An intervention study to assess the effectiveness of a reminder telephone call in improving patient appointment attendance at a Community Dental Service clinic.

This paper first describes the action taken to quantify the problem of high rates of failed appointments at a Community Dental Service clinic in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Then describes an intervention to implement and evaluate a potential solution of reminder telephone calls to patients. The paper illustrates the dental public health competencies of: evaluation of dental health services, and of managing resources and time.