Why Dental Discharge Planning Matters

Patients are often discharged from hospital with unresolved dental problems — lost dentures, untreated decay, or oral health issues that developed during their stay. These problems can undermine recovery, cause nutritional difficulties, and lead to readmission. Our dental discharge planning service ensures dental needs are identified and addressed as part of the discharge process.

Our Discharge Planning Service

Pre-discharge dental assessment: We assess the patient’s dental health before they leave hospital, identifying any issues that need treatment or follow-up. This is particularly important for patients being discharged to care homes.

Denture replacement: If dentures have been lost during admission, we begin the replacement process in hospital and coordinate completion with the patient’s post-discharge location — whether that’s their own home or a care home.

Treatment completion: Where possible, we complete dental treatment before discharge. For ongoing needs, we provide a clear treatment plan for the receiving care provider.

Onward referral: We provide detailed dental handover reports to the patient’s GP, care home, or community dental service, ensuring continuity of care after discharge.

Care home liaison: For patients being discharged to a care home, we can coordinate directly with the home to ensure dental care continues seamlessly. We serve care homes across Leeds and Yorkshire — see our care home services.

For Discharge Coordinators

Including a dental check in your discharge process helps prevent dental readmissions, supports better patient outcomes, and demonstrates high-quality holistic care. We can provide a simple dental discharge checklist for your team and are available for telephone consultations to discuss individual patients.

Common scenarios where dental discharge planning is valuable include patients admitted for more than 2 weeks, patients who have lost dentures during admission, patients with known dental problems that haven’t been addressed, patients being discharged to a care home for the first time, and patients with nutritional concerns linked to dental issues.