Dentists and their teams confirmed as essential workers in England

The chief dental officer for England, Sara Hurley, has received confirmation from the Department of Health and Social Care that the dental workforce actively engaged in supporting the NHS and maintaining dental care provision is included within the definition of essential workers.

This means dentists and their teams in England can receive prioritised covid testing, a confirmation that the BDA been calling for.

As confirmed by Sara Hurley on Monday, dental practices should remain open to treat patients during the period of tightened Covid-19 restrictions that start from midnight tonight.

The current standard operating procedure and the recently updated national infection prevention control dental appendix will continue to apply after the new restrictions are introduced from tomorrow.