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The first module, Chew on this! Does sugar-free gum help prevent caries? focuses on the concept of minimum intervention oral healthcare delivery and sugarfree gum in preventative regimes. Speakers for this session were Professor Avijit Banerjee BDS MSc PhD (Lond) LDS FDS (Rest Dent) FDSRCS (Eng) FHEA, Professor of Cariology & Operative Dentistry, KCL, Dr. Michael Dodds, BDS, PhD, Oral Health Lead Scientist for Mars Wrigley; and Professor J. Tim Newton BA PhD CPsychol AFBPS CSci FHEAm Newton, BA, PhD, Professor and Consultant in Psychology as Applied to Dentistry, KCL.

They systematically reviewed and synthesised the findings of published studies exploring the oral health impact of chewing sugarfree gum and the health benefits of salivary stimulation.

With an hour of verifiable CPD, this module aims to:

• Describe the minimum intervention approach towards delivering better oral health;
• Outline the effects of sugarfree gum on oral tissues and their effectiveness in different populations;
• Discuss the implementation of sugarfree gum in minimum intervention preventive regimes to help combat oral diseases/conditions;
• Highlight the range of published studies that have explored the impact of sugarfree gum on oral health; and
• Outline the effects of sugarfree gum on salivary flow.

The anticipated outcome of this module is that dental health professionals maintain and develop their knowledge and skill within their field of practice.

The second module, Chewing it over! Implementation of sugarfree gum in caries prevention regimes, considered how to best communicate with patients to achieve behaviour change, as well as the implementation of oral health strategies in general practice. Chaired by Professor Banerjee, speakers for this session were Professor Elizabeth Kay, MBE BDS MPH FDSRCPS FDSRCSE FFGDP PhD, Emeritus Professor and Editor of Evidence Based Dentistry, Peninsula Dental School, Professor J. Tim Newton and Dr Ben Atkins BDS, President, the Oral Health Foundation and General Dental Practitioner.

With an hour of verifiable CPD, this module aims to:

• Identify practical brief chair side interventions to behaviour change in dental practice;
• Identify relevant facilitating factors and barriers to practitioner/patient communication;
• Identify strategies to ensure the advice offered by the dental professional is received and recalled by the patient; and
• Seek the view of practitioners regarding what materials and tools they find useful to support patients to change their behaviour.

The anticipated outcome of this module is that dental professionals will be effectively able to communicate with patients and fellow dental professionals to obtain consent and deal with complaints. In addition to this, dental professionals will gain knowledge on how to effectively manage others in their team, providing constructive leadership in the interests of patients.

Please visit our CPD page to take both courses.