Agenda item

The Chairman invited the following to the meeting:

·       Ms Clare Slater-Robbins, Senior Children and Young People Commissioner, London Borough of Barnet

·       Ms Susan Yadin, Clinical Director for Community and Specialist Dental Services, Central London Community Healthcare

·       Dr Tamara Djuretic, Director of Public Health, LBB

Ms Slater-Robbins reported that the Public Health Team had commissioned an Oral Health Promotion Service as part of the Healthy Child Programme which has a contract with Central London Community Healthcare (CLCH) for £59,000. The aim is to raise awareness among parents and other professionals about the importance of healthy teeth in children up to around age five. This involves training practitioners to supervise tooth brushing, give key messages to parents and to promote the public health programmes around free dental care during pregnancy as well as free dental care for children.  The service links in with breastfeeding services, early years providers and schools and has a suite of sessions run in those settings. Covid has impacted on this but the service has swiftly adapted to a virtual service and continues to deliver tooth brushes to food banks, as Children’s Centres are currently closed. There will be a ‘blended’ model in the future as the virtual offer has been successful.

The Chairman commented that she had been informed that some dentists had run out of their NHS dental units and enquired whether these could be transferred between dentists. Ms Yadin noted that the Units of Dental Activity (UDA) are negotiated between dentists and NHS England (NHSE). Covid has had a huge impact on dentistry and the issues have been taken up at a national level. 

A Member noted that there had been positive feedback from parents on dental health promotion even though the data show no improvement on four years ago. He also asked about the recognition of possible safeguarding concerns in cases of tooth decay not only among the under-fives but also among older children.

Ms Yadin reported that safeguarding is part of mandatory training for dentists. It is commonly known that there is a link between dental neglect and safeguarding. There are also processes for dentists to follow if parents repeatedly don’t bring their children to attend dental appointments.

Ms Yadin noted that it has been continuously difficult to improve oral health in children, despite ongoing efforts, and this is particularly frustrating for the dental profession. The model being followed involves the oral health promoter, general dental practitioner and referral on to community services and is a well-trodden one with the aim of reducing hospital admissions. 

Ms Slater-Robbins added that data is used to work out which schools to target for health promotions, although the team is happy to engage with all schools who request their services whether they show poor figures in oral health, weight management and infant feeding or not. 

Dr Djuretic reported that the service is small in relation to the Borough’s size and alternative models need to be developed as part of a bigger response towards preventing obesity, including Sugar Smart and other activities.

A Member noted that according to the figures presented in the report, the London improvement is twice that of Barnet in 2017-19 and asked what can be learnt from this and whether the faster improvement pan London fed into the Team’s strategy. The Member asked if this presents an opportunity to harness the positive engagement work in relation to the vaccine, as discussed earlier, and to link oral health into this.

Ms Yadin explained that commissioning oral health promotion is fragmented and not the same in each Borough. Some Boroughs have no provision at all. There is scope to improve things, although it is difficult and the Team is looking at new ways of engaging, reviewing best practice and collaborating with oral health promoters pan London.

Another Member commented that she had been informed that there is a shortage of specialist dentists for under-fives in Barnet and there can be a long waiting list, especially for extractions. Ms Yadin noted that any child can be referred to a community dental service and emergency cases will always be seen. She mentioned the Whittington Hospital, in particular. The Chairman also mentioned the Eastman Dental Hospital and Ms Yadin recommended that people contact 111 to find out what the current situation regarding dental emergencies is due to the Covid pandemic.

Dentistry is also using different methods during the pandemic to help deal with pain as waiting times have been impacted but she emphasised that emergencies should be referred on for rapid care.

RESOLVED that the Committee noted the written report and verbal update.