Denscreen

With regard to antibody testing mentioned in the previous update, I am pleased to announce that we have teamed up with a newly formed group called Denscreen. More information and how their system works can be found at: https://denscreen.co.uk/about-denscreen

Denscreen are a partnership formed between leading dental and infectious disease experts. Primarily, they provide screening services which aim to tackle and minimise the risk of Coronavirus in the dental workplace. This is achieved by providing training for the staff here at Cornerways, a triage system for patients before they come in to the practice and then qualify that triage with an antibody test.

I have completed the Level 3 Denscreen training program and would like the rest of my team to complete the relevant level of training appropriate to their roles in the practice.

In the last few weeks, we have been telephoning our patients to assess their Covid-19 status before they come in for their appointments. Now with the Advance Triage Assistant (ATA) we can assess and categorise our patients by current infection status before they step in to the practice. We can now send a bespoke link to our patients pre appointment so that we can defer high risk patients and accept the medium and low risk patients for further assessment. Once completed, your answers are sent back to us and are stored in your patient record. The ATA scores the patient’s vulnerability and their dental need so that our clinical team are able to make highly informed risk decisions, remotely.

The antibody test forms the third leg of the Denscreen system. This qualifies the triage results by letting us know who has previously been infected by the virus. This information allows us to make far better informed decisions as to how best to handle a patient’s treatment. There are many other advantages to knowing your Covid-19 antibody status which can affect future lifestyle decisions affecting you and those close to you. We are hoping to be able to offer antibody testing by mid July. We estimate the cost of the test will be approximately £65.00. If you are interested in the antibody test, please indicate your interest in the ATA. Please note, antibody testing is a voluntary option and does not affect your current status here at Cornerways.

Aidan Curtis

Aiden Curtis has been a general dental practitioner in Findon Valley for several years. During lockdown, he made the sad decision not to continue his practice and take early retirement. He asked me if I would take over his patient’s dental care and I have accepted. We’d like to extend these patients a very warm welcome and assure them of the very best dental care with dignity and respect. We wish Aidan the very best for a restful and healthy retirement.

Extended hours:

In order to try catch up with our lockdown backlog, we have decided to open the practice from 8:00 am on certain days for the forseeable future or at least until we have eliminated the backlog. Hopefully we should be up to date within a few weeks.

In the meantime take very good care of yourselves. Stay safe, we’re not out of the woods just yet.

Regards,

Brian Hong

Coronavirus update

Breaking news this week is that the UK’s coronavirus alert level has been moved from level 4 to level 3. This means that transmission of the virus is no longer judged to be “high or exponentially rising”. This opens the door for physical distancing measures to be cut and a speedier return to life as we knew it. Mention has also been made of bars and restaurants re-opening early in July.

We have now completed our second week back at work after lockdown and apart from a few small hiccups, everything ran very smoothly. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have attended these last 2 weeks for being so patient, understanding and compliant with our new operating procedures. You have made our working environment here so much easier. Many thanks!

We were all fit tested for our new respirators on Saturday 20 June. This involved thoroughly checking that our respirators fit us properly and that our safety is ensured. In the surgeries now, we will look like a cross between Darth Vader and the Minions!

There has been much written, debated and argued about the threat of the so-called aerosols we produce during our routine dental procedures. The science tells us that provided we wear all the appropriate PPE, the threat to us is minimal. The threat to our patients is probably less. However, this does not mean that we will sit idly by with our fingers crossed, hoping for the best. We will be taking delivery of two air purifying units on Monday 22 June, one for each surgery. According to the manufacturers, these units are able to filter out particles in the air down to 0.0146 micron in size. The coronavirus is about 0.1 micron in size. Theoretically then, these units will be able to remove all potentially harmful particles from the air in our two surgeries. In addition, we will allow for some so-called fallow time between patients, so that if any hazardous particles are floating about in the air, there is enough time for them to settle on to a surface and then be simply wiped away with a detergent. In addition to this, all windows and in both surgeries will be left open during this fallow time to allow for maximum air exchange. By so doing, we are minimizing the risk of cross infection within the surgeries.

With the above in place, we will be ready to commence routine dental work probably by the first week of July. This will include Guided Biofilm Therapy which as you know is the new improved method to clean your teeth.

Patient Portal

Last week we installed a new piece of software which will allow patients to complete forms such as patient details, medical history, oral health survey and contact consent via their internet connected devices through their Patient Portal. You will receive an e mail or text from us asking you to fill out your forms. There is a small video clip enclosed in this

e mail showing you how to use the Portal. To access the Pateint Portal, click or tap on “Fill out your forms” then simply enter your surname and date of birth. Then please complete or update your forms as comrehensively as possible. In future, the Covid-19 questionnaire and treatment plans could be added too to further enhance this service.

Antibody Testing

We are investigating the possibility of implementing coronavirus antibody testing here at Cornerways. This test will provide results within 15-20 minutes and will provide information as to whether patients have or have not been previously been infected with the virus. Many people have reported that they think they were affected and report all the pathognomonic symptoms. A positive result would imply a possible future immunity allowing these individuals to make better informed decisions as to how their lives can be managed. Such individuals could also donate plasma which has been shown to help those patients currently fighting the disease. For us, knowing your antibody status may even help us to better manage your treatment protocols. This antibody test is purely elective and will not be a requirement for patients to receive treatment at this practice. Watch this space!

In the meantime, take advantage of the new relaxed measures but remember to stay aware! We’re all in this together, we will get through this!

Stay safe.

Regards,

Brian Hong

Initiated by our Oral Health Educator, Linda Cooper, Cornerways Dental Practice will begin a topical fluoride application program in the half term week 15-19 February 2016.

In accordance with Public Health England’s document “Delivering better oral health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention“, all children and adults at risk from dental decay should have topical fluoride applied to their teeth at least twice per year.

Fluoride acts to prevent dental decay by strengthening tooth enamel as well as discouraging dental plaque (the prime cause of decay) from adhering to the tooth surface.

This program was born out of Linda’s regular visits into the community, particularly to schools, to spread the word about good dental habits, including oral hygiene instruction and dietary advice. Now we have the capability to apply a prevention program in house for all children and those adults at greater risk of developing tooth decay.

For more information please call 01903 782530.