Seeking to achieve periodontal health in practice using the Healthy Gums DO Matter toolkit

The pressures on the dental team to successfully manage and treat periodontal diseases in general practice are ever-mounting. Dental practitioners have a duty of care to screen, investigate, diagnose, risk assess and appropriately treat periodontal diseases using evidence-based practice. Once patients are stable, they must continue to monitor and risk assess patients in the maintenance phase. Managing periodontal diseases in general practice is challenging and this has been reflected in the rising trend in periodontal litigation. General practitioners see the complete spectrum of patients; from those wanting to improve their oral health and are motivated to do so, to those who do not want to improve and are unmotivated. The Healthy Gums DO Matter toolkit, developed by Greater Manchester Local Professional Network for dentistry, provides a framework for dental teams on how to manage and treat periodontal diseases in general practice, providing a more pragmatic approach working under the current NHS dental contract. A care pathway model has been developed to manage both engaging and non-engaging patients, allowing for an increased focus on oral health education, patient motivation, personalised oral care plans and behaviour change techniques to achieve better outcomes for patients.