Tag: dentists

Two metre distancing to remain in healthcare facilities

Physical distancing will remain in place at health care settings across Scotland from Monday (August 9) when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted elsewhere in the country.

Hospitals, GP surgeries and dentists will be among the locations which will continue to observe the current two metre distancing requirement to help control the spread of the virus.

The measure will be reviewed as the NHS remobilises safely from the pandemic.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The safety of patients and healthcare staff is paramount.

“As we move beyond level 0, we must remember that the  virus has not gone away and safeguards like distancing may be needed in some settings as we learn to live with COVID-19.

“Physical distancing in our health system will remain for now as we move safely out of lockdown.

“We will keep the situation under review and will publish a plan for the safe recovery of our NHS in the coming weeks.”

Deputy Chief Nursing Officer Anne Armstrong said: “Hospitals and other health care settings have developed new ways of working to meet the challenges of the pandemic, but there is still a risk of hospitalised cases and winter threats.

“Physical distancing will help protect staff and patients as part of the ongoing management of confirmed or suspected COVID cases.”  

“No-brainer”: £5 million to remobilise NHS dentists

£5 million to help meet safety standards and see more patients

Additional funding of up to £5 million is available to NHS dentists to help remobilise services as Scotland recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

This new funding will help NHS dental practices to purchase, renew or upgrade ventilation equipment as improved ventilation in surgeries can substantially reduce the time between seeing patients, and offer dental teams the opportunity to see more patients safely.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The remobilisation of the NHS is one of our number one priorities and the Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that NHS dental services emerge from this pandemic well-placed to care for the oral health of the population.

“This new funding is an important step in ensuring the continued remobilisation of NHS dental services and to ensure more patients can be seen safely. We will also continue to fund free PPE for the dental sector and, from July, we will increase it by up to 50 per cent.

“We are continuing to work with the sector to provide much-needed support to fully remobilise dental services.”

Funding will be available throughout this financial year, and will be distributed by NHS boards to those practices meeting the scheme’s conditions. Claims can be made for the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2022. Further details of the scheme and how to apply will be provided to the dental sector by separate circular issued by the office of the Chief Dental Officer.

The British Dental Association Scotland has welcomed confirmation the Scottish Government will allocate £5 million to help practices invest in ventilation equipment to increase patient volumes while meeting COVID restrictions.   

The BDA first made the bid for financial support to improve ventilation to the Scottish Government in November. England is now the only UK nation not to have committed any capital funding for ventilation to help restore services.   

Chief Dental Officer Tom Ferris has confirmed funds can be used to purchase, renew or upgrade ventilation systems, and practices can claim retrospectively for the period 1 April 2020 – 31 March 2022.

 The BDA is awaiting details of the conditions applied to the scheme, but has expressed concern that it may not cover those practices who have already installed portable units or air cleaners (such as HEPA filters) when they were unable to improve ventilation by other means in the short term, following guidance from the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP).

Many in this position are based in sites unsuitable for major works, such as premises owned by health boards, in densely packed city centres with adjoining residential and commercial units, or in listed properties.

To meet strict guidelines on COVID transmission, dentists have had to leave surgeries fallow between most common procedures. Investment in ventilation ensures practices can reduce these gaps and increase patient throughput.    

Restrictions have left practices operating at a fraction of their former capacity. Data from Public Health Scotland has shown a dramatic reduction in NHS dentistry delivered, which has hit those in most deprived communities the hardest. Between April and November 2020, the number of courses of treatment delivered was 83% lower than during the same period in 2019.  

This week Scotland’s CDO joined colleagues from the other three UK nations to commit to reviewing current restrictions. [1] While the review may reduce the need for a fallow time longer-term, the BDA has stressed this investment is required to ‘future proof’ services in the advent of any future pandemic, to secure an immediate boost in access, and will prove cost-neutral through increased patient charge revenues.   

David McColl, chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee said: “This is a no-brainer from the Scottish Government. Investment in ventilation can future proof Scotland’s dental services, boost patient numbers, and pay for itself.

“We must avoid half measures. Many dentists have had no option but to buy portable systems to get patients back through their doors. Ministers must ensure they do not lose out.  

“For our patients’ sake, this needs to mark a turning point when it comes to providing ongoing support to practices. Access to services has fallen off a cliff. A signature policy on free dentistry for all will be a promise that can’t be kept unless we see real commitment from ministers.”  

Study of UK dental professionals reveals extent of occupational risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection

A University of Birmingham-led study of over a thousand dental professionals has shown their increased occupational risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection during the first wave of the pandemic in the UK.

