NEBDN Diploma (Dental Nursing) cheat sheet

Permanent dentition: 32 teeth; each quadrant holds 8 teeth (central incisor to third molar). Primary dentition: 20 teeth, 5 per quadrant, with no premolars.

Universal numbering runs 1-32 clockwise from the maxillary right third molar; FDI/Palmer uses two digits, quadrant (1-4 upper, 5-8 lower) plus tooth position 1-8 from the midline.

Tooth surfaces: mesial (toward midline), distal (away), buccal/facial (toward cheek/lip), lingual/palatal (toward tongue/palate), occlusal (biting surface of posteriors), incisal (edge of anteriors).

Tooth tissues from outer to inner: enamel (hardest, acellular, cannot regenerate), dentine (bulk, tubular), pulp (nerve and blood supply), plus cementum covering the root.

Periodontal tissues: gingiva, periodontal ligament, cementum and alveolar bone; gingival sulcus depth is typically 1-3 mm in health.

Dental caries is a multifactorial, plaque-mediated demineralisation driven by fermentable carbohydrate; fluoride, saliva and oral hygiene promote remineralisation.

Standard precautions apply to all patients: hand hygiene before and after gloves, gloves for contact with blood/body fluids, eye and face protection where splash risk exists, and safe sharps disposal in a rigid yellow sharps container.

Medical emergencies: supine position with legs raised for syncope; 15 L/min oxygen via non-rebreathe mask and 0.5 mg IM adrenaline (1:1000) into the anterolateral thigh for anaphylaxis.

Autoclave sterilisation is validated by physical (temperature/pressure), chemical (indicator strips) and biological (spore) monitoring; instruments must be cleaned and inspected before sterilisation.

GDC Scope of Practice: dental nurses may take and record patient history, provide oral health education, take impressions, apply topical fluoride, and place/remove rubber dam when trained and competent; diagnosis and treatment planning remain the dentist's responsibility.

Valid consent requires three elements: capacity, sufficient information, and voluntariness; it must be obtained by the person carrying out the treatment and documented in the record.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 presumes capacity; a patient is unable to decide if they cannot understand, retain, weigh or communicate the information. Best-interests decisions follow when capacity is absent.

Confidentiality: patient information is disclosed only with consent or where required by law or public interest; anonymised data may be shared for audit and research.

Record keeping: entries must be contemporaneous, dated, signed, legible and factual; records are retained per local policy (adults commonly 11 years after last treatment) and patients may request access under data protection law.

Safeguarding: dental nurses must recognise signs of abuse or neglect, record findings objectively, and report to the named safeguarding lead or appropriate authority without investigating themselves.

GDPR/Data Protection Act 2018 govern personal data: lawful basis, minimum necessary data, secure storage, and breach reporting to the ICO within 72 hours where risk applies.

Continuing Professional Development: GDC registrants complete a CPD cycle with a minimum of 10 hours per 2-year cycle for dental nurses, including at least 2 hours on medical emergencies and 2 hours on disinfection/ decontamination.

GDC Standards require putting patients first, communicating effectively, obtaining consent, maintaining skills, raising concerns about risk, and working within the limits of personal competence.