Scotland’s CDO says dentistry ‘will continue under the new restrictions’
Scotland’s Chief Dental Officer, Tom Ferris, has confirmed dentistry will continue under new restrictions announced by the Government on Monday.
A letter was issued to dental practices yesterday confirming dentistry will continue despite the new lockdown, “as essential travel includes leaving home for dental treatment”.
But the CDO added in a statement today: “Whilst the further restrictions announced by the First Minister will not impact the range of dental care available to patients at NHS practices in mainland Scotland, due to social distancing and infection control arrangements, dental practices still only have a limited number of appointments each day.”
A briefing note published by the Greater Glasgow & Clyde Local Dental Committee said: “From our interpretation it would appear that under the latest restrictions dental professionals can provide:
- risk-assessed emergency or urgent dental care, including AGPs
- risk-assessed and prioritised ‘routine’ dental treatment that is necessary to secure and maintain oral health, including AGPs
- risk-assessed and justifiable cosmetic procedures, i.e. only where a delay might cause oral health problems
The new tier-based financial support measures have been postponed for at least three months, with the current 85% funding being maintained.
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