Why are vulnerable children not brought to their dental appointments?

A considerable number of children under 16 years of age, with an oral healthcare need, are not brought to their Barts Health Special Care Community Dental Service (BHSCCDS) appointments. The BHSCCDS needed to understand more about why parents/carers (parents) were failing to bring their children, in order to identify appropriate strategies to reduce the non-attendance. Thus, an audit was conducted to assess the number, frequency and reasons for all missed appointments (MA); this included feedback conversations with dental staff and parents. Information obtained from this cohort of high-risk children's families through personal, respectful and supportive contact improved understanding of the parents' individual and collective issues and lead to recommendations that could reduce the number of MA in the future.