The chief dental officer has said that dental practices will be allowed to reopen on the 8 June in England.
Sara Hurley said in a letter to all practices in England that face to face care can now resume and practices will decide when to reopen and manage risks by wearing personal protective equipment.
In the joint letter with Matt Neligan, NHS England director of primary care and system transformation, the chief dental officer wrote: “We support the full resumption of routine dental care, in a way that is safe, operationally deliverable and allows dental practices flexibility to do what is best for patients and their teams.”
The British Dental Association (BDA) chair Mick Armstrong said, “A return of high street dentistry we will be welcome news to millions of patients left with few options during lockdown, but key questions remain.
“It is right to allow practices to decide themselves when they are ready to open.
“Dentists will be keen to start providing care as soon as safely possible, but we will need everyone to be patient as practices get up and running.
“Dentist can open their doors but won’t be able to provide a full range of care without the necessary kit.
“Longer term, practices can only stay afloat with ongoing support, while social distancing continues and the costs of providing care are sky-high.
“Opening the floodgates risks raising false expectations, unless Government is willing to step up and help.”
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