can undertake when compared with say, an associate. Unsurprisingly as an analysis of the results show, financial considerations are paramount,

but the present study only raises the issues. There are perhaps two aspects to consider: the capital investment required and the on-going costs. The current GDS infrastructure, with over

64% of practices having no more than two surgeries, provides a major obstacle if it is envisaged that considerable numbers of therapists will be providing care. As the authors mention, the

announcement that practitioners working in the GDS will be able to access NHS LIFT funds is to be welcomed but any bids will be in competition with other sectors. The on-going costs will be

heavily dependent upon the case mix that presents and the organisation of the practice. The second major issue is the continued lack of knowledge about the activities that therapists can

undertake and the responsibilities of employing practitioners. This is a governance issue. The GDC could address this by providing all registrants with clear details of what activities each

grade of PCD can and cannot undertake and the level of supervision required. The possible implications of recent publications must also be considered. First, Options for Change makes the

suggestion that the dental undergraduate training period could be reduced to a length closer to that of current therapist training programmes. This alters the strength of the economic

argument for therapist training. Secondly, the Audit commission report suggests that the benefits of scaling and polishing are limited. It may be opportune to reassess whether both

hygienists and therapists are required. A coherent policy on personnel requirements is desperately needed. The workforce review will hopefully provide some clarification of the envisaged

role of therapists into the future. Whatever the outcomes, there will be a need to ensure that practitioners are kept fully informed of the potential benefits and responsibilities that will

arise. Shortcomings must be addressed for governance purposes. Knowledge is perhaps the easiest issue: changing attitudes of both practitioners and patients will take longer. Whether the

attitudes of patients in West Sussex are also representative of all areas of the country might be challenged. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Senior Lecturer and Consultant in

Dental Public Health, UCL and Eastman Dental Hospital, Paul Batchelor Authors * Paul Batchelor View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND

PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Batchelor, P. What do GDPs know about dental therapists?. _Br Dent J_ 194, 34 (2003).

https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4802409 Download citation * Published: 11 January 2003 * Issue Date: 11 January 2003 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4802409 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone

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