Denplan Team Training

At Rose Cottage we usually have a day out of the practice to undergo team training, provided by Denplan. This week we covered safeguarding adults and children, sepsis and motivating the team.

Sadly, there has been an enormous increase in childhood cruelty and neglect offences in the past 5 years in England.  On the plus side, this hopefully means that people are empowered to speak out more readily and spot the signs of abuse.  You can be assured that all our team are trained in spotting signs of abuse and how to make an appropriate safeguarding referral if we have a concern about one of our child or adult patients.  As the trainer said, hopefully one day we will reach a point of not needing this training. We also covered the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and learnt how some of our patients with conditions like dementia may or may not be able to consent for dental treatment and how to handle this in the best interests of that patient.

Sepsis is a “hot” topic in healthcare at the currently.  Within the dental sector, we know sepsis could affect one of our patients who has or has had a dental infection.  We learnt the top causes of sepsis are as follows: 50% pneumonia 20% urinary tract infections 15% abdomen (appendicitis, gallbladder peritonitis) 10% skin (surgical wounds, cellulitis) 5% rarer causes like meningitis.  Sometimes the source of sepsis is unknown.

Those at increased risk are:

·         Adults over the age of 75

·         Adults that are very frail

·         After surgery or invasive procedures within the last 6 weeks

·         Skin wounds including cuts, burns, blisters or any skin infections

·         Impaired immune systems due to illness or drugs

·         Women who have given birth, miscarried or had a termination within the last 6 weeks

The signs and symptoms of sepsis are:

·         Acting dazed or confused

·         Slurred speech or not making sense

·         Decreased urination (within the last 18 hrs).

·         High or low temperature

·         Reduced blood pressure

·         Increased heart rate

·         Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing or rapid breathing

·         A rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it

·         Blue, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue

Dental conditions that could lead to sepsis are:

·         Root Canal treatment

·         Extraction of partially erupted wisdom teeth

·         Pulp infection/Abscess

We always advise our patients to seek treatment promptly if they are worried they have a dental infection.  Emergency appointments are bookable every day, ideally phoning at 8.30am in the morning to ensure you get an appointment. At the weekend, Denplan and private patients have access to an emergency dentist during working hours, and NHS patients can access emergency care through the 111 service.