Out-of-hours emergency dental services--development of one possible local solution

This paper describes the development of a local solution to the problem of the provision of out-of-hours dental care in Newcastle and North Tyneside in the north east of England. Focus groups were used to review the current provision of, and problems with, dental out-of-hours emergency provision. A consensus conference involving both general dental and medical practitioners, was subsequently used to develop possible alternative methods for the provision of out-of-hours emergency dental services. A centralised service delivered from a secure location in conjunction with general medical practitioners was developed which was dependent on a nurse-led triage. The linkage with NHS Direct may be an opportunity, in some locations, to integrate dental services more fully with other out-of-hours primary care services. The method described allowed a solution to be generated by practitioners themselves, thus giving ownership and acceptance to the chosen option.