Brighter Smiles: A Direct Access Dental Care Pathway for Care Leavers Featured in British Dental Journal
Alexandra Ward, a Dental Therapist at PDSE, with support from the wider PDSE team, recently published a paper in the British Dental Journal on the development of a dedicated dental clinic for care leavers, which provided direct access to dental care via a dental therapist and includes perspectives from both dental professionals and specialist nurses.
Read the full article published in the British Dental Journal here.
Martha Paisi, Research Lead at PDSE, commented: “The Brighter Smiles pathway was designed to make dental care accessible, timely, and supportive for young care-experienced people. By empowering dental therapists to provide direct access care and working closely with local authority teams, specialist nurses, and young people, the pathway brings treatment into the community where it is most needed. Its trauma-informed, person-centred approach helps young people overcome barriers such as dental anxiety and previous negative experiences. Brighter Smiles demonstrates how collaboration, workforce innovation, and compassionate care can strengthen local oral health provision and support young people as they transition into adulthood.”
Find out more about the research projects being delivered at PDSE here.
