Scotland has also released its вЂback to workвЂ™ plans, with CDO Tom Ferris taking a three-phase approach. She adds: вЂThis is a time for the dental community to come together and collectively care for the populationвЂ™s oral health needs in this exceptional context.вЂ™ вЂEffectively, the UDAs will become a Unit of Dental Assessment (UDAS) and will link directly to individual patients вЂ“ the number of unique patients in a practice population.вЂ™

The letter from CDO Colette Bridgman states: вЂMonitoring вЂcure-basedвЂ™ activity rather than needs-based care would not be appropriate for the de-escalation phase, given its focus on courses of treatment and AGP treatment delivery. The Welsh Government will also shift away from the Units of Dental Activity (UDA) targets during this time.

Their pay will be protected at previous levels to reflect their NHS work. All staff who deliver NHS care will be retained.All NHS patients in the вЂpractice populationвЂ™ will receive an Assessment of Clinical Oral Risk and Need (ACORN) before 31 March 2021.Urgent and non-urgent AGPs will be referred to UDCs or designated dental practices for treatment.Patients to receive any necessary non-AGPs.Practices and staff to observe the COVID-19 SOPs.All practices with NHS contracts being open for more than remote telephone contact from July 1.This support will be given in return for the following: However, the additional cost of PPE means it has been brought up from the current level of 80%. This is to reflect the reduced material and laboratory expenses. Financial supportДЇrom 1 July to 30 September 2020, practices with NHS contracts will be handed 90% of their annual contract value (ACV). However, patients with symptoms of COVID-19 will still be treated in UDCs for both AGPs and non-AGPs.ДЄdditionally, all non-urgent routine care for those displaying signs of the virus should be delayed. In this phase, dental practices will continue to carry out urgent non-AGP treatments and limited routine care for patients with no symptoms of coronavirus.ДЄs above, patients with COVID-19 symptoms and all patients who require AGPs will be referred to UDCs.ДЇinally, the вЂgreenвЂ™ de-escalation phase will see the return of all routine dental care in practices.

This includes restorative procedures and those involving 3 in 1s.ДЄll non-urgent routine dental care using the following should be delayed for patients with or without COVID-19 symptoms: Patients with COVID-19 symptoms and all patients who require AGPs will continue to attend UDCs. They will only provide necessary treatment with low risk of aerosol generation, such as dental examination, radiographs and simple extractions. High AmberДЄs lockdown begins to ease, this is the first part of the de-escalation plan and is set to be rolled out from July 2020.Дental practices will be able to see patients face-to-face but only those displaying no symptoms of COVID-19. Only emergency and urgent dental care should be delivered, with dental practices open for telephone contact and assessment. However, de-escalation decisions will be based on emerging evidence вЂ“ with local variation a possible requirement.Д¬riteria for the delivery of dental care in general dental practice include a low risk of transmission, safe systems of work to include PPE, and risk-based procedures. In the transition plan, the profession will see a gradual reintroduction of non-AGPs and limited routine care вЂ“ with UDCs continuing to play a key role in the delivery of treatment.ДЇrom 23 March to, more than 68,000 dental-related calls were taken in Wales, resulting in more than 15,000 prescriptions and 750 referrals to UDCs.ДЄccording to the de-escalation framework, it currently suggests routine assessment and care will be completely reintroduced in January 2021. The Welsh Government released guidance for a phased return to practice, including вЂde-escalation SOPsвЂ™, in a bid to restart primary care services.

The CDO for Wales, Colette Bridgman, has published plans to get dentistry back up and running over the next 12 months as lockdown begins to ease. Routine dental care in Wales to resume in 2021, new plans suggest

Open dental treatment plan