Dentists have raised concerns about safety after claiming they have been issued with face masks up to 10 years out of date.
The Scottish Dental Practice Owners Group (SDPO) have expressed fears that NHS dental teams across Scotland have been given face coverings that may compromise patient and staff safety, claiming the masks may not be "fit for use".
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Dental practices across the country were closed in March amid the coronavirus pandemic and have been gradually reopening in recent weeks, but with restrictions on what procedures can be carried out in NHS practices.
Since Monday, dentists have been allowed to use drills or other equipment that causes a spray, known as aerosol generating procedures (AGP), provided they are wearing the correct personal protective equipment (PPE).
SDPO, which comprises 465 dental practice owners, said NHS practitioners were advised the Scottish Government would supply the necessary PPE through local health boards.
But it said when practices received their supplies, some found the FFP3 masks issued are “significantly beyond their expiry dates, in some cases by almost a decade”.
The SDPO said labels had been stuck over the original expiry dates with a new date of expiry, but those dates were also in the past and the most recent was 2019.
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In a statement, SPDO said: “Preliminary inquiries to the mask manufacturer 3M suggest that they do not consider masks beyond their expiry date to be fit for use.
“Practitioners have serious concerns about the safety of masks of this age. How can masks this old be passed as safe when the manufacturer suggests otherwise?
“SDPO members are practice owners and must consider patient and staff safety.
“We lack confidence that the masks issued to dental practice staff are fit for use, and we are very concerned that NHS dental teams across Scotland have been issued with masks that may compromise patient and staff safety.”
The FFP3 masks filter small particles from the air which includes viruses, and need to be fitted to members of staff.
The organisation also said dental staff have only been fit-tested for one or two types of mask, and claimed there seems to be a lack of contingency planning for staff who fail the fit tests for the models being used.
SPDO said a broader range of masks and other solutions should be available to ensure no NHS dental staff face being unable to return to work because they do not have adequate PPE.
It said the provision of PPE past its expiry date is a serious concern for the providers of NHS dentistry and called for an urgent review of the situation.
The Scottish Government has been asked for comment.
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