The role of the Special Care Department is to provide a diagnostic and treatment planning and advice service to referring practitioners and to provide specialist level treatment for patients from the groups listed above. We are not able to register patients with our service and after treatment is completed, patients are discharged from the department. Lack of ability to pay for treatment is not an indication for referral to Special Care Dentistry.
A consultation appointment does not guarantee that further treatment will be undertaken at Dundee Dental Hospital & School; our aim is to work in partnership with colleagues in primary care. In some cases, certain items of treatment will be returned to the referring practitioner to carry out, whilst other parts of the treatment plan may be carried out in the department. For patients who are accepted for treatment, it is expected that the referring practitioner will continue to see the patient for routine examinations and will remain responsible for the patient’s emergency care.
Special Care Dentistry
Special Care Dentistry is the branch of dentistry concerned with providing and enabling the delivery of oral care for adults who have a physical, intellectual, mental, medical, emotional or social impairment or disability or, more commonly, a combination of these factors (British Society of Disability and Oral Health, 2003).
The Team
The Special Care Department is led by Dr Abigail Heffernan, Consultant and Specialist in Special Care Dentistry. She is supported by Dr Amy Martin, Specialist in Special Care Dentistry and by a Specialty Trainee and a Core Trainee. Dr Dee McDonnell-Boudra, Clinical Psychologist, works with the Special Care Team on a part time basis and delivers the Anxiety service alongside Dr Martin. Dr Cameron Weir, Consultant Anaesthetist, works on a sessional basis with the sedation team at Dundee Dental Hospital.
Referring practitioners and patients attending for assessment and treatment with the Special Care Team should be aware that as part of a teaching hospital, undergraduate students are often present on our clinics.
| Dr A Heffernan | Consultant | GDC No: 80520 |
| Dr A Martin | Specialist in Special Care Dentistry | GDC No: 75829 |
Referring practitioners and patients attending for assessment and treatment with the Special Care Team should be aware that as part of a teaching hospital, undergraduate students are often present on our clinics.
Medical Compromise
The special care team work closely with medical colleagues at Ninewells Hospital as well as hospitals across Scotland. We play an active part in assessing patients prior to transplant and cardiac surgery as well as in assessing patients about to undertake treatment for certain types of cancer, including leukaemia and myeloma. We deliver some treatments for patients with inherited bleeding disorders at Ninewells Hospital.