Sara Hurley, chief dental officer England, has recently provided a new NHS dentistry and oral health update, where there has been a minor change to IPC guidance.
In the statement, she says, “Post AGP downtime (fallow time) is not considered necessary for successive appointments between members of the same household.”
She elaborates, “To minimise aerosol spread dentists should use mitigating measures such as high-volume suction/ rubber dam; cleaning and disinfection of the environment should be carried out between patients of the same household; high risk patients should be separated by space or time from other patients.”
Sara also adds, “In the last couple of bulletins we have asked practices to update your NHS profiles as a matter of priority. Accurate information on the NHS website is very important for patients. Thank you to those of you who have done so. If you haven’t yet, please amended your web pages.” An NHS visual guide I on how to do so is available here: https://i.emlfiles4.com/cmpdoc/7/5/4/4/6/1/files/62174_57041_how-to-edit-practice-profiles-on-nhs.uk---a-visual-guide.pdf
Sara concludes the update by adding, “I appreciate the on-going commitment to meeting patient needs but I hope that you may also find time to enjoy the summer, relax with family and meet up with friends following the easing of restrictions.”