Paediatric dental-oral medicine clinic: management during COVID 19

Introduction: Minimising spread of the COVID-19 infection through reducing face-to-face consults is essential. In doing so, alternative assessment and communication methods for management of patients with oral conditions should be considered. Material and methods: Patients on the waiting list for the joint oral medicine-paediatric dental clinic between March and June 2020 were prioritised based on a criteria including relevant medical history, diagnosis and clinical need and current management − monitoring, topical therapy or systemic therapy. A telephone consult method was chosen to assess and follow up patients and a parental satisfaction questionnaire was conducted following telephone consult. Results: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) was the most common diagnosis of patients reviewed on the telephone clinic. Overall, the patient satisfaction questionnaire revealed that 100% of respondents would prefer a telephone consult during COVID-19 rather than face-to-face appointments. 74% opted for a video consult in preference to a telephone consult. Conclusion: This service evaluation has found telephone consults to be a valuable alternative to face-to-face consults in the management of patients with chronic oral mucosal diseases. Telephone consultations have high parental satisfaction and are an effective, convenient method to assess and follow up patients whilst maintaining their safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.