Key Points
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UK Government policy aims to improve health by reducing levels of chronic disease, especially coronary heart disease, obesity and cancer.
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Dental teams could contribute to Government targets set for reducing these diseases through preventive health interventions.
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Current health policy emphasises evidence-based commissioning of services.
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Dental teams' future involvement in general health promotion will depend on whether the pro fession sees itself as having a general public health role and whether it is economically viable for them to do so.
Abstract
Objectives To review the evidence of the effectiveness of dentists, dental teams and other healthcare workers in seven different brief public health interventions that might contribute to Government targets in cancer and circulatory disease. The interventions were: smoking prevention, smoking cessation, advice on alcohol consumption, diet counselling, advice on physical exercise, advice on skin cancer prevention and blood pressure monitoring.
Method A series of literature reviews, using a generic systematic approach, were undertaken to investigate the effectiveness of dentists, dental teams and other healthcare workers in each intervention.
Results Apart from smoking cessation and dietary advice, no studies were identified on the effectiveness of dentists or dental teams in the interventions investigated. There is some evidence that dentists and dental teams can be effective in smoking cessation. There is minimal evidence for effectiveness in dietary counselling, and that which exists shows only a transient effect. There is evidence that other healthcare workers can have some effect in all interventions, though the effect in preventing skin cancer is questionable.
Conclusions Due to the paucity of studies undertaken, there is minimal evidence of effectiveness of dentists and dental teams in any of the seven interventions. However other healthcare workers are effective in most of them. Dentists and dental teams' involvement in such brief general health promotion interventions might contribute to Government targets on cancer and circulatory disease.
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The authors wish to thank Zoe Marshman for her helpful comments on a draft of this report.
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Dyer, T., Robinson, P. General health promotion in general dental practice — The involvement of the dental team Part 1: A review of the evidence of effectiveness of brief public health interventions. Br Dent J 200, 679–685 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4813731
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4813731
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