The observational cohort study, published today (3 June 2021), in the Journal of Dental Research, involved 1,507 Midland dental care practitioners.  Blood samples were taken from the cohort at the start of the study in June 2020 to measure their levels of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The team found 16.3% of study participants – which included dentists, dental nurses and dental hygienists – had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, compared to just 6% of the general population at the time.  Meanwhile, the percentage of dental practice receptionists, who have no direct patient contact, with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was comparable to the general population, supporting the hypothesis that occupational risk arose from close exposure to patients.

The study also found ethnicity was also a significant risk factor for infection, with 35% of Black participants and 18.8% of Asian participants having SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, compared to 14.3% of white participants.

Blood samples were taken from participants three months later, in September 2020, when dental practices in England had re-opened with enhanced PPE and infection control measures in place, and once again in January 2021, six months after the start of the study, during the second wave of the pandemic when healthcare workers were being vaccinated.

The results showed that of those who had previous COVID-19 infection, over 70% continued to have SARS-CoV-2 antibodies both at three months and six months later, and they were at a 75% reduced risk of re-infection with the virus.

The study also demonstrated the immunological impact of COVID-19 vaccination, with 97.7% of those without previous infection developing an antibody response at least 12 days after their first Pfizer vaccine.  In those with evidence of previous infection, the antibody response was more rapid and higher in magnitude after a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Furthermore, none of the cohort with a level of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies greater than 147.6 IU/ml in their blood tested positive for COVID-19 throughout the six-month period from the first to the final blood tests.   

First author Dr Adrian Shields, of the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, said: “Understanding what an antibody test result means to an individual with respect to their risk of infection is essential to controlling the pandemic.

“Our study has taken the first steps in defining the level of antibody in a persons’ blood necessary to protect them from infection for six months. Furthermore, by comparing the antibody levels we have found in dentists to those contained in widely available reference material produced by the World Health Organization, we hope the protective level we found can be easily confirmed and compared by other laboratories.”

Corresponding author Professor Thomas Dietrich, of the University of Birmingham’s School of Dentistry, adds: “Critically, only 5.3% of the cohort developed an antibody response that exceeded this threshold of 147.6 IU/ml following the first wave of the UK pandemic.

“This suggests that natural infection alone is unlikely to generate meaningful, durable herd immunity.”

Co-corresponding author Iain Chapple, Professor of Periodontology at the University of Birmingham and Consultant in Restorative Dentistry at Birmingham Community Healthcare Trust, adds: “Dental professionals are thought to be at high risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 because they routinely operate within patients’ aerodigestive tract and regularly carry out aerosol-generating procedures that result in the production of airborne particles.

“Through our research, we have clearly shown that dental professionals were at increased occupational risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 prior to the new PHE guidance on PPE. The occupational health measures that have been put in place in general dental practice as a consequence of COVID-19 appear to remove that increased risk, however, this will need to be thoroughly investigated to see if they have successfully interrupted transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses.”

Co-corresponding author Professor Alex Richter, also of the University of Birmingham, said: “This is the first time the occupational risk of exposure to a potentially fatal respiratory virus has been studied in a large dental cohort.

“It is important that we now progress our research to ensure we have an understanding of how people are protected from re-infection with COVID-19 following natural infection and vaccination.

“The nature and duration of immunity in these cohorts will be critical to understand as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, particularly with respect to the efficacy of vaccination strategies -single-dose, multiple-doses, vaccine combinations – and in relation to novel viral variants of concern.”

Dentists: Scottish Government must correct slip of the tongue on access crisis

The British Dental Association Scotland has urged immediate clarity from the Scottish Government, following comments from Health and Sport Secretary Jeane Freeman implying that NHS dentistry should be available at pre-pandemic levels.

Jeane Freeman stated today that “NHS services … should be as available now as they were before the pandemic started.”

While all treatments are now available from NHS practices, the service is operating at a fraction of its former capacity to keep to strict infection control protocols to limit the spread of the virus. The BDA understands practices across Scotland have been overwhelmed with calls following this statement. 

The Scottish Government is currently only providing enough PPE to treat 10 patients per day (or 5 for Aerosol Generating Procedures involving high-speed instruments) covering just 20-30% of pre-Covid patient numbers.

The BDA has called for real commitment to restore pre-pandemic levels of dentistry. Unlike the Northern Irish and Welsh administrations, the Scottish Government has so far made no commitments to help practices invest in ventilation equipment, that can radically reduce or element the ‘fallow time’ gaps between appointments, designed to reduce the spread of the virus.

It is also seeking urgent interim funding to keep the service sustainable and help practices deal with the unprecedented backlog of patients.

Recent official data indicated that between September and November 2020 the number of adults seen by NHS dentists was around a third of the 2018-19 average, before falling to 28% of the 2018-19 average in December 2020. 

