Special Care Dental Service

About the service

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Special Care Dental Service provide specialised dental care for those who have additional needs who cannot receive care in a general dental setting. Patients must be registered with a General Medical Practitioner in Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton or the Isle of Wight. In most circumstances a dentist or other health professional will make a referral into the service when it is clear that care cannot be provided by a general dentist.  Please see the referral form and criteria.  Normal NHS Dental charges apply.  Referrals need to include information about exemption status, the dental and special needs and a summary medical history.

We have Clinics located throughout Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight.  Patients are usually seen at the nearest clinic to their home dependent on the special needs and equipment needed.  For further information about referring into the service please contact 0300 300 2014.

For those who are looking for a general dentist or to access emergency dental care because they do not have their own dentist please telephone 111. 

What we do

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Special Care Dental Service provide specialised dental care for those who have additional needs who cannot receive care in a general dental setting. e.g.

children who have:

• Profound learning disabilities
• Complex medical conditions
• Severe physical disabilities
• Autistic spectrum disorder
• Mental health Conditions
• Dental anomalies requiring specialist care
• Trauma

We also accept:

• Looked after children and those under a Child Protection Plan
• Children with craniofacial anomaly affecting the teeth and jaws
• Children with extensive decay who are unable to manage regular dental care

Referrals are not accepted for:

• Routine treatment for children unless they meet special care criteria
• Orthodontic extractions except in exceptional circumstances

adults who:

• Have a severe disability, medical, physical or mental health condition.

This means they may have:

• Severe difficulty communicating, giving consent and/or co-operating with treatment in general dental practice
• Significant risk of a medical emergency, bleeding or healing problems
• An inability to bear their own weight for transfer to the dental chair without special equipment or are unable to leave the home
• Severe and enduring mental health conditions with unusual altered thought, extreme mood or behaviour which will restrict provision of care
• Dental phobia at the severe end of the spectrum such that it has prevented them from accessing dental care for many years.

Those who are referred for specialist services e.g.

• General Anaesthetic Service - Please note general anaesthesia is not provided for routine dental care for adults without additional needs.

• Sedation Service - This service is provided for people with learning disabilities and medical conditions where treatment under local anaesthesia alone is not feasible and conscious sedation is required.

• Domiciliary Service -  Specialist (SCD) Services are only able to accept referrals for home visits for people with severe disability, or with complex medical or mental health conditions whose additional needs cannot be met by a General Dental Practitioner. Examples of reasons for acceptance of referrals for a home visit assessment would be for those who are unable to leave the house due to high medical risk, severe agoraphobia, and confinement to bed or severe agitation for dental appointments due to challenging behaviour.

Accessing the service

Services are provided for those who are unable to access dental care in the General Dental Services because of their additional needs. In most circumstances a dentist or other health professional will make a referral into the service when it is clear that care cannot be provided by a general dentist.

Written referrals for people with special needs are welcome from doctors, dentists, health visitors, school nurses, other health care workers, social services, voluntary agencies and hospitals. Service referral forms can be downloaded from this website. Referrals will need to include information about dental needs, additional needs and a summary medical history. Where it is known we require the NHS number to be provided.

Normal NHS dental charges apply. If you are not exempt from charges you will be asked for payment at each visit. Posters in waiting areas have information on NHS costs.

You can download the referral forms below:

• Adult Special Care Dental Service referral form 
• Children Special Care Dental Service referral form 

If you have any queries please call the Dental Administration Office on 0300 300 2014.