AN initiative to help 10 million UK adults overcome their dental anxiety has been launched in Cornwall – thanks to a fund helping to improve health and social care through the use of technology.

The Foundation for Effective Management of Dental Anxiety (FEMDA) has successfully bid to trial and develop a management system where patients from participating practices can access clinically designed apps that assess and help manage their nervousness. 

Liskeard medics and nursing homes are involved in the pioneering research.

Led by Dr Angus McDougall (pictured), FEMDA is the first to receive funding from the EPIC (E-health Productivity and Innovation in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly) project, where health and social care professionals, academics and companies in the region are collaborating to help find the best uses of the internet, apps, and robotics in health and social care.

Dr MacDougall said two thirds of UK adults are scared of visiting the dentist, which can bring about further problems in clinical care, and he hoped FEMDA would help to provide a solution. 

‘If someone is scared of visiting the dentist, they delay or avoid appointments, which makes any potential underlying problems worse,’ he said.

‘And when problems are worse, treatments can be more invasive, which in turn can heighten anxiety. It’s a vicious circle.

‘Most treatment for dental fear is focused on the use of general anaesthetic or sedation, but only behavioural and psychological interventions provide long term solutions.’

The ‘Dental Anxiety Management System’ is a progressive web app that patients download, and it assesses their dental anxiety and specific dental needs before offering them a self-help report based on their anxiety level. 

This data is then fed back to a central dashboard for the practice that shows the overall level of dental anxiety and, where patients have given their permission, gives patient specific dental anxiety scores.

EPIC launched in May 2017 month and runs for three years.

The collaboration includes the University of Plymouth; Creative England; Stennack and Oak Tree Surgery in Liskeard, as members of Kernow Health CIC; Liskeard Eventide and Crossroads House Care Homes, as members of Cornwall Partners in Care; and the Patients Association.

Funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the South West Academic Health Science Network, the £600,000 EPIC Challenge Fund is managed by Creative England and is open to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the region looking to engage in the digital health market. 

The funding offers feasibility grants of up to £5K, and product development grants from £5-10K, to businesses that aim to tackle the ‘challenges’ identified by research led by University of Plymouth.

Companies can either co-design solutions with others or bring forward their own individual ideas. For more information and to apply, visit http://www.creativeengland.co.uk/tech-and-digital/epic