“TOO much, too soon would see us putting our patients and the profession at risk.”
The words of wisdom come from Dr. Claire Stevens, a Clinical Advisor to Dr. Sara Hurley, Chief Dental Officer for England.
She recently spoke with dentistry.co.uk, the website of Dentistry, the highest circulating dental publication in the United Kingdom. We quote below her very informed observations on how dentistry would start up in the new normal.
“What we do know is that this is not ‘getting back to normal’,” says Dr. Stevens who has been tasked with leading the recovery plan for pediatric dentistry in the UK. “Things might not look ‘normal’ for some time – maybe as long as two to three years, depending on the speed of developing a safe vaccine.”
There will be new challenges and pressures “when it comes to getting children into the chair,” says Dr. Stevens who is also the spokesperson for the British Society of Pediatric Dentistry.
Parents, for instance, may hesitate at first to bring their children to dental clinics in the early days.
“This is understandable,” Dr. Stevens explains.
“We have spent weeks telling them to ‘stay safe, stay home’ so any change to this message requires explanation. In the first few weeks it is likely that practices will provide urgent dental care to their own patients. Many of these parents will be incredibly grateful to see their child relieved of pain.”
Once routine appointments are established, parents need to be assured that dental clinics are making provisions for safe oral healthcare. Dr. Stevens says.
“New ways of working will be explored to minimize footfall into our practices and hospitals. Some of our care can be provided remotely – for our vulnerable patients ‘checking in’ is as important as doing a ‘check-up’.
“We will also need to think about how we deliver our services – staggering our working hours will allow us to spread patient care throughout the day, minimizing numbers of patients in clinic at any time and avoiding rush hour commutes.”
As for adults, social distancing will be required for children as well in waiting rooms of the foreseeable future. Only one adult, for example, will accompany a child or young person, in line with the recommendations of the UK’s National Health Service.
“For our anxious patients, we will need to invest in additional time to prepare them for their appointment,” Dr. Stevens says. “Establishing a rapport prior to attendance will reduce anxiety and minimize time spent in the dental setting.”
Dr. Stevens warns that “if we get this wrong, the impact on children’s oral health could be catastrophic. Already long waiting times for operations could spiral out of control and a stretched workforce would face inevitable burnout.”
We dwell on the issues facing dentists these days because they remain relevant to patients and the profession as lockdowns are lifted across the country.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim is the former Associate Dean of the UE College of Dentistry, former Dean of the College of Dentistry, National University, past president and honorary fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy, and honorary fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists. Honorary Life Member of Thai Association of Dental Implantology. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-859151./PN
