Lockdown: When might dentists reopen in the UK?

Changes to lockdown restrictions ‘are causing confusion among dentists in England’, British Dental Association states

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On Monday 11 May, the government published guidance on how lockdown restrictions across England are going to start being lifted.

In the 50-page document, the government stated that “all workers who cannot work from home should travel to work if their workplace is open”.

As part of the first step of the government’s “roadmap” to easing lockdown, it outlined that workers such as those in construction, logistics and distribution are encouraged to return to work.

However, the advice on the reopening of certain workplaces has caused some “confusion” among dentists in England, the British Dental Association (BDA) states.

Discussions are also currently being conducted to assess when dental practices may reopen in other parts of the UK, in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

How has the easing of lockdown restrictions affected dental practices in England?

On the BDA’s website, chief executive Martin Woodrow has been providing updated guidance for dental practitioners throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Following Boris Johnson’s speech aired on Sunday 10 May in which the prime minister spoke about the gradual lifting of certain lockdown measures, Mr Woodrow wrote that some people “had asked if dental practices should be re-opening on the back of this advice”.

“Firstly, we need to clarify that this government advice applies only to England. However, and more fundamentally, there have been no indications that the frameworks for the provision of dental care across the four UK countries has changed,” he stated.

He outlined that the current guidance involves treating patients “initially via advice, analgesics [painkillers] and antibiotics where appropriate, and to triage care into the various urgent care systems”.

On Monday 11 May, the office of the chief dental officer in England issued a “no change yet” statement on the subject of reopening dental practices.

“The temporary cessation of routine dentistry addresses the safety of patients and of dental teams as well as supporting the public health measures required to slow community transmission of Covid-19,” the office said.

On the website for NHS England, it states that as part of “stringent measures” that have been implemented to prevent spread of Covid-19, “the provision of all routine, non-urgent dental care including orthodontics has been stopped in England until further notice”.

“Therefore, across every NHS region there is a requirement for delivery of robust and safe services through the provision of NHS regional urgent dental care (UDC) systems to provide care for urgent and emergency dental problems,” it stated in guidance originally published on 15 April.

What is being said about the reopening of dentists in other parts of the UK?

Mr Woodrow stated on Monday 11 May that “discussions have also begun in Scotland” regarding dental practice activity in the country in the near future.

The following day, the first minister of Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, and deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill published a document outlining how lockdown measures may be eased in the country.

While the document does not include mention of dental practices, the first minister said she is “hopeful” Northern Ireland will have reached the final stage of the recovery plan by December.

“However, there is no sign of a return to routine dental care and we expect the present situation regarding urgent and routine care to continue for some time,” the BDA stated.

Mr Woodrow outlined that Wales is “perhaps at the forefront in terms of thinking about what adjustments will need to be made to NHS mechanisms in a new environment where traditional activity may be reduced for some time”.

Nonetheless, “for the time being, the distinct existing advice for practices in the four UK countries still applies”, the BDA chief executive said.