title: A study of the implementation of the policy to refer children from the community dental service to the general dental service.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the process of implementing the transfer of child patients from the community dental services to the general dental services, for dental care. A postal questionnaire investigated the current activities of district dental officers regarding the implementation of the transfer. Utilising data from the questionnaires, a series of interviews was set up with the following individuals in three districts: district dental officers, two community dental officers, the general manager of the family health services authority, the chairman of the local dental committee, and a general dental practitioner. The majority of respondent districts (65.3 per cent) reported procedures in place for the referral of children from the community dental services to the general dental services. Examination of the interview data revealed that the extent to which individual community dental officers implemented the referral process showed individual variation.
authors.affiliation: Gloucestershire Health Authority, Stroud Health Center, Stroud, UK.
authors.forename: C I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Mander
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003149:Community Dentistry; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012571:School Dentistry; D013218:State Dentistry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires