The cabinets are closed. But dentists work ... for free. Since March 16 and at the request of the national council of the order, practitioners answer the telephone calls of their patients, providing them with temporary solutions or redirecting them, in the event of an emergency, to a departmental regulatory center which may provide for a intervention in a guard structure. "But it's better not to have a toothache right now," said a professional from Hauts-de-Seine.
With the prospect of reopening on May 11, dentists are now requesting responses from authorities who were contacted by mail late last week. “We had to close to fight the spread of the virus, protect our patients and ourselves, our profession is very exposed, we are in contact with saliva and with our tools, micro-droplets spread in the air and then deposit on all supports ”, details Marianne Franchi of the union of dental surgeons. “We have not been supported from the start by the ARS or the State. But now we need to know how and where to get protective gear? "
"We will have to disinfect the room after each patient"
Most practitioners gave their gloves, gowns and masks to hospital caregivers from the start of containment. They will have to buy everything. "And the prices have been multiplied by two or three, sometimes even six, depending on the product," says a dentist from Essonne who looks at the prices displayed on the website of his usual supplier.
"Until now, we weren't even allowed to buy masks," says Brigitte Ehrgott, president of the Paris Order of Dental Surgeons. But how can our activity be profitable with this additional cost? We have capped our fees. And for a consultation or a scaling around 25 euros, now with 15 euros more protective equipment, many colleagues are afraid of not getting out of it. ” Before this health crisis, between the lease and the assistant's salary, the hourly cost of a dental office in Ile-de-France was on average 180 euros.
"In addition, among the additional measures to decontaminate, we will have to disinfect the room after each patient," says Brigitte Ehrgott. And therefore space the dates. A puzzle for suburban dentists. Because, if it is possible in Paris to be taken care of in less than three weeks, beyond the ring road the wait often borders on 2 to 3 months.
"There will inevitably be a bottleneck in the recovery"
"I fear the worst, we risk being overwhelmed at the end of confinement," blows Damien Duplantier, dentist in Essonne, who has his consultation schedule booked three months in advance. There will inevitably be a bottleneck on the recovery. And since we will be able to take fewer people than before with sanitary measures ... "
According to the departmental councils of the order of dental surgeons, all the emergencies could however be treated during this period of confinement in Ile-de-France. "No one was left behind, each call was answered, by the treating dentist or by the regulatory center," says the president of the order of Paris.
"We have relieved the hospitals and taken care of the most urgent cases," said Marianne Franchi of the union of dental surgeons. If we have been reasonable in the follow-up, we do not lose a tooth in two months. In an adult, a cavity takes almost a year to attack the nerve. But many patients, mainly outside the capital, escape regular monitoring ...
"We must recognize that we could not ensure total continuity of care"
In Paris, since the start of confinement, the order council has received between 500 and 600 requests per day, between calls and emails (not counting the calls received at the base directly by each dentist). Nearly 250 files were processed by teleconsultation. The national health insurance fund had requested that a maximum of 5 childcare centers be opened daily. With volunteer dentists collecting 75 euros for half a day of vacation. For a week the council of the order has decided to open a sixth. "And maybe seven in the coming days," says Brigitte Ehrgott. Very far from the 3600 dentists normally officiating in the capital!
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In Val-de-Marne, for example, open childcare centers have gone from 6 to 8 in recent days, to process part of the 230 cases handled by the telephone regulation center. In Seine-et-Marne, 4 centers are open to treat all emergencies. In Hauts-de-Seine, where nearly 300 calls are picked up by the regulatory center, there are 7 structures open. They made it possible to receive 60 patients daily for care. "We must recognize that we could not ensure total continuity of care," says Marianne Franchi.
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