Independent dentists are calling for a centralised emergency service during the coronavirus outbreak, warning that any dentist working with patients at the moment needs to be properly protected.
The Department of Health's Chief Dental Officer says that there is no evidence to justify denying members of the public dental care as long as they're not symptomatic.
However, hundreds of dentists have signed an open letter calling for practices to be shut while the outbreak is ongoing.
Dr Karl Cassidy of Shelbourne Dental Practice in Dublin spoke to The Pat Kenny Show this morning about the situation.
He explained: “The chief dental officer advice has been for well over a week at this stage… that there’s no current evidence to justify denial of dental care to members of the public who have neither fever nor respiratory symptoms - so effectively as long as someone isn’t symptomatic, you’re perfectly OK to work away.
“There’s a couple of problems with that."
Dr Cassidy pointed to an "increasing body" of evidence to suggest people are infectious while asymptomatic.
However, he also noted that the big problem is that a majority of dental procedures involve generating an aerosol or spray.
He explained: "That’s effectively blowing the viruses all over the place.
“Within the HSE, they have their own person in charge… and their policy is quite different.
"Their policy for well over a week has effectively said to defer all non-urgent treatment and to minimise aerosol generation - in other words to avoid procedures such as cleaning your teeth or fillings."
“We have one group of dentists - the dentists who work for the HSE dental services - operating under a much stricter and much more sensible protocol, than the protocol the chief dental officer is telling independent dentists."
He said the situation is “completely at odds” with international policy, with many countries restricting or shutting down dental operations.
Dr Cassidy stressed that the last thing dentists want are any patients going into the hospital system, because healthcare workers in hospitals "are about to face into a warzone".
He said: “We absolutely want to do our part, and keep patients away from our health system… But what we really need [...] is to have centralised emergency services with high-end personal protective equipment.
“I can tell you right now, my colleagues - and many of them have said this openly - are willing to work within such a system… but we need to be properly protected.
“Giving that equipment to every dental practice in the country makes no sense, because it’s very scarce and valuable - so we have to make maximum efficient use out of it.
“I’m in an unusual position of effectively asking someone to put us all out of business temporarily… but the public safety has to come first."
