This is the key message from the British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT) in its submission to the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee which has initiated an inquiry into dentistry services.
The inquiry asks a number of questions including how access to NHS dentistry could be improved. Our clear and unequivocal answer is that if dental therapists were able to open a course of NHS dental treatment we could help a greater number of patients.
Currently, the General Dental Council allows patients to have ‘direct access’ to a therapist or hygienist without seeing a dentist but NHS regulations do not allow us to open a course of treatment. So, a dental therapist can provide diagnosis and treatment to private patients for the most common dental conditions but NHS patients must always see a dentist first.
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