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Apprenticeship training course

Oral health practitioner (level 4)

Performing a range of oral health preventive procedures which involve working in a patient's mouth.

Qualification level
4
Equivalent to higher national certificate (HNC).
Typical duration
14 months
Apprenticeship category
Health and science
Maximum funding
£9,000
Maximum amount government will fund
for apprenticeship training.
Also known as
  • Community oral health educator
  • Oral health ambassador
  • Oral health champion
  • Oral health improvement lead
  • Oral health practitioner
Skills
Skills an apprentice will learn
  • Put patient’s interests first, maintaining a caring approach towards them.
  • Treat people with dignity, respecting their choices, gaining valid consent for all treatments and respecting confidentiality.
  • Work autonomously in people’s mouths to take dental bacterial plaque indices and food debris scores.
  • Use a range of personal oral care tools.
  • Autonomously plan practice sessions in the community.
  • Prepare the clinical equipment and records for each session.
  • Prepare and maintain a clinical environment, adhering to infection control and prevention.
  • Prepare, mix and handle bio-materials.
  • Take dental bacterial plaque indices and food debris scores in the mouth of individuals.
  • Select preventative strategies that are appropriate to the individual and adapt appropriately for individuals with special requirements.
  • Undertake general health screening including checking for diabetes, taking blood pressure readings and taking finger-prick blood for blood tests.
  • Refer individuals to other services if necessary.
  • Carry out intra and extra oral photography.
  • Recognise and manage medical emergencies.
  • Plan clinical preventative session.
  • Deliver brief clinical preventative advice interventions to targeted groups.
  • Encourage self-care and motivation.
  • Provide oral and general systemic advice e.g. tobacco cessation or diet advice.
  • Prepare, deliver and evaluate oral health messages to groups or individuals.
  • Support individuals and groups to change their behaviour.
  • Provide motivational interviews.
  • Determine and implement strategies for improving oral health in the community.
  • Communicate effectively with and about patients, their representatives and the dental team, and with carers, other healthcare workers or schoolteachers.
  • Escalate any issues when they are outside your scope of practice.
  • Handle complaints effectively and within GDC guidelines.
  • Manage your own time, resources and personal behaviour.
  • Be proactive in your own development, willing to commit to lifelong learning by use of a Personal Development Plan (PDP), personal reflection and continuous improvement.

Full information on Oral health practitioner (level 4) is available from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

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