Feasibility study: assessing the efficacy and social acceptability of using dental hygienist-therapists as front-line clinicians.

Background The oral health of the adult population has been improving in the United Kingdom decade upon decade. Over half of dental service activity in the National Health Service (NHS) is limited to a check-up without any further treatment. This raises a question as to whether check-ups could be provided by dental hygienist-therapists, rather than general dental practitioners. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of a definitive trial to evaluate the costs and effects of using dental hygienist-therapists to undertake the check-up.Methods/design Adult NHS patients were randomised into three arms in two dental practices: patients who only saw dental hygienist-therapists for a check-up, those that saw the general dental practitioner and dental hygienist-therapist alternatively and a control, where patients only saw the general dental practitioner for their check-up. The study ran for 15 months. The primary outcome measures of the study were patient recruitment, retention and fidelity. A parallel and embedded qualitative study was undertaken which recorded the views of participating patients to determine the social acceptability of the intervention.Results Sixty patients participated in the study. The initial recruitment rate for the study was 33.7%. This figure increased to over 82.1% when telephone calls or face-to-face recruitment was utilised. The retention rates were 60% for both the dental hygienist-therapist only group and the alternate general dental practitioner and dental hygienist-therapist group, compared to 70% for the general dental practitioner only group. Fifteen patients were interviewed in the qualitative study and supported a team approach to the provision of check-ups in the NHS. Conclusion This study demonstrates the feasibility of a definitive trial to evaluate the costs and effects of using dental-hygienist-therapists to undertake the check-up.