Statement
01 June 2020
Phil Taylor, who will shortly take up the role of Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, has responded to guidance published by the Faculty of General Dental Practice today, which outlines the steps dental practices should take in order to re-open on 8 June.
Phil said:
“We welcome further guidance and clarification on the protocol dental practices should follow in order to re-open, but we do not believe that all dental practices will be adequately equipped with PPE in time to safely re-open on 8 June.
“If dental practices are going to re-open, the Chief Dental Officers must give their absolute assurances that PPE will be readily available for all dental practitioners by 8 June. If this assurance isn’t forthcoming, they must state that this is the case and clarify that many dental practices will not be able to re-open on this date.
“To raise patients’ expectations that they will be able to make dental appointments from this date is unacceptable, and dentists will have to bear the brunt of the resulting confusion and frustration.
“We know from speaking to our members that there is still a huge disparity across the regions when it comes to availability of PPE, which may lead to a postcode lottery for patients in need of dental assessment and treatment. For example, our colleagues in London and the Midlands have raised concerns over PPE, with many claiming they won’t be able to source adequate equipment in time to re-open on 8 June.”