Community Dental Service
What the Community Dental Service offers
The Community Dental Service (CDS) is dedicated to providing dental care for vulnerable patient groups in society who may otherwise find accessing dental treatment difficult or impossible.
The service operates across Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board in both fixed and mobile clinics.
Our clinics differ from high street dental practices in that we see patients on a referral basis, this ensures that they receive their treatment from the most appropriately trained members of staff and in the best environment to suit their needs.
The CDS also provides community based preventative care: -
‘Designed to Smile’ (D2S), this programme targets children living in areas with the highest levels of dental disease. The programme includes fluoride varnish application and tooth-brushing in schools for children up to 5 years of age.
‘Gwen am Byth’ the All Wales Care Home programme, this provides oral health care training for care and nursing staff working with older people, with the aim of improving knowledge and skills thus improving the oral health of residents. Training takes place in-house and covers ‘core’ oral health training and ‘champion’ training.
The CDS plays an important role in the training of dental undergraduates as part of their community placement. Therefore, treatment may sometimes be provided by final year dental students under close supervision from a qualified member of staff.
The CDS also undertake Welsh Government funded dental epidemiological surveys. These contribute to national and local surveys of child and adult oral health needs assessments which supports the delivery of dental services at national and local level. As part of its public health function the CDS has developed expertise in this field.
Who can benefit from our care?
The Community Dental Service offers the following services:
- Dental treatment for some children under the age of 18 including orthodontics (for patients already registered with the CDS)
- Dental treatment for special care adults
- Domiciliary dental service for housebound patients
- Dental treatment for bariatric patients
- Routine NHS primary dental care from 2 sites via the Personal Dental Service
- Mobile dental service (school based)
- School-based dental screening and preventative programme Designed to Smile (D2S)
- Gwen am Byth preventative programme
- Treatment under inhalation sedation for children
- Hospital-based general anaesthetic service for children and special care adult patients
- Advice on oral health care and disease prevention
- Emergency dental treatment sessions for patients who do not have their own dentist.
Facilities
All of our clinics are fully accessible with hearing loops available in all clinics and some equipped with hoists. We have a bariatric facility in Dewi Sant Hospital, Pontypridd. Interpretation services are available.
Click to view clinic details - Community Dental Service - Clinics
Can anyone use this service?
We can provide treatment to a wide range of people.
This includes:
- Vulnerable children requiring more specialist dental care.
- Looked after children
- Anxious children who need sedation.
- Children who need treatment under general anesthesia.
- Adults with learning disabilities
- Severe mental illness
- Compromising medical conditions
- Physical disabilities
- Frail, vulnerable older people
Referrals
All referrals are triaged centrally to see if the patient meets the criteria for the Community Dental Service.
General Dental Practitioners refer using the All Wales FDS electronic referral system.
We can accept self-referrals directly from patients and from other health care professionals over the telephone as long as they meet the criteria for dental care provided by the Community Dental Service.
Referral telephone numbers and email addresses:
Keir Hardie Health Park (all areas outside of Bridgend) 01685 351000
KHHP email: CTM.cdsreferrals.KHHP@wales.nhs.uk
Bridgend locality: - 01656 667925
Bridgend email: - CTM.cdsreferrals.BGD@wales.nhs.uk
Contact us
If you require emergency dental treatment or advice, please contact:
- NHS Direct Tel: 0845 46 47
- Cwm Taf Dental Helpline
9am to 5pm Monday to Friday telephone 01443 680166
For evenings, weekends and bank holidays only 0300 123 5060
Putting Things Right
We aim to provide the best possible care to all our patients. However, should you wish to raise a concern about the care you have received in the CDS, you should talk to one of our members of staff as soon as possible, and we will try our best to sort out the issue for you.
Equally, we like to know if we are doing things well. If you are really happy with the care you have received from a particular dental team then please do let us know.
Putting Things Right – this is a process for dealing with complaints, claims and incidents which are collectively termed “concerns”. You will find more information on our website at https://ctmuhb.nhs.wales/contact-us/concerns-complaints/