Inter-professional collaboration

Inter-professional collaboration (IPC), sometimes known as inter-disciplinary collaboration, is the process in which different professional groups work together to improve collaboration and quality of care (CAIPE 2015). IPC has been used since the 1970s in the wider healthcare environment but, historically, is not routinely been used in traditional general dental practice. The primary care dental team is diverse and may include dentists, dental therapists, dental hygienists, dental technicians, clinical dental technicians, and dental nurses. Utilising a multi-professional team can result in many tasks traditionally undertaken by the dentist being provided by the wider team, as result in the future we may need additional Dental Care Professionals (DCPs) (NHS England 2014). This prediction is based on current workforce and training numbers and the projected prevalence of oral disease. To meet these future demands we will see more dental care professionals collaborating across healthcare providers to deliver oral healthcare CFWI (2015). This article sets out to identify how dental nurses might be instrumental in meeting the future demands of dental care in the UK by working collaboratively within a team.