1.1 Adults and children aged 12 years and over will be accepted for this service.
1.2 Referrals are accepted for healthy individuals or individuals with mild systemic disease with no functional limitations (for example, controlled hypertension).
1.3 Patients who receive the following medication and are stable at the time of referral:
Warfarin
Steroids
1.4 Patients with physical disabilities and those who are wheelchair bound (A hoist is available to assist patients into the dental chair).
1.5 The patient referral form must state whether the patient is an NHS or private patient.
1.6 Third molar surgery
Referrals should be limited to patients requiring the removal of symptomatic third molars that comply with NICE Guidelines and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Public Health Network Surgical Threshold Policy, namely teeth which require a simple surgical approach and include evidence of:
• Unrestorable caries;
• Non-treatable pulpal and/or periapical pathology;
• Abscess;
• Internal/external resorption of the tooth or adjacent teeth;
• Fracture of the tooth;
• More than one episode of pericoronitis.
1.7 Apicectomies
These procedures will be limited to:
• Incisors, canines and upper single rooted premolars with recurrent apical pathology not alleviated by repeated root canal therapy (RCT);
• Teeth that have satisfactory orthograde root filling in place, as indicated by a pre-operative periapical radiograph;
• Teeth not amenable to repeated RCT, for example if a satisfactory post retained restoration is in place.
1.8 Other Dento-alveolar Surgery
To include:
• Surgical removal of grossly decayed teeth;
• Removal of impacted teeth (not third molars). If this is part of an orthodontic treatment plan a copy of the plan or letter advising of the plan from a specialist orthodontist should accompany the referral;
• Removal of buried/retained roots that are symptomatic or are likely to become symptomatic, including failed extractions where the dentist failed to extract the entire tooth.
1.9 Urgent referrals
A referral may be highlighted as urgent if the patient has had recurrent infection that is not effectively managed using local and chemotherapeutic measures.
