New Project: Optimising skill mix in dentistry: Dental therapists, direct access and the future

CUREMeDE recently won important funding for research for patient and public benefit (RfPPB, a Health and Social Care Wales research programme).   This 2-year project explores how skill mix in dentistry can be optimized in the context of “direct access” to dental therapists.

Led by Professor Alison Bullock and in conjunction with Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) the project adopts a realist design to better understand how to make the best use of the dental team. Later stages include the development and piloting of training courses and a self-evaluation tool to help dental practices assess how ready they are for skill-mix changes.