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  • Title: Out-of-hours dental services: a survey of current provision in the United Kingdom.
    Author: Anderson R, Thomas DW.
    Journal: Br Dent J; 2000 Mar 11; 188(5):269-74. PubMed ID: 10758690.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVE: To describe the variety of arrangements for providing out-of-hours dental care in the UK. DESIGN: A telephone interview survey of health authorities and health boards. SETTING: United Kingdom. SUBJECTS: 104 health authority contacts, usually consultants in dental public health, dental advisers or others in a position to describe the local dental service arrangements. RESULTS: At weekends, 25 authorities have no formal dental care arrangements for unregistered patients, 55 have separate arrangements for registered and unregistered patients, and 44 have 'universal access' arrangements--for anyone in an area, regardless of their registration status. On weekday nights over two-thirds (82/124) of UK health authorities have no formal arrangements for unregistered patients. Where there are separate 'safety-net' services intended for unregistered patients only they are usually (in 48 of 55 authorities) emergency treatment sessions. A fifth of authorities reported planned changes to their local out-of-hours arrangements, including the introduction of telephone triage, and moves to make care available at more times, to more people or from centralised premises. CONCLUSIONS: There is extremely wide geographical variation in the organisation of out-of-hours dental services provided in the United Kingdom. In many parts of the UK there are no formal out-of-hours care arrangements for unregistered patients, even at weekends. This unequal provision will mean inequitable access for many unregistered patients. With increasing demands from a growing unregistered population, and various government initiatives to make primary care services more integrated and accessible, the highly fragmented pattern of provision in many areas may no longer be acceptable.
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