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Hygienists and therapists deliver tasks traditionally completed by the dentists

The dental pilots currently being conducted across the country could result in hygienists and therapists taking over some of the tasks previously carried out by dentists. This skills mix is already happening in the private sector and is becoming more common with NHS dentists.

Training other dental professionals, such as hygienists and therapists, to take on roles traditionally carried out by dentists could free up dentists’ time for more demanding and complex work. Hygienists and therapists could take on routine oral healthcare, as well as simple fillings, and other tasks. Hygienists and therapists would not be empowered to carry out diagnosis – this would likely remain the domain of the dentist.

This could still have significant implications for the dental workforce. It would see education focussing on training effective “dental teams” rather than looking at professions in silo. It would reduce demand for new dentists but increase the demand for other dental professions, who would need altered training programmes to ensure they were fully skilled to undertake the new roles.