The guide was produced by Professor Chris Tredwin Professor of Restorative Dentistry, Ian Sherriff B.E.M. Academic Partnership Lead for Dementia, Abby Nelder Community Engagement Programme Officer Peninsula Dental School, Claire Puckey BScHons and Tony Husband award-winning cartoonist. The guide was commissioned by the Prime Ministers National Dementia Challenge Group.

The guide enables all N.H.S dental practices in England to become inclusive Dementia Friendly Dentist in both rural and urban areas to create an enabling environment, engaging with people living with dementia, their families and carers. This makes it possible for people living with dementia to continue to have compassionate, individualised dental health care. A Dementia Friendly dental practice will enable people with dementia to have a sense of belonging and feel a valued part of a community and civic life. (Source: National Dementia Declaration 2012).

An inclusive Dementia Friendly dental practice works to sustain and improve the dental quality of life for people living with dementia which will reduce the impact of the lack of dental care, stigma, isolation and loneliness.

Dementia Friendly dental practices need to be flexible, adaptable and responsive to the different needs of people living with dementia and their carers.  It is important to ensure that people living with dementia can continue to enjoy the previous dental support they had been receiving. The Guardian ran a full page on this project in their Dementia Health Sector (2021) As a result of this work Katy Kerr Associate Postgraduate Dental Dean Workforce Health Education England has invited Ian Sherriff B.E.M and professor Chris Tredwin to be part of a group working on a dental dementia learning programme(2022 and beyond).

Throughout 20219/21/22 the effects of COVID-19 have challenged all statutory and voluntary agencies working in rural communities to examine how they offer support and guidance to individuals living with dementia and their families.  Local councils, as the most local form of government, have a major role to play in interpreting government and local COVID-19 plans to ensure that people living with dementia and their families continue to be included in all aspects of rural community life.

In response to the above challenges Ian Sherriff B.E.M University of Plymouth and Claire Goldfinch Policy Officer National Association of Local Councils (N.A.L.C) carried out a survey of all the 10,000 Parish and Town Councils in Rural England to gain an understand how they were supporting people living with dementia and their families. The overall response to this survey was “they wanted a Rural Dementia Parish and Town Councils Dementia Guide”. Armed with this response Ian Sherriff B.E.M and Claire Goldfinch (N.A.L.C) wrote a Rural Parish and Town Councils Dementia Guide (2020). The guide was sent to all the 10,000 Parish and Town Councils in England with a personal letter of support from the Prime Minister. Ian Sherriff B.E.M University of Plymouth and Silvia Elena Nicolé (N.A.L.C) will be sending out a follow up survey in February 2022 to establish how the Parish and Town Councils have implemented the recommendations in the Dementia Guide. This work was featured in the national and regional press.