Key points
How the COVID-19 pandemic affected dental hygienists and dental therapists.
How the professions adapted during the pandemic to deliver dental care.
What was learnt from the experience.
Diane Rochford qualified as a dental hygienist in March 1996. She works clinically in private practice and is currently serving as BSDHT President.
Fiona Sandom qualified as a dental hygienist in 1993 and a dental therapist in 1999. She works clinically in an NHS practice, in Health Education and Improvement Wales as a Lead Dental Educator, and at Bangor University as a Subject Specialist at the All Wales Faculty for Dental Care Professionals. She is the current Chair for BADT.
Debbie Hemington qualified as a dental therapist in 1983 and a dental hygienist in 1987. She works clinically in a mixed practice in Kent and as a tutor at the Eastman Dental Hospital Education Centre in London. She is currently serving as President of BADT having completed four years as Chair.
Miranda Steeples qualified as a dental hygienist and dental therapist in 2009 and works in general dental practice. She is the current President Elect of the BSDHT.
What did COVID-19 mean to us?
For the majority, it meant stop working, no clinics, no patients, no income. For some, they were re-deployed to other healthcare sectors, and others in non-clinical roles had to adapt to working from home and the rapid move to online communication.
It meant that instead of working in our familiar team environments, suddenly, we were at home, alone and uncertain of the future.
As organisations, the British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT) and British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT) worked quickly to support members, answering their many questions throughout each phase such as the stay-at-home message, assisting members with advice on the furlough schemes and receiving appropriate NHS payments and those claiming self-employed grants. Preparing for the return to work posed many questions following published guidance by all four nations (which was often lengthy, confusing and open to interpretation), which created challenges for many practice owners and their teams. Online education was key throughout. Webinars along with more informal online social interaction provided balance and a feeling of belonging for many.
How did it impact on what we delivered?
The increased PPE, fallow time and limited treatment options in the early days of resuming dental services meant that prevention, normal communication with our patients and usual team working were restricted. Securing the correct PPE proved difficult in some clinical settings and areas of the country causing anxiety for members, with many feeling vulnerable and unable to deliver appropriate dental care in a safe environment.
We started to think of different ways to communicate with patients using the available technology to review medical histories and carry out pre-appointment triage, with some dental hygienists and dental therapists choosing to deliver patients' oral health advice online or over the telephone.
Some started to look at different career opportunities both within and outside of dentistry; many nearing the end of their careers decided to retire, whilst others created a blended approach by working from home, in the clinical setting and in an office environment.
Where are we now?
As dental service begins the long road to recovery, we are back in our surgeries and our other varied workplace settings, commuting again and delivering appropriate treatment and preventive interventions. For those working in the NHS in Wales, there is a new system of dental remuneration to work out. All four nations are struggling with the dental workforce issues and dental schools and recent graduates are making up for the lost time and experience.
However, it is not only the profession that has changed but also our patients, and now more than ever, it is evident that oral health inequalities are present in our society. 'New' patients that we see and those who have not had access to care for some time are attending with more dental disease than before, although our pre-pandemic regular attenders (those with the lowest risk) seem to have fared a lot better.
Where will we end up?
'Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want' and that is true. While no-one wanted or needed the pandemic, we have gained from the experience; we have adapted, read and digested information, learnt new ways of working, overcome obstacles and implemented processes and procedures, so that we can now continue to work safely and effectively for our patients, ourselves and our teams.