SNOMED-CT and learning health systems for NHS dentistry - a dream needing to become reality

There has been discussion and confusion about SNOMED-CT (systematised nomenclature of medicine clinical terminology), learning health systems (LHSs) and their relevance in dentistry. This article aims to provide an overview of SNOMED-CT, LHSs and the all-too-often omitted patient and service benefits from their use. LHSs are delivering impactful benefits to patients and services globally in medicine. There are some examples in dentistry, but these are few and lack the nationalised co-ordinated efforts supporting general medical practice (GP) electronic health record (EHR) databases. These impacts require research and insights from large-scale, linked EHR databases, for which SNOMED-CT will greatly facilitate. This opinion piece discusses SNOMED-CT, LHSs and the current state of EHR databases in dentistry with comparison to medical practice. Impactful examples of GP EHR database research are presented, as well as the potential benefits and disadvantages of EHR-based approaches in dentistry. Barriers to creating large dental EHR databases in the UK are discussed and potential solutions offered. Lastly, there is a call to action for multiple stakeholders, including dental clinicians, patients, academics, public health professionals, software suppliers, commissioners, and the government to co-ordinate efforts, including that of SNOMED-CT implementation, so that dentistry does not get excluded from the benefits of integrated LHSs.