Caries control in health service practice

Key Points Compares and contrasts the 'whole population' to the 'risk-based' approach to controlling dental caries. Suggests that caries risk, as assessed by current caries activity, be used to allocate the time and effort devoted to the control of caries in individual health service practice. Questions the practicality of implementing the 'Delivering better oral health' toolkit under the UDA system. It is suggested that it makes sense for dentists providing care for individual patients to take account of caries risk (as assessed by presentation of active, non-cavitated lesions) when deciding how to allocate time and effort of themselves and their staff. However, there is a question as to how realistic it is to ask the dental team to provide a full diagnostic assessment and all the preventive treatment required for a patient for the payment provided by 1 UDA. It is to be hoped that one or more of the Steele pilots will come up with a practical solution for controlling caries in NHS practice.