Waiting list for dentists growing by 40,000 a day
Routine check-ups at back of the queue as practices predict virus rules could cut appointments by 90pc
THE waiting list for dental treatment is growing by up to 40,000 patients a day, the profession’s leadership has revealed, amid warnings of chaos as surgeries reopen.
The British Dental Association (BDA) last night said the official backlog was likely to exceed a million by autumn, with strict infection-control rules reducing the flow of patients to a trickle.
It said dentists’ priority “for a long, long time” would be those with serious complaints, all but dashing hopes of routine check-ups for the near future.
The BDA blamed poor communication by the Government for the flood of enquiries from non-serious patients, which it says are inundating practices.
It accused the Department of Health of hindering the reopening of normal dental services – allowed from yesterday – by only granting access to the official supply of personal protective equipment from last Wednesday.
The profession estimates that practices will be able to get through just 10 per cent of their normal daily patients. The danger of the airborne spread of virus particles means they will need to wait one hour after conducting aerosol-generating procedures, such as drilling, scaling or using high-pressure air, before seeing another patient. Although the science is hazy, experts believe at least 30 minutes should be left for particles in the air to settle before surfaces are disinfected.
Dentists have been told to conduct pre-appointment consultations via telephone or video if possible to reduce the time patients spend in the surgery.
The profession was caught off guard on May 28 when the announcement was made about reopening practices.
Last night, Eddie Crouch, the BDA vice-chairman, said: “Because of the way the announcement was handled, people do not have a realistic idea of what dental services are going to look like for a long, long time. People are assuming that it’s business as usual and trying to schedule check-ups.
“But we’re dealing with a huge backlog, and we’re trying to prioritise the patients with the worst problems who have waited the longest.”
He told The Daily Telegraph it was a “realistic guess” that the numbers requiring treatment would exceed one million before the end of the summer.
It comes as a BDA poll of 2,053 dentist practices found that only a third were prepared to open yesterday, while just eight per cent believe they are on a sound financial footing post-lockdown.
Many have found the cost of obtaining PPE increased 60-fold.
The BDA has written to Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, demanding key worker status, relief from business rates and permanent access to the government
‘We’re dealing with a huge backlog, and we’re trying to prioritise the patients with the worst problems’
supply chain of PPE. Mr Crouch said even in the event of a second wave, dentistry should never again be shut down in the same way.
“We’ve heard of elderly people with fractured dentures waiting more than three months,” he said.
He said the sector would be in a better position had it received more notice from officials. A letter and guidance from Sarah Hurley, England’s chief dental officer, was sent out on May 28 despite being dated nine days earlier.
A Department of Health spokesman said: “We are working around the clock to make sure front-line healthcare staff have the PPE they need and have made further supplies available to the dental sector via wholesalers last week. There are also 550 NHS urgent dental care centres that will continue to treat patients in need until dental practices can safely offer a wider range of services.”