LETTERS: The Health Ministry (MoH) would like to refer to the letter published in the New Straits Times ("Six months wait unreasonable", NST June 1) by R.T.J.H from Puchong, Selangor.
MoH has taken note of the issues and is very concerned about the difficulties experienced by the complainant.
In the increasingly serious situation of Covid-19 disease transmission, government dental clinics have adopted several new norms in the delivery of dental services in line with the guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOP) outlined by the ministry and the National Security Council (NSC).
These include a stricter screening process at registration counters, limiting patient attendance at clinics by encouraging the setting of appointments online or over the phone, and giving out appointments in stages.
In addition, the sanitisation period of the dental treatment room has also been extended after each patient to ensure a safe environment and prevent the transmission of Covid-19 to patients and staff.
Each patient who visits the dental clinic will go through a screening process at the triage counter to determine the patient's category based on clinical criteria (signs and symptoms of Covid-19) and epidemiology (history of patient movement and close contact with Covid-19 patients).
Patients who do not meet these criteria will be categorised as low-risk patients, while patients who meet any of the criteria will be categorised as high-risk patients.
After the screening process, the patient will be examined by a dental officer to determine the type of treatment to provide.
Low-risk patients can undergo all types of dental treatment, while dental treatment for high-risk patients is limited to emergencies only.
Most dental treatments, such as scaling and fillings, involve spraying and production of water droplets (aerosols) mixed with the patient's saliva, which have very high risk to spread Covid-19.
Therefore, such treatment should be carried out in a special treatment room that has been equipped to control and reduce the production of these aerosols.
All dentists must also wear complete personal protective equipment (PPE) and adhere to cross-infection control practices while providing treatment.
The work process includes preparation of treatment room, application and removal of dental staff PPE and disinfection of the treatment room — all taking a longer time to perform compared with the situation before the pandemic.
Therefore, the number of appointment slots that can be given within one working day is very limited. However, the suggestions made in the letter have been taken into account, and the problems encountered are being fine-tuned.
MOH appeals to the public to be patient and understand the constraints of dental health services during the Movement Control Order (MCO).
The public are advised to abide by the standard operating procedures (SOP) set by the NSC and MoH by obtaining an appointment for an examination online or by phone at a dental clinic near their respective residences.
In addition, during MCO period, the public are also urged to maintain the best possible dental hygiene by conducting a self-examination at home for the detection of any dental problems/diseases.
For more information on dental healthcare, please visit the official social media site of the MoH Dental Health Programme on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Information on dental clinics can be found on the MoH's official website www.moh.gov.my.
DR NOORMI OTHMAN
Senior director (Dental Health), Health Ministry
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times