title: A survey of school dental screening practise in community dental services of England and Wales in 2003.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the school dental screening process in Community Dental Services across England and Wales.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study using a postal questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community Dental Services.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical Directors of Community Dental Services in England and Wales.
  
  
  METHODS
  Respondents answers about the objectives of school dental screening, criteria used for referring a child, methods of informing parents of screening results, and methods used to confirm subsequent dental attendance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate for this study was 92.1%. Respondents identified dental registration (75.2%) and attendance at a dentist (82.9%) as objectives of school dental screening. Less than one third (29.5%) saw the activity as having a preventive role. Caries in the primary and secondary dentitions and soft tissue lesions were reported as key criteria for referral. Methods of follow-up of screened positive children differed and were often inadequate; approximately one third of respondents used a letter carried home by the child that did not allow parents to inform the CDS of action taken. Half of the respondents routinely collected data on the number of screened positive children who subsequently visit a dentist.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  School dental screening is delivered in a similar fashion throughout England and Wales but methods of informing parents of a positive screen and follow-up mechanisms for children with positive screens vary. Most school dental screening programmes do not collect sufficient data to evaluate the impact of their programmes on children's oral health.
authors.affiliation: OHU-NPCRDC, School of Dentistry, University of Manchester.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Threlfall
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Milsom
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Catleugh
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kearney-Mitchell
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blinkhorn
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tickle
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003153:Community Health Services; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D003752:Dental Health Services; D003945:Diagnosis, Oral; D004739:England; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D035622:Parental Notification; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012571:School Dentistry; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014852:Wales