Phased return to dental services during the delay phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

A high number of patients in primary and secondary care had their dental treatments cancelled following the suspension of all primary care routine dental services in late March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article outlines a protocol which can be used to classify patients according to their clinical needs and their COVID-19 risk to prioritise appointments appropriately during the delay phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients should be classified into low or high clinical risk, and low or high COVID-19 risk. Both scores are entered into a matrix which gives a score that can be used to prioritise their needs. From the scores, it is possible to determine which treatments can be delayed, which patients need virtual consultations, and which patients need to be seen urgently. The scoring system can be used in primary and secondary care, across all dental specialties, and allows efficient allocation of resources, ensuring that patients with urgent clinical needs are prioritised accordingly. Classifying patient risk using a priority scoring system will allow for appropriate workforce distribution and allocation of dental appointments.