Redeployment of dental teams during the covid-19 pandemic: A review of experiences and lessons learned

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the globe, causing millions of cases and disrupting the lives of people worldwide. The increase in the number of critically unwell patients has put healthcare systems under immense strain, requiring them to adapt their service provision to cope with increased demand. At Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (GSTFT) in London, redeployment of healthcare staff has been used to relieve pressure on the most overburdened hospital sectors, and this saw clinical dental teams involved in auxiliary medical roles throughout much of 2020. On the cusp of the New Year, COVID-19 cases continued to soar and GSTFT opted to cancel routine care and re-implement a second round of clinical redeployment. Here, we discuss our experiences and present positive feedback of early-career dentists being redeployed to medical wards during the UK's greatest health crisis of recent years. CPD/Clinical Relevance: Clinical dental teams can positively contribute to the national COVID-19 response through the provision of urgent dental care, inpatient mouthcare services and auxiliary medical roles.