Dental Infection Prevention & Control clarification
22 June 2022
Following the UK Health Security Agency’s withdrawal of its guidance on Infection Prevention and Control for seasonal respiratory infections in health and care settings (including SARS-CoV-2) for winter 2021 to 2022, the BDA has issued a clarification on the implications for dental care settings in England.
The BDA update confirms that practices must make their own decisions about how and when patients are treated and what PPE might be required, following the completion of a risk assessment.
Key points include:
- Facemasks are no longer mandatory – patients with respiratory symptoms who are required to attend for emergency treatment should wear a facemask/covering. All other patients are not required to wear a facemask. Health staff are not required to wear a facemask in non-clinical areas.
- COVID screening questions are no longer required – routine, pre-attendance screening is no longer an expectation.
- Risk assessments should be completed, though it is not mandatory to follow the Dental Framework template.
