Due to standard Aerosol Generating Procedures (AGP), the dental profession is among the most vulnerable of all healthcare groups.
As UDCs go live in England, dental teams have been uncertain how to establish what is best practice in both the triage and treatment of patients.
Now a group of dental professionals working in all sectors of dentistry have combined their skills and knowledge to create the training, available on the ProDentalCPD platform.
Chair of North Yorkshire & Humber Local Dental Network, Simon Hearnshaw, explained how the training modules evolved: 'Dental teams need to be aware of protocols that are crucial in providing necessary urgent care that is safe for teams and their patients. It was a matter of thinking outside the box and for the dental profession to provide its own solution to the challenges that lay ahead. We are all in this together, but it was a race against time.'
He contacted Rob Dyas, a Yorkshire-based oral surgeon and founder of ProDentalCPD, which is the training provider.
Rob said: 'We have set up a series of live webinars to support our colleagues. This is a living course which will need to change as regulations and guidance changes. We have never been here before. What is best practice today may not be best practice in a few weeks. And Standard Operating Procedures could vary around the country. So this is going to be a training that continues to evolve.'
Dr Dyas explained that LDCs had been making contributions of £150 towards production costs. 'To get this training package out as widely as quickly as possible to support dental teams, we are making it available free of charge at point of access, but are asking all LDCs, dental organisations and dental corporates to make a small voluntary contribution. All proceeds above basic production costs will be donated to NHS charities.'
For details on how LDCs and dental organisations can get COVID-19 and UDC course with premium features for free at point of access for their dental teams, contact robert@prodentalcpd.com.