Dentists in England will be allowed to open today, Monday 8 June, after practices were told last week they can reopen as long as they are able to put appropriate safety measures in place.
The news will likely spark fear in some, and relief for others, who are long overdue a routine appointment.
However, it will be far from business as usual, as social distancing and increased safety measures could lead to long waiting times and severely restrict patient intake.
So, are all dental practices open and are routine check-ups back on?
Here’s what we know.
Are dentists open in the UK?
From today, dentists in England are allowed to reopen, but many won’t.
According to a British Dental Association poll, only 36 per cent of practices plan to open today so it is recommended you get in touch with your surgery to find out whether or not they are returning today.
Moreover, ‘barely 15 per cent’ are in a position to offer a full range of treatment, and most are only able to provide a ‘skeletal service’ so routine check-ups look largely unlikely, for now.
The poll also revealed that 60 per cent of practices intend to reopen by the end of June, albeit with limited services.
In a letter to all dental practices in England, chief dental officer, Sara Hurley said on Thursday that face-to-face appointments can resume from today, but that individual practices will need to decide when to open and will risk-manage the steps to resume full service.
Practices must have the necessary infection prevention and control requirements in place, as well as personal protective equipment (PPE).
In the joint letter with Matt Neligan, NHS England director of primary care and system transformation, the chief dental officer wrote: ‘We support the full resumption of routine dental care, in a way that is safe, operationally deliverable and allows dental practices flexibility to do what is best for patients and their teams.’
The BDA has welcomed the plans but warned that expectations need to be managed, adding that infection control and social distancing could reduce capacity by up to two thirds.
New safety measures will be put into place, such as markers to ensure people are two metres apart in waiting rooms, regular staff screening, and amended appointment times to ensure the number of people in waiting rooms is kept to a limit.
Dentists in Scotland will reopen slightly later, as part of the Government’s phase 2 of easing lockdown.
According to the BDA website, this is to allow them time to ‘make the necessary preparations.’
Their website reads: ‘Tom Ferris, Chief Dental Officer, Scotland has informed us that dental practices in Scotland will not reopen to NHS patients from next Monday (8 June) as had been widely trailed. This is to allow enough time for practices and NHS Boards to make the necessary preparations, as well as finalise the funding model and secure sufficient PPE.
‘The reopening date is subject to further internal Scottish Government discussions, but will be some time this month.’
Meanwhile, dentists in Wales will open from 1 July in a phased return, while practices in Northern Ireland will allow face-to-face urgent care appointments from today.
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