Provision of dental care within a secure setting

The demand for dental care in secure settings is rising. In April 2010, the Prison Reform Trust (2010) reported that for the first time there were in excess of 85 000 people in custody. The prisoner profile is a familiar one across the UK; prisoners are mainly from deprived backgrounds with low literacy and educational attainment, often with a history of drug-taking and alcohol abuse, underlying poor nutrition and heavy smoking (British Dental Association, 2012).

The nature of the prison environment makes the delivery of care as equally challenging as the oral health of the patients. The population present with incredibly high needs and there is a high number of emergency and urgent cases; however, access or following through with care as a prisoner is not always easy.