Information
The School of Hygiene-Therapy (SoHT) is based at the Edinburgh Dental Institute (EDI). The SoHT train undergraduate Dental Hygienist-Therapist (DHT) students through our links with the University of Edinburgh. Our students need patients to help them complete the practical component of their training and welcome referrals of appropriate adult patients from General Dental Practitioners (GDPs).
What does a Dental Hygienist-Therapist (DHT) do?
A DHT provides the following treatment for adult patients:
- Disease prevention and oral hygiene advice
- Periodontal management
- Routine direct restorations
There are some clinical treatments which the DHT students are not able to provide including:
- Endodontic treatment in adult patients
- Extraction of permanent teeth
- Dentures
- Fixed crown / bridge work
- Orthodontics
- Dental implants
GDPs are well placed to determine which patients will be suitable for treatment with the DHT students. However, all referred patients will be screened to ascertain their suitability before inclusion on the undergraduate programme.
What does the patient need to know before referral to the SoHT?
It is very important that your patient is aware they are being referred to an undergraduate teaching programme and not the NHS Lothian Consultant-led specialist services within the EDI. Patients will not receive preferential access to these specialist dental services when under the care of our students. If you think your patient needs specialist dental advice or treatment, please refer to the RefHelp guidance for the relevant dental specialty.
It is essential that you advise your patient of what to expect when receiving treatment with the DHT students. We recommend that you provide them with the patient information leaflet which we give to patients accepted for undergraduate treatment.
Patients referred for treatment with the DHT students are exempt from the NHS waiting times guarantee and patients should be informed of this when referred.
Treatment provided by DHTs in the EDI is free of charge for patients.
What does the referring GDP need to know before referral to the SoHT?
If your patient is accepted, we will advise you what treatment the DHT students can deliver. You may be asked to provide any additional treatment that is out-with their scope of practice. On completion of treatment with the students, your patient will be discharged back into your care.
We do not offer an emergency service within the SoHT and we ask that you continue to provide emergency treatment for your patient while they are receiving treatment with our students.
The student DHTs only have clinics during the University of Edinburgh term times. This is generally from:
- September – December
- January – April
This means that our ability to accept patients for assessment and treatment fluctuates during the year.
Who can refer:
- General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) for registered adults
- Adults not registered with a GDP (self-referral)
Who to refer:
The SoHT accepts referrals of adult patients (16 years and over) for the following treatment:
- Disease prevention and oral hygiene advice
- Periodontal management
- Routine direct restorations including posterior composite restorations
We ask that you please:
- Consider carefully the suitability of your patient for treatment with the DHT student before making your referral.
- Ensure your patient is pain free on referral
Who not to refer:
The SoHT will not accept referrals for the following:
- Patients requiring treatment outside the scope of practice of a DHT. This may include:
- Endodontic treatment (in adults)
- Extraction of permanent teeth and surgical procedures
- Dentures
- Fixed crown / bridge work
- Orthodontics
- Dental implants
- Children under the age of 16 years. Referral should be made to ‘Paediatric Dentistry’ via SCI Gateway.
- Patients who require specialist dental treatment or advice. Referral should be made via SCI Gateway to the relevant dental specialty.
How to refer:
Adults registered with a General Dental Practitioner (GDP):
- GDPs providing NHS dentistry must refer to the School of Hygiene-Therapy via SCI Gateway.
- If you are a private GDP and do not have access to SCI Gateway, please download, complete and send the referral form.
- Please note that the secure transmission of emails containing patient information is the referrer’s responsibility
Referrals should include:
- Information of what treatment has been provided in practice.
- Relevant medical and social history.
- Relevant radiographs / images.
- These can be sent as an ‘attachment’ in SCI Gateway (maximum file size of 2MB, with a total attachment capacity of 5MB).
- If you are not registered with SCI Gateway, have images exceeding the file size or have relevant non digital images, please use an alternative option for the transfer of images.
Adults not registered with a GDP:
You can self refer using a link on the University of Edinburgh webpage.
Discharge criteria:
We will provide any dental treatment that we deem necessary and that falls within the scope of practice for the DHT students. On completion of treatment, the patient will either be:
- Discharged back to the continuing care of the referring GDP.
- Encouraged to register with a GDP for continuing care.
