Making mouths matter

Every day has its challenges. It’s unlike any other dental nurse post I have ever done over the years. The cohort of patients we see could have very rare conditions, are seriously ill or have multiple complex conditions. In lieu of all the typical dental nursing duties that we have organising and supporting clinics, we run a dental nurse-led oral hygiene clinic, visit wards to give advice and take part in projects that promote oral health within the hospital.

General anaesthetic lists for our dental patients are challenging due to complex medical needs as well as the extra challenge of small patients who have higher anxiety levels than usual. I was approached by consultant paediatric dentist Urshla Devalia about Mini Mouthcare Matters (Mini MCM) due to my previous interest in oral health education for general nurses, and my recent work with an oral health presentation to GOSH’s new intake of nurses.