Appendix to the NHS Dentistry Topic Group Scoping Document
Glossary of Terms
The following note outlines some of the key terms used in the scoping document. Further useful information can be found in the NHS leaflet ‘NHS Dentistry in England: Information for patients’, including what patients can expect from their dentist and how to make a complaint.
Domiciliary
General dental services provided at the patient’s usual place of residence.
NHS Dental Charges
A new banded system of patient charges was introduced in April 2006 to replace the fee for item service system. The patient pays one of three charges depending on the type of treatment they receive:
Band 1(£16.20) covers an examination, diagnosis (e.g. x-rays), advice on how to prevent future problems, and a scale and polish if needed.
Band 2 (£44.60) covers everything listed in Band 1 above, plus any further treatment such as fillings, root canal work or if your dentist needs to take out one or more of your teeth.
Band 3 (£198.00) covers everything listed in Bands 1 and 2 above, plus crowns, dentures or bridges.
The patient pays the charge for the highest band that applies to their course of treatment. Only one charge applies to each course of treatment.
For information on qualifying for free dental treatment, please see the leaflet ‘NHS Dentistry in England: Information for patients’.
Orthodontics
The branch of dentistry concerned with the growth and development of the teeth and jaws and their corrective treatment (braces).
PCT Dental Service
The Hertfordshire PCT Dental Service arranges dental care for people who are unable to obtain dental treatment from a family dentist.
This normally includes:
- Anyone who needs special dental care because they have a physical disability, a medical condition, a learning disability or mental health problems that makes it difficult for them to attend a family dentist
- Children with severe dental problems, or those who find it difficult to accept treatment
As well as providing dental care, the Hertfordshire Dental Service will:
- Advise people on how to find a family dentist
- Identify the needs of different groups of people with special dental needs including those of their carers where necessary
- Monitor levels of dental disease in school children and in other groups such as people living in residential homes
- Organise small clinical research projects in order to target and improve the service
Sedation
The procedure of relaxing patients with the use of drugs without inducing complete loss of consciousness. Verbal contact with the patient is maintained and local anaesthesia is usually administered in addition.
Urgent, out-of-hours and emergency treatment
For urgent treatment, patients are advised to contact their PCT during office hours, or during out of office hours they can go to (and follow the search details given on page 3 under How to find an NHS Dentist) or call NHS Direct.
Current Service (due to change effective from 1st September 2008)
A dentist is on call in each of the four quadrants (East, North, North West and South West) on Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays, 0930 – 1230 pm. Calls are streamed, prioritised and passed directly to the duty dentist in the appropriate quadrant by NHS Direct during these times. Patients access the service via a dedicated phone line, 0845 603 1409.
NHS Direct provide first contact with call streaming and nurse assessment when there is no dentist available on call, at the following times:
Monday – Friday, 1700 to 0900
Saturday 1230 pm – Sunday 0930
Sunday 1230 pm – Monday 0900
The out of hour’s rota is coordinated by the Practitioner Services Unit.
If a patient needs urgent treatment within 24-48 hours from Sunday 1230 – Friday 0900, they will be advised to contact the Practitioner Services Unit who will direct them to access slots or local dental practitioners as appropriate. These options are only available during in-hours, Monday to Friday.
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