Recovery of dental services ‘a process not an event’ – Faculty of Dental Surgeons

Commenting on the release of Standard Operating Procedure: transition to recovery by the Office of the Chief Dental Officer and NHS England, Professor Michael Escudier, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgeons at the Royal College of Surgeons of England said:

“We welcome this guidance, which provides critical detail behind the headlines about resuming dental services.  These standard operating procedures set out evidence-based processes for the dental profession to meet patients’ needs safely.

“Remote consultations will continue to be an important feature of dental care in the coming months, particularly in the process of triaging patients for face-to-face treatment. Clear hygiene rules, social distancing in waiting areas and adequate PPE must all in be in place for treatment to restart. 

“Dentists are looking forward to being able to serve their communities on an expanding scale once again, but it will be some time before services return to providing care in a similar manner to that seen before lockdown. 

“Recovering dental services is a process not an event.  We are not flicking a switch but entering a phased transition to the resumption of a full service, and the pace of re-opening remains dependent on a continuing decline in COVID infections.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. 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. https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/
2. For more information, please contact the RCS press office: telephone: 020 7869 6047; email: pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk; out-of-hours media enquiries – 020 7869 6056.