Table 2.
Specific activities undertaken by DCP groups in employing practices
| Dental Therapist (n = 73) |
Dental Hygienist (n = 104) |
EDDN (n = 74) |
Clinical Dental Technician (n = 8) |
Dental Technician (n = 7) |
Orthodontic Therapist (n = 10) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prescribe radiographs | 12 (16%) | 10 (10%) | 4 (5%) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Take radiographs | 44 (60%) | 22 (21%) | 31 (42%) | 0 | 0 | 5 (50%) |
| Apply fluoride varnish to teeth | 61 (82%) | 61 (59%) | 32 (43%) | 0 | 0 | 3 (30%) |
| Deliver Oral Health Education | 60 (81%) | 75 (72%) | 35 (48%) | 1 (12%) | 0 | 5 (50%) |
| Take impressions | 48 (65%) | 24 (23%) | 27 (36%) | 3 (38%) | 0 | 8 (80%) |
| Give smoking cessation advice | 53 (72%) | 61 (59%) | 19 (26%) | 0 | 0 | 2 (20%) |
| Measure and record plaque indices | 59 (80%) | 78 (75%) | 5 (7%) | 0 | 0 | 3 (30%) |
| Administer inhalation sedation | 3 (4%) | 1 (1%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rubber dam | 9 (12%) | 2 (2%) | 3 (4%) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cannulation | 0 | 0 | 1 (1%) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Table 2 This shows the number of practices who report employing DCP groups, and the proportion of those practices who indicate that the group carries out the specific activity ‘at any time’. Note, some of the duties listed may be out with the relevant group’s GDC scope of practice. We suspect this may be user error (e.g. if the form was completed online or perhaps submitted by a non-clinical member of the dental practice team). However, all responses are included here for completeness