Primary school children in Essex may soon be provided with dental check-ups by dentists in the area, an industry expert has revealed.
According to Kathy Flegg, dental lead for North East Essex Primary Care Trust, general dental practitioners (GDPs) in Essex may be contracted to provide the dental service following the success of initiatives introduced to mark the 60th anniversary of the NHS .
As part of a programme of activities, dentists and dental nurses from 15 practices in Essex have been visiting nursery and primary schools to carry out dental checks on children aged 2–11.
Around one in five children were found to be in need of a further check-up and were given consultation appointments with the practices carrying out the checks.
Ms Flegg commented: "It's been so popular that we may continue the service until the end of the year and I am thinking of commissioning it from practices."
"Access in this part of the country is quite good but we are always looking for ways of improving it," she added.
"Problems recruiting to community dentistry had made it difficult for that service to carry out school checks."
As part of the NHS anniversary celebrations, the North East Essex PCT also organised 'street dentist' initiatives, which involved dentists approaching adults with children under 11 in Colchester town centre and offering them check-ups. Several practices in the area also held child-only days.
