Special Care Dentistry
British Sign Language and its Role in Dentistry
Daniel CagaDeafness can naturally have a devastating effect on an individuals' ability to communicate. An increased degree of hearing loss is associated with greater psychological, emotional, and social...
Patient-support techniques for treating patients with learning disabilities
Stephanie FenesanHistorically these techniques have been referred to as non-pharmacological behaviour management techniques, although they have recently been appropriately termed ‘non-pharmacological patient-support...
Changing faces: A case-based review of acromegaly
Rhyanna MughalAcromegaly is primarily caused by pituitary adenomas, and presents as multiple distinctive clinical changes.1,2,3,8,9,10 These adenomas most commonly arise from somatotroph cells in the anterior...
Dentistry for adults with autism: a review for dental professionals
Robert EmanuelAutism prevalence is approximately between 1% and 2% of the population nationally, as well as globally7 and has increased in the past 10 years.8 In the UK, this means that up to 2/100 children have...
Scleroderma and its oral implications
Khadeeja SaeedScleroderma can be divided in to two main forms: localized and systemic. These can then be further subdivided according to severity and which parts of the body are affected (Figure 1). In localized...
Huntington's disease: the role of dentistry in the multidisciplinary team
Emma CritchleyImproving quality of life (QoL) is a fundamental part of the multidisciplinary management of HD, and the role of the dental team in this is essential. Good relationships between specialist dentist,...
An update for general dental practitioners on a new medication for the management of patients with haemophilia A
Stephanie FenesanEmicizumab (Hemlibra) is a relatively new medication that can be prescribed for routine prophylaxis to prevent or reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes for patients with haemophilia A.5 It was...
Cannulation: an update for dentists
Brooke ZaidmanIn order to obtain valid consent for the procedure, clinicians should be able to describe the associated risks. Recognized risks include the following..
Dental care for the bariatric patient
Jessica HamiltonBody mass index is the commonest used tool to describe patient weight. It is a simple height to weight index (mass in kg/height in metres2) used to classify whether an adult's weight is underweight,...
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: a review
Samina NayaniThe prevalence of EDS is reported to be 1 in 5,000,5 however, recent clinical studies suggest that joint hypermobility syndromes are under diagnosed6 and the condition is more common than these ratios...
Providing dental care in prisons
Paul HowardThe UK Department of Health (DoH) became responsible for healthcare in prisons in 2003, taking over from the Home Office. Dental Care in prisons is commissioned from the DoH specification,2 introduced...
Oral and dental management for people with multiple myeloma: clinical guidance for dental care providers
Hassan AbedMultiple myeloma (MM) is a cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow. It is the second most common bone marrow cancer, yet it only accounts for 2% of all cancers.1 Plasma cells are a type of white...
Consent and capacity – considerations for the dental team part 2: adults lacking capacity
Suzanne BurkeCapacity is the ability of an individual to make a particular decision.1 Capacity is decision and time specific, and is determined by the type of decision, understanding of consequences, and ability...
Consent and capacity — considerations for the dental team part 1: consent and assessment of capacity
Suzanne BurkeConsent is a continuous process,1 often reinforced by written documentation, but reaches far beyond a signature on a form. For decisions to accept or decline treatment, valid consent is required....
Blood tests for people with severe learning disabilities receiving dental treatment under general anaesthesia
Stacey CloughOne hundred patients with severe LD and behaviour that challenges attended Barts Health Dental Hospital, referred from North and East London between February 2014 and August 2015 for an initial dental...