What is the Community Dental Service?
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.
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 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
- 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
- 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.