A PHASED return to face-to-face dental services could be introduced in Scotland by next week.

Currently all practices are closed apart from telephone triage, with increased care offered at emergency dental hubs and urgent dental care centres.

Scotland’s Chief Dental Officer Tom Ferris detailed out the plans in a letter published yesterday as he updated the progress of the ‘remobilisation of NHS Dental Services in Scotland’ as we move our way out of the coronavirus lockdown.

He writes that as part of the plans, the Scottish Government hopes to reintroduce services “on a phased basis over the course of this month”.

The precise date will be confirmed at the next 3-weekly review of lockdown regulations, which takes place on June 18 – with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon already confirming she is “optimistic” the country will move into Phase 2 of the route map out of lockdown on that date.

So, what does this mean?

If Scotland does indeed move into Phase 2 from June 18, then all dental practices would be permitted to open to see patients with “urgent care needs” from this point – provided they are non-aerosol generating procedures.

Mr Ferris however notes that “not all dental practices will be able to open at the same time as some practices may take longer to prepare.”

He continued: “The start date is not to be considered a target – practices must be certain they can safely open before they do”.

What about Phase 3 and 4

From Phase 3, which is a currently undefined date but could be as soon as mid-July, all dental practices can reopen to see registered patients, even without “urgent needs”.

And from Phase 4, there will be a limited introduction of aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) to dental practices, which will be dependent on evidence of risk and possible mitigation.

How does this compare to England?​

Dental practices in England were permitted to reopen yesterday for the first time since lockdown rules were introduced.

There, the British Dental Association (BDA) has told practices to prioritise patients with urgent need and vulnerable groups when resuming services, with an increase in demand expected to work through the backlog. 

But not all dentists down south were happy with the decision – in a warning that could be a sign of things to come in Scotland.

They want the UK Government to provide further support, saying so far it has been “too limited”.

One dentist has described the return to work as “nerve-wracking”.

The BDA union has asked for dentists to be granted key worker status and access to the Government supply chain on PPE, as one industry survey suggests only around one third of surgeries in England, 36%, opened yesterday.