British Dental Association raises concerns over the availability of Corona virus masks for dentists
The British Dental Association has warned that dentists in the UK might have to down tools due to a shortage of Corona virus masks.
The BDA suggested that an order limit of 100 masks per day will contribute to even small practices running out. All dentists must wear disposable masks to treat patients in the UK. However, since January, when the Corona virus broke out in China, the primary manufacturer of masks, panic-buying has set in, and prices have tripled. The result is ordering restrictions and higher fees for UK dentists.
The BDA stated that several dental professionals have contacted the body to seek advice about a shortage of masks. Chair, Mick Armstrong, said that “clumsy rationing and naked profiteering” had hit dentists hard in recent weeks. The average dental practice uses up to 250 masks per week, and some of the larger dental centres will run out long before they finish seeing patients if stocks are not replenished soon. There are concerns that some of the bigger practices could run out of masks by the end of the week (Saturday 22nd February).
The mask shortage is not only a problem in the UK. Australian dentists are also struggling to fill their shelves.
In response to concerns raised by the BDA, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said that there are central stockpiles of supplies, including masks, to “mitigate supply problems and help ensure the uninterrupted supply to the NHS.”
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