The second edition of SDCEP’s Management of Acute Dental Problems (MADP) guidance was published in March 2026. Two new supporting tools are now available to aid users of the guidance.
The guidance provides decision support for healthcare professionals to identify any immediate advice or attention to give a patient presenting with an acute dental problem, and to determine the appropriate urgency and provider of subsequent care. The guidance is available via a dedicated website (www.acutedentalproblems.sdcep.org.uk).
An updated Practice Guide, for use by dental staff directly involved in responding to emergency calls within a dental practice setting, is now available with a downloadable printable pdf version also provided. The Practice Guide includes a simple method for prioritising emergency calls from patients, and advice on providing patients with self care instructions for managing pain, dental trauma and post-extraction bleeding.
An interactive decision support toolkit based on the MADP guidance, which some dental professionals might find useful, is also now available. Information on how to access and use this toolkit can be found via the Decision support toolkit page on the MADP guidance website.