Dental Aid Services oral health work

Poor oral health also has an impact on demand for NHS services. In 2023/24, Wirral had the highest rates of tooth extraction in children and young people aged 0-19 in Cheshire and Merseyside, with a rate of 498.2 per 100,000; this is compared to an average of 336.7 per 100,000 in the North-West overall (and it should be noted that the North-West in turn, has higher rates than England overall).

Key Outcomes

1. Reduction in inequalities in the proportion of 0-17 year olds in Wirral who have seen a dentist in the previous year (NHSBSA data)
2. Provision of a targeted community mobile dental service, which is free at the point of use to children living in areas of deprivation who would not otherwise have access to dentistry
3. Provision of regular reporting following each block of clinic visits, to include patient numbers, specified demographics, type of dental issue experienced by patients, types of treatment administered and feedback from patients and the dental professionals involved.

The service will provide 48 x visits of a mobile dental unit to Wirral; each clinic should seeing on average, 8-12 patients per day/visit, with visits to take place at times and locations.

Visits will provide treatment which consists of:

• Appropriately trained dental staff taking medical histories (to build up a relationship with the patient to set them at ease)
• Patients to be offered dental screening and treatment to include oral cancer checks, scale and polish, fluoride varnish, xrays, fillings and extractions as well as toothbrushing and dietary advice as appropriate to their needs
• Appointments will be free at the point of use to patients
• Units to visit repeat locations to ensure treatment is ongoing if required, e.g. if patients require several appointments to become dentally fit
• The service to be patient-led focusing on individual oral health needs and priorities; all patients to be provided with preventive oral hygiene advice and instruction, plus an oral hygiene pack to take away
• Treatment which will NOT be offered includes: root canal, implants or dentures, tooth whitening, orthodontics or cosmetic dentistry

This service is targeted at children (and in some cases, immediate family members, dependent on individual circumstances), specifically:

• Children living in the most deprived areas of Wirral
• Children who have never seen a dentist, or have not seen a dentist in the last two years and are not registered with a dentist currently
• Children experiencing dental pain
• Children whose oral health is affecting their schooling/education, health or mental health

These services will be procured under The Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 under The Most Suitable Provider Process