In 2020, children and adults from the most deprived areas were less likely to have seen their dentist within the last two years than those from the least deprived areas (73.5% compared to 85.7% of children and 55.9% compared to 67.1% of adults). These inequalities in access between the most and least deprived areas have grown since 2019, particularly in children.

David McColl, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee said: “Ministers seem to have forgotten that all dentists are operating at a fraction of their former capacity, to keep to strict infection protocols set by their government.

“With severe limits on access emergency and urgent cases need to be at the front of the queue. Sadly, this slip of the tongue has left phones ringing off the hook in practices across Scotland.

“We are facing an unprecedented backlog, and the Scottish Government needs to provide funding and support to restore routine services. As it stands if check-ups recommenced today, we wouldn’t be able to offer appointments for six months.

“Even before the pandemic Scotland’s oral health inequalities were a national scandal. Now that gap looks set to widen, with public health programmes suspended and millions unable to access care.

“Dentists are losing the chance to act on the early signs of decay, gum disease and oral cancers. If we’re ever going to turn the page we need to see real commitment from Government.”

Scotland’s dental crisis: New data shows all parties need to act as inequalities widen

The British Dental Association Scotland has called on all political parties to set out an effective response to the crisis facing dentistry as new data reveals the collapse in attendance during the COVID pandemic.  

While registration rates remained high and broadly stable – owing to lifetime registration – data indicates the number of children seen between May and December 2020 was around a quarter of the 2018-19 average due to the pandemic.

Between September and November 2020, the number of adults seen was around a third of the 2018-19 average, before falling to 28% of the 2018-19 average in December 2020. 

The traditional measure of ‘participation’ – capturing attendance at an NHS dentist in the past 2 years – has less meaning in the context of COVID, as the full impact of the pandemic has yet to filter through.

Those in more deprived communities have traditionally experienced lower levels of participation. This data shows that in 2020, children and adults from the most deprived areas were less likely to have seen their dentist within the last two years than those from the least deprived areas (73.5% compared to 85.7% of children and 55.9% compared to 67.1% of adults). These inequalities in access between the most and least deprived areas have grown since 2019, particularly in children.

The BDA has warned lower levels of participation will inevitably translate into a higher disease burden. Early signs of decay and oral cancers are picked up at routine check-ups, and delays will mean both higher costs to the NHS and worse outcomes for patients. 

Dental care in Scotland is now facing crises on many fronts, with deep oral health inequalities expected to widen even further, given the cumulative impact of limited access to services, the suspension of public health programmes, and the impact of lockdown diets.  The pioneering Childsmile programme has not fully resumed, with many key elements, such as supervised brushing, delivered via schools and nurseries. 

Recent announcements by Scottish dental schools that many final year students will not graduate in 2021 and will also not be in a position to take on new undergraduates, are likely to have wide-ranging effects on the NHS workforce for years to come.   

While both the Welsh and Northern Irish governments have set aside ring-fenced investment to improve practice ventilation – and thereby increase patient numbers while meeting tight COVID restrictions – no commitments have yet been made by the Scottish Government and the BDA await clear guidance for practices.  

Robert Donald, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Council said: “These numbers underline the scale of the challenge ahead. Millions have missed out on dentistry. Problems that could have been caught early, from decay to oral cancer, have been missed.  

“Scotland’s huge oral health inequalities cannot be allowed to widen. Every party heading into May’s election now has a responsibility to set out how they will ensure families across Scotland can get the care they need.”  

Dentists: Patient expectations need managing as ‘full service’ resumes in Scotland

The British Dental Association Scotland has warned that the reintroduction of the ‘full range’ of NHS treatments from Sunday 1 November will not signal a return to routine care, as a new poll reveals the limited capacity in the service. 

According to new data from practices across Scotland: 

  • Two-thirds (66%) are operating at less than a quarter of their pre-COVID capacity, with social distancing and new operating procedures leaving them capable of seeing a fraction of their former patient numbers. 
  • 80% report less focus on routine NHS dentistry, with 53% report more focus on urgent cases, with 63% stating less focus on cosmetic dentistry.   
  • The greatest levels of concern with the Scottish Government’s performance has been on managing patient expectations, where 84% of practices expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s record.  This compares to 43% dissatisfied with access to PPE, 58% on financial support. 82% were dissatisfied with the government’s overall performance during the pandemic in relation to the service.  

The BDA has welcomed positive signals that the Scottish Government is developing communications to provide a needed ‘reality-check’ to patients.  It has said clear and consistent messages from government and all NHS Boards are now essential to reduce patient frustration and prevent practices and their staff from being overwhelmed.  

Dentist leaders have stressed that the pandemic has caused a huge backlog in unmet treatment built up over lockdown, and will require continued priority to be given to urgent cases, those midway through courses of treatment, and high-risk patients who have not been seen for several years.  

