FDS and FGDP comment on the CDO announcement to resume dental services

In response to the Chief Dental Officer’s announcement that practices are able to re-open from 8 June in England, Professor Michael Escudier, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgeons at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and Dr Ian Mills, Dean of the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) said:

“Whilst we are pleased to hear dental practices will be open to the public in the coming weeks, it is clear that the delivery of care will be vastly different to what we knew before COVID-19.

“The CDO has said she supports a full resumption of routine dental care, however it will take time for practices to get back to speed before this can happen. We expect the range of treatments available to patients to be different from prior to the outbreak, as there will be a number of issues to consider to ensure the safety of patients, staff and practitioners, including hygiene rules, social distancing, resources and PPE. It will likely be some months before services return to providing care in a similar manner to that seen before lockdown, and will largely be dependent on the further easing of COVID-19 control measures.

“We look forward to seeing the NHSE standard operating procedures, as we hope these, together with practical guidance being developed by our Faculties will assist health care professionals in determining when they are ready to restart, the scope of safe practice they are able to offer and the processes which need to be adopted.”

Notes to editors

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is a professional membership organisation and registered charity, which exists to advance surgical standards and improve patient care.

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