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Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

I would like to make it clear that the views stated are my personal views as a working therapist in general dental practice and do not represent the views of any organisation or professional body. I wish to make my views on the direct access proposal public as there are two sides to every story – yet only one opinion has been widely rep- resented in the majority of the dental press. I am, to put it bluntly, against direct ac- cess to therapists and hygien- ists from the general public, without an examination from a registered dentist. Whilst this may go against the grain of many in the profession(s) it is perhaps about time that someone who is against the proposal represents the view of the very silent minority? In his article, Shaun man- ages to present his views in an articulate way and approaches many of the fears that I have in a logical and sound fashion, but he does not cover every aspect. I certainly believe that the vast majority of therapists and hygienists have the abil- ity to take on further study to enable them to provide a diagnosis, or the enthusi- asm to provide an excellent service – I know we do – I just don’tunderstandwhywewould want to! I wholly embrace the fact that two pairs of eyes are look- ing at a patient’s mouth and that we are actively working as a team all in the best inter- ests of the patient; I also really appreciate that the final de- cision on most aspects of pa- tient care are not weighing on my shoulders, this should be approached in a fashion that allows me to perhaps ques- tion what has been proposed, but also that I am not the fi- nal arbiter in the choice of care for the patient. If I wanted this, I would apply to dental school and train to complete my BDS! One of my main concerns is that a hierarchy of thera- pists and hygienists could potentially be created – I like to think that we are all on the same team and I don’t think those DCPs that are un- willing (or unable) to afford to undertake post-graduate study should be made to feel inferior. Will direct access cre- ate a two tier system that sees those with an additional qualification being inter- preted as being better than I am? If this was to happen it could actually create divi- sions within our own limited profession that may be dam- aging to all involved and this includes the patient. I sometimes work alone in the surgery, as I know many therapists and hygienists do and I certainly would not be comfortable seeing a new pa- tient directly without nurs- ing support; this is not always available, and at least if a pa- tient has seen a dentist first we have some guidance as to the patient’s attitude towards dental treatment; if they are phobic, or occasionally unsta- ble then measures can be put in place. A dentist very rarely works alone, so is in a safer position to see a brand new patient; this protects the pa- tient, and also the DCP from unproven allegations. It is also important to be aware of financial consid- erations. Obviously, with in- creased responsibility for patient care, then indemnity costs should increase and perhaps significantly? Will registration with the GDC in- crease to satisfy the potential risk of appearing in front of the PCC in future years? Will our salary increase to reflect our increased responsibility? Will employers be willing to embrace change to their pre- vious practice and embrace the costs that come along- side? I accept that there are those that embrace this po- tential future, but I do won- der if this is being driven by some so vigorously that peo- ple like me may be left out in the cold with our views not being heard. There are many questions that I am unable to answer but I can certainly speculate on. I look forward to finding out the results of the proposals for dental hygienists and ther- apists and would suggest that a thorough and wide rang- ing consultation, covering all the aspects I have outlined, that may or may not address these concerns, should be completed prior to any deci- sions being made; that would allow us all to see the impact they could have on dental team working. DT Direct Access: Against Debbie Withers discusses the arguments against Direct Access for hygienists and therapists Debbie Withers: I wholly embrace the fact that two pairs of eyes are looking at a patient’s mouth About the author Debbie Withers qualified as a den- tal therapist and dental hygienist from the Univer- sity of Portsmouth in 2008, and cur- rently works in private & NHS practice. She has a particular inter- est in paediatric dentistry & anterior composite restorations. ‘If a patient has seen a dentist first we have some guidance as to the patient’s attitude towards dental treatment; if they are phobic, or occasionally unstable then measures can be put in place’ January 23-28, 2012United Kingdom Edition Luxator Extraction Instruments are now the preferred method of performing extractions 3512-11201©DirectaAB Distributed in the UK by Trycare Tel. 01274-88 10 44 Luxator Extraction Instruments were invented by a Swedish dentist to make extractions as trauma free as possible. He developed subtleties in the design only a practising dentist would appreciate with an acclaimed and ergonomic handle design. For this reason our Luxator instruments are discernably different.