While the BDA has recognised growing anxiety about an increasingly ‘two-tier’ system in Scotland it has questioned the timing of reintroduction of a full range of NHS dental services when COVID transmission rates are increasing significantly, and a huge swathe of the country is already facing Level 3-type restrictions. 



David McColl, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee said: “November will not mark a return to ‘normal’ dental services in Scotland.

“Since the return to a ‘full range’ of services was announced the phones at many practices have been ringing off the hook. Dentists may be able to offer a wider range of treatment but now face demand that simply cannot be met.

“The Scottish Government is making the right noises, but we need every Health Board onside to prevent practices from being overwhelmed. Dentistry remains a skeleton service and urgent and high-risk cases need to be at the front of the queue. 

“It is paramount that officials communicate this message effectively to the public. It now takes a nurse 42 minutes to thoroughly deep clean a surgery following a procedure. Rules designed to keep the public and staff safe mean dentists that once saw twenty patients a day are now capable of seeing just five.”

Looking for an NHS dentist in Edinburgh?

The following dental practices are currently accepting new NHS patients: 

9 Dean Bank Street, Stockbridge                               EH3 5BS         0131 332 5510

4 Inverleith Gardens, Inverleith                                  EH3 5PU        0131 552 4024

4 Howard Place, Canon Mills                                     EH3 5JZ          0131 556 7232

4 Great Stuart Street, West End                                 EH3 6AW       0131 225 3911

264 Morrison Street, Haymarket                                EH3 8DT        0131 229 6633

212 Morrison Street, Haymarket                                EH3 8EA        0131 229 7899

42 Earl Grey Street, Tollcross                                     EH3 9BN        0131 221 9535

1D Pennywell Gardens, Muirhouse                            EH4 4UA        0131 315 2666

3 Quality St, Davidson’s Mains                                  EH4 5BP         0131 336 1785

32 Duart Crescent, Clermiston                                   EH4 7JP          0131 339 7446

65 Ferry Road, Leith                                                  EH6 4AQ        0131 554 1791

163 Great Junction Street, Leith                                 EH6 5LG        0131 554 8589

116 Ocean Drive, Leith                                              EH6 6JG         0131 208 2222

120 Ocean Drive, Leith                                              EH6 6JG         0131 555 0376

80/1B Commercial Quay                                            EH6 6LX        0131 553 5959

57 Constitution Street Leith                                       EH6 7AF        0131 555 2020

6 East Hermitage Place, Leith                                                EH6 8AA        0131 554 5028

1 Bellevue Place, Newtown                                        EH7 4BS         0131 556 3240

15 Earlston Place, Meadowbank                                EH7 5SU        0131 659 5670

Boroughloch Med. Cent, 1 Meadow Place                EH9 1JZ          0131 656 4525

59 Ratcliffe Terrace, Newington                                EH9 1ST         0131 667 4433

39 Mayfield Gardens, Newington                              EH9 2BX        0131 668 1521

125 Mayfield Road, Newington                                 EH9 3AJ         0131 667 5656

147 Bruntsfield Place                                                 EH10 4EB      0131 229 7999

1 Millar Crescent, Morningside                                  EH10 5HN      0131 447 0606

27 Comiston Road, Morningside                                EH10 6AA      0131 447 2722

3C Washington Lane, Dalry                                       EH11 2HA      0131 337 8272

14 Ardmillan Terrace, Gorgie                                     EH11 2JW      0131 337 2771

296 Gorgie Road, Gorgie                                           EH11 2PP       0131 337 3936

176 St. John’s Road, Corstorphine                             EH12 8BE      0131 334 2704

9 Bughtlin market, East Craigs                                   EH12 8XP      0131 339 2992

302 Oxgangs Road North                                           EH13 9ND      0131 441 3231

132 Colinton Road, Colinton                                     EH14 1BY      0131 443 4050

1 Hailsland Gardens, Wester Hailes                           EH14 2QN      0131 453 1151

Westside Plaza, Wester Hailes                                    EH14 2SW      0131 442 4084

38 Balerno High Street                                               EH14 7EH      0131 449 5545

274 Portobello High Street                                         EH15 2AT      0131 669 1193

216 Portobello High Street                                         EH15 2AU      0131 669 2995

310 Portobello High Street                                         EH15 2DA      0131 669 3333

23 Duddingston Park South                                       EH15 3NY      0131 669 9977

198 Peffermill Road, Craigmillar                                EH16 4DT      0131 661 3424

1 Parkside Terrace, Newington                                   EH16 5BN      0131 667 0500

173 Dalkeith Road, Newington                                  EH16 5BY      0844 387 8333

1 Bellstane, South Queensferry                                  EH30 3PU      0131 319 1879

Information correct on 1 December 2012