Following a Federal Cabinet meeting on 21 April 2020, the Australian Dental Association (ADA) says that more patients can get dental treatments done following the restriction on dental practices being eased from Level 3 back to Level 2.

We can now perform more dental procedures outside emergencies, including dental examinations, simple non-invasive fillings, non-surgical extractions, restorative procedures, non-ultrasonic hand scaling, ulcer treatments, preventive, denture procedures and orthodontic treatments.

The amended restrictions are expected to take effect after Anzac Day, 27 April 2020.

“It’s great news because it means dentists can open their doors again and attend to a broader range of patient needs and not just emergencies,” ADA president Dr Carmelo Bonanno said.

“Dentists have the highest level of infection control standards which is what makes it viable for them to work under the Level 2 restrictions.”

“People concerned about any oral health issue can call their dentist, and they will make an assessment of possible treatment under the eased restrictions,” Dr Bonanno added.

Closure of thousands of practices across the nation due to the need to control the spread of the virus has impacted on the services that can be provided.

Patients faced long delays for restorative and preventative treatment which could have resulted in their oral health deteriorating considerably.

Further, the economic impacts on dental practices were starting to have a significant effect as many faced short-term or permanent closure as well as staff redundancies.

The Australian Dental Association recognises, however, that today’s announcement is not a complete return to the full scope of practice services.

“This is a huge step in the right direction, and we thank the National Cabinet and the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee for recommending this decisive step which will help patients, dental practices and the economy,” Dr Bonanno said.

“We look forward to the complete return of all dental services further down the track.”

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While the number of cases continues to decrease every day, do not forget to practise preventative measures to keep everybody from acquiring the coronavirus.

Follow these simple tips to prevent the spread of the virus:

If you have the following symptoms, call 000 for urgent medical help:

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