On the 10^th of January the Department of Health issued a report proposing that health professionals should take every opportunity to discuss diet, exercise, smoking, and drinking habits with their patients. This proposal has been backed by ministers calling for NHS staff to "make every contact count". In England 250,000 people visit a dentist every day, creating a huge opportunity to promote better oral health and general wellbeing.

Oasis Dental Care is proud to be offing health advice in line with these recommendations. Eddie Coyle, Head of Clinical Services, believes that a visit to the dentist could be the first step to identifying and preventing serious or terminal illness.

At Oasis we share the view that every contact with a patient is an opportunity to offer relevant health advice to the individual for the benefit of their long term wellbeing. In many instances patients attend a dental appointment without any symptoms of underlying disease which could prove to be serious e.g. Hypertension (high blood pressure).

In our practices we offer advice on:-

• Alcohol consumption
• Smoking cessation - where you can seek help to stop smoking
• The health impact of dentally related factors
• Toothbrushing and cleaning your mouth
• Good diet and how to avoid dental decay
• The use of fluoride toothpastes and supplements

Oasis is pleased to have members of the teams who are qualified to work alongside the dentist as oral health educators, extended duties dental nurses and dental hygienists and therapists who will supplement the care and advice given by your dentist in many of our practices.

Oasis is also participating in the pilot programme for a new NHS dental contract which has a very clear focus on preventing disease and ensuring that the patient is aware of their responsibilities and the risk factors with the overall aim of improving the oral health of the patients, especially children and the quality of the care received.