Can your patients hear you?

Hearing loss in the UK is very common, especially among older people. When using dental services, it is vital that people with a hearing loss have the same level of access as hearing people. Deaf patients face many barriers, the main one being communication—it can be very difficult for them to hear and understand what dental staff are saying to them. However, through improved deaf awareness, the adoption of good communication tactics, simple changes to policies and practices, and the use of assistive devices these can be largely overcome.

? Ten million people—one in six of the population—in the UK have some level of hearing loss. People may have either a mild, moderate, severe or profound loss. The term deaf people encompasses anyone with any level of hearing loss, whether they are profoundly deaf and use British Sign Language (BSL) or are hard of hearing and use hearing aids