Special care dentistry

We work closely with medical and dental specialties to provide comprehensive oral healthcare for a