Annual Report 2022 Oral Health and Dental Care

Activities:  

During 2022, presentations were delivered at SAPC Annual Conference by two of our SIG members (see impact section below). In addition, we have added to our SIG membership and worked on joint projects with the SAPC mental health SIG

Future plans: 

To add ‘oral health’ to the SIG name to become ‘Oral Health and Dental Care’, to bring it into line with international policies to deliver universal health coverage (UHC). Recognising that oral disease is the most prevalent disease globally, the World Health Organization has highlighted that oral health is an essential component of UHC.
Further collaboration with other SAPC SIGs to address links between oral and systemic diseases (including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimers and periodontal disease) will build on experience of working with the mental health SIG.
Introducing trainees in academic primary dental care to the opportunity for collaboration through SAPC and its SIGs will aim to support the development of successful research programmes for the future.

Evidence of Impact and how affiliation with SAPC has helped the SIG

NIHR HSDR funding and Consensus statement on improving oral health in people with severe mental illness (both the dental and mental health SAPC SIGS were involved and the findings disseminated in an invited oral presentation at the SAPC ASM - https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/fhm/spectrum/Oral_Health_Consensus_Statement.pdf

Collaboration with the medicines optimisation SIG (Ian Maidment) led to a research prioritisation exercise in the role of pharmacists in oral health advocacy. The SAPC chair Prof Carolyn Chew-Graham was also involved with this project.
Oral presentation, SAPC Annual Conference, UCLAN 2022: Aggarwal, V Burden of Impaired Oral health in people with severe mental illness: results from UK Biobank and NHANES population-based studies.
Oral presentation, SAPC Annual Conference, UCLAN 2022: Thompson, W Antibiotic Stewardship: What outcomes should be measured in dentistry?

As a result of attending the conference, Thompson was invited to join the General Practice Research on Infections Network (GRIN

In addition, the process of planning our oral/dental contributions to the SAPC conference resulted in the submission (and subsequent acceptance) of an oral presentation at WONCA2022.

Oral presentation, WONCA2022/RCGP Annual Conference, London: Thompson, W Dental Health and Primary Care.