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Alcohol consumption

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Alcohol consumption intervention (Identification and Brief Advice)

The flowchart below presents an alcohol identification and brief advice pathway (IBA) that can be used with dental patients to identify their alcohol health risks and to help tailor advice. The IBA pathway has three main stages: asking all patients about alcohol use as part of their medical history (using the AUDIT-C screening tool), and advising and acting based on the patient’s AUDIT-C score. 

A flowchart outlining the alcohol identification and brief advice pathway

Units of alcohol in common drinks

Alcohol unit reference (1 unit = 10 ml pure alcohol):

Units of alcohol in commonly served drink volumes.

More information and an alcohol unit calculator are available on the Drink Aware website.

Further guidance on alcohol in relation to oral health can be found in Delivering Better Oral Health, which includes additional information about the IBA pathway. 

Additional resources for health professionals, including further information about screening tools can be found on the Public Health Scotland website. 

Public Health Scotland also provide an information leaflet for patients, which includes additional information about units and advice on reducing alcohol intake.