Dental health professionals have considerably increased dental care in the UK. During the course of their work, they experience or come across many obstacles that may hinder them to carry out their functions effectively. These risks may be exposed to blood-borne viruses which are often carried in the blood of their patients, being in contact with oral fluids as well as tissues, blood which is infected with Hepatitis B virus or Hepatitis C virus, among other risks.
Describe how you would assess risk in General Dental Practice?
In the assessment of this risk, first, all dental healthcare professionals should be informed of the risks caused by blood-borne viruses which can result from injuring themselves with sharp objects during their routine work as well as while washing the equipment. Then, they should be informed of how to assess the risks as well as how to manage the incidents or accidents caused by sharp injury and the various ways of preventing these risks (General Dental Council, 2010).
In case of an emergency that involves injuries caused by sharp objects that had been in contact with the dental patient, the risk assessment should be carried out by enquiring from the patient whether he has ever been informed whether he has any blood-related infection such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B or C, enquire whether he has ever had sex, whether he has ever injected himself with drug, which may also include supplements from bodybuilders drugs, whether he has ever received treatment from a hospital, whether he has ever received any blood transfusion from a foreign country, whether he has ever been with a prostitute, whether he practices safe sex, among other inquiries.
By collecting this data, the nurses will be able to identify the various kinds of immunization or vaccines that are recommended for him/her since it is an effective measure of knowing the degree of the effects of the accident (General Dental Council, 2010). A report should then be rewritten down which should include the causes of the accidents as well as its preventive measures.
Areas which as a dentist you may feel to be less strong
In the Dentistry field, there are two areas of clinical dentistry that I feel I am less strong. One area is the management of a collapsed person. This is because you have to assess one part of the problem before going to the next possible problem, keep on reassessing continually the cause of the collapse, recognize when you need help and when to call an ambulance if necessary, mobilize all members of the dental care, assess the effects of any treatment given.
The second area involves the area of assessing the status of the patients who are to be offered dental care. This is because this assessment involves classifying several factors which may include: a patient who is normal and healthy, a patient with severe disease which can endanger the health of the workers, a declining patient who cannot survive without being offered treatment for the disease before being attended to.
During your training as a dentist, you have been involved in a significant event. This is the report of the Incident
During my training as a dentist, I was involved in an accident while cleaning medical instruments when I cut my finger with a sharp object. This accident was managed by instituting some basic first aid to the wound. Next, I assessed the incident, and some blood sample was collected from me for measurement of blood infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, and this was followed by two actions. First, I received a rapid vaccination which lasted for the duration of two months. Second, I was offered immunoglobulin within 48 hours. The report was drafted with a requirement that every dental worker should be given immunization before he commences working since prevention is better than cure. The report was written about this incident, all the questionnaires used for assessing the risk of this accident as well as the preventive measures taken by the management in order to prevent this accident from recurring.
What is the GDC register for at the moment and explain why the GDC expects revalidation and the effect on you in practice
The GDC register at the moment is to ensure that the dental care holds their responsibility of limiting their practice to their training and doing what they are competent of doing (General Dental Council, 2010). Therefore, going against these rules puts the dental business at risk. This will serve the purpose of reducing customers’ complaints because each dentist picks on the work that he can perform best.
The guidelines for the GDC register are built on a six principles platform. These include:
- Interest: the interests of the patients should always be put first, and ensures that dental care endeavors to protect these interests.
- Respect: Ensure that dental care gives respect to its patients in terms of dignity and preferences.
- Confidentiality: ensure that the patient’s information should not be given out careless to anyone (General Dental Council, 2010).
- Cooperation: Ensure that there is collaboration amongst the staff member in order to cater to the diverse needs of their clients.
- Being Trustworthy to the clients as all information should be given to the best interest of their patients.
- Proficient: Ensure that the workers have the relevant skills and knowledge in dealing with the patient and cannot endanger their lives (General Dental Council, 2010).
Explain how the South Yorkshire and East Midlands Dental Deanery might plan your curriculum in the first year of foundation training
The South Yorkshire and East Midlands Dental Deanery might plan my curriculum in the first year of foundation training by:
- Creating an atmosphere that will demonstrate clinical skills, knowledge, and values necessary for dealing with clients.
- Giving me a program of management of psychological care while dealing with patients’ questions (General Dental Council, 2010).
- Helping me to become a team player
- Encouraging me to identify my strength and weaknesses so that I can make the right decisions and refer to the matter when necessary.
- Ensure that I work within the stipulated guidelines and teach me the code of ethics.
- Ensure that I am aware of the safe practice of the environment system.
- Demonstrate to me the importance of education and ensure that I recognize that it is a long-term process. This can also be motivation after completing every stage of training (General Dental Council, 2010).
- Being trained on a program for the company’s regulations that ensures safe practices are maintained within the working environment.
Reference list
Lubin M. F., Walker H. K., Smith R. B. Medical management of the surgical patient (3E): Lippincott, The University of Michigan. 2008, p. 64 – 316.
N.A. General Dental Council. Welcome to GDC, cited 2010. Web.