Dental practices in England will be permitted to reopen in June, provided that they have the relevant safety measures in place, it has been confirmed.
In a letter sent out to all practices in England, the chief dental officer encouraged clinic owners to prepare to open on the 8th June. The advice relates to practices in England only, with different arrangements in place in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In the letter, Dr Hurley stated that practices could reopen and resume face-to-face care, provided they had the relevant PPE and infection control procedures in place.
The vast majority of surgeries have been closed for several weeks, with urgent dental hubs providing emergency care for patients. Routine services have not been available since the end of March, and practice owners have been growing concerned that clinics and practices could go bust if they are not allowed to open imminently.
News of the reopening has been welcomed by the British Dental Association, but chair Mick Armstrong insisted that patients and dental professionals will have to adapt to a different way of operating in the coming months. Everyone will need to be patient as dentists adjust to new measures and get back into the swing of seeing patients in the surgery setting. There is also a question over the availability of PPE, which has been a battle throughout the Covid-19 outbreak, due to unprecedented global demand.
Until practices reopen, patients who need assistance or urgent treatment are advised to call their regular dentist or contact 111.
