Two in five dentists now fearful of investigations arising from Covid-19 disruption

Dental Protection has called on the General Dental Council (GDC) and the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) to do more as fear of investigations arising from Covid-19 and disruption to care is becoming a growing concern for dentists’ mental wellbeing.

In a Dental Protection survey of nearly 500 UK dentists, conducted during October, two in five dentists (40 per cent) said fear of investigations arising from difficult decisions made during Covid-19, or disruption to care, was having most impact on their mental wellbeing. This is up from 33 per cent from the May 2020 survey.

This follows reports that 19m fewer dental treatments – which includes check-ups and appointments for emergency treatment – were offered in England between March and October 2020, compared to the same period in 2019. 

Dental Protection is calling on the GDC to consider guidance for its staff detailing how to take the context created by Covid-19 into account when considering complaints about dentists, similar to that issued by the GMC in September. It is also calling on the PSA, which oversees the work of all professional regulators of healthcare in the UK, to consider more detailed guidance on when an investigation would be conducted or not.