Within the wake of COVID-19, new social distancing measures and tighter cross an infection controls have created many challenges for dental professionals.

As recommendation and suggestions for DCPs continues to evolve concerning fallow durations, therapies and affected person capability, there’s now extra emphasis on growing relationships with sufferers outdoors of the dental apply setting.

For many, this implies finishing up distant consultations.

Distant consultations and digital appointments have gotten more and more widespread as a method to triage and assess sufferers. This presents a chance for dentistry to observe of their footsteps and undertake a brand new manner of working. ¹

The 2 most typical methods to carry out these are by phone and video convention.

When distant consultations are appropriate

The place face-to-face appointments aren’t a possible possibility, distant consultations generally is a well timed and wise answer.

For distant consultations to be a sensible different, you must be assured you can sufficiently assess the affected person each precisely and successfully. If this isn’t the case, then sufferers ought to be suggested about find out how to search essentially the most respect dental care for his or her state of affairs, based mostly upon native authorities pointers. ¹

It’s best to make a remark within the affected person’s medical information that you’ve assessed their suitability for distant session. ¹

In the course of the distant session itself, it will be significant that each the dentist and affected person can reliably establish each other. It’s endorsed that you just additionally make clear for the affected person why an appointment in individual has not been doable. ¹

When coping with emergency, sufferers ought to be inspired to hunt face-to-face help, based mostly upon their native authorities pointers. ¹

We might additionally counsel that sufferers recognized as being at elevated caries threat ought to be booked in an appointment on the apply as quickly as doable.

New sufferers

Distant consultations are extra advisable for present sufferers the place you’ve entry to their present dental information. Nonetheless, there could also be distinctive circumstances to this.

Distant session with new sufferers ought to solely be undertaken if you happen to can acquire enough medical and medical data. That is important in case you are to evaluate the affected person and supply distant recommendation.

If you happen to can not suitably assess the affected person, you’ll be able to both e book them into an appointment at your apply or information them to close by remedy centres, relying on native authorities pointers.

Distant session/evaluation with follow-up prescription

Prescriptions might be issued to sufferers who’ve a distant evaluation by the dentist. These might be made if:

• It’s clinically justified and in accordance with native laws.

• It’s the most acceptable remedy possibility.

• You’re glad that you’ve full details about the affected person’s medical historical past.

• You could have been in a position to absolutely assess the affected person’s dental drawback and wishes. It is crucial that you just present proof for this within the affected person’s dental information.

• The affected person is on a repeat prescription and requires on-going prevention/remedy with excessive fluoride toothpaste.

All prescriptions made following distant consultations ought to be collected on the dental apply.

---

Sources

1. Basic Dental Council (2020) ‘Excessive degree rules for good apply in distant consultations and prescribing’ on-line at https://www.gdc-uk.org/docs/default-source/guidance-documents/high-level-principles-remote-consultations-and-prescribing.pdf, accessed October 2020.