Dental patient care and safety advice for dentists

In this section you will find advice and support on patient care and safety regulations in dentistry, including infection prevention and control, risk assessments and prescribing. You will also find our popular 'Was not brought' safeguarding resources.

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Was not brought safeguarding resources

Describing children and young people as ‘Was not brought’ instead of ‘Did not attend’ encourages us to think about the situation from the child’s perspective and potentially take action to safeguard them. Our 'Was Not Brought' resources empowers members of the dental team to identify signs of abuse or neglect.

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Latest patient care and safety news

Learning disability and autism training for clinical and administrative staff

Guidance on what members of the practice team need to do for both parts of mandatory Oliver McGowan training.

England: New urgent care scheme launched

NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care have launched a new urgent care scheme, where practices can earn up to £50 for delivering additional urgent care courses of treatment this financial year.

Scotland: Quality Improvement Activity update

The Scottish Government has published PCA(D)(2025)2 which advises of the arrangements for Quality Improvement (QI) Activity for the 2025-28 cycle.

Immigration rules change will deepen access crisis

Proposed changes to immigration rules will have a direct impact on patient access to care UK-wide, hitting key members of the dental team, and the future pipeline of dentists.

Medicines recall: Erythromycin 250mg tablets

Outdated leaflet prompts Class 4 defect alert for one batch of Erythromycin 250mg tablets.

Sign our petition: Make sugar the new tobacco

Our latest research highlights the shocking amount of sugar in some baby food pouches, and we are encouraging all dental team members to join our call for government to take action.

Class 4 Medicines Defect Notification: Azithromycin 250 mg capsules

Jubilant Pharmaceuticals NV has warned of the wrong Patient Information Leaflet (PIL).

Medicines recall: Paracetamol 500mg tablets

Boots have recalled their own label Paracetamol 500mg tablets.

Government challenged to deliver on supervised toothbrushing

The Government has made the right call on supervised toothbrushing, but it needs to put its money where its mouth is.

Northern Ireland: Prohibition on the use of dental amalgam for non-UK residents

The rules have changed in relation to providing amalgam fillings to non-UK residents. Since 1 January 2025, dental amalgam can only be used in Northern Ireland for patients living in the United Kingdom.

Scotland: Changes to our members’ advice section for the PVG scheme

Stay informed about what you need to do when working with children or vulnerable adults.

Northern Ireland: What we have achieved in 2024

The best from this year, from amalgam derogation to pay uplifts and enhanced funding.

For extra and expert members

Contact our compliance team

We help members stay on top of changing regulations, and ensure their practices are safe and comply with national standards. If you're an Extra or Expert member, you have access to unlimited one-to-one advice from us via phone or email, in addition to the online guidance.

Patient care and safety

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Safeguarding

Health, safety and risk assessment

Safeguarding: Was not brought

Infection prevention and control

Medical emergencies

Prescribing

Recently updated

Sedation compliance

Managing abusive patients

Criminal record checks

Safer recruitment and training

Decision making, mental capacity and competency

Safeguarding adults

Safeguarding children

Safeguarding in dental practices

Sharps and inoculation injuries

Supporting Muslim dental patients observing Ramadan

Safety precautions during out-of-hours care and domiciliary visits

Using dental amalgam in the UK