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Training your team and ensuring everyone's knowledge is up-to-date are important CPD triggers. We suggest that you get the team together for a training session based on the activities below and discuss the various ways in which you can offer customers and patients added care in this category.

Subject: oral care

This Train Your Team checklist provides support and information to run a team training session on oral care. This content can also be used for your own CPD.

Reflection

• How frequently do we provide preventive oral care advice, such as visiting the dentist, healthy eating, brushing the teeth and use of mouthwashes and dental floss?
• Do my staff know when to refer customers with oral health issues to the pharmacist?
• Do we have a good display and useful range of products for oral health in the pharmacy?
• How much do I know about the emerging evidence base for poor oral health, gum disease and chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes?
• How much do I know about the oral health problems associated with periodontitis?
• For which products is there a good evidence base for the prevention and treatment of gingivitis?

Training checklist

Ensure support staff understand the following key points:

• The structure of the teeth and gums
• The key health benefits of good oral care
• The causes of dental decay, bad breath and sensitive teeth
• Symptoms of gum disease and mouth ulcers
• The importance of oral hygiene for looking after teeth and gums
• When to refer customers to the pharmacist.

I will ensure:

• We reassess our oral care interventions
• My team communicate effective lifestyle tips on looking after teeth and gums to our customers
• They are alert for potentially serious oral symptoms
• We have effective displays of toothbrushes and other oral care products in the pharmacy
• My team can meet the points in this training checklist.

Practice point

• When should children start to have their teeth brushed? What type of toothbrush and toothpaste should be used? See: NHS Choices: Children's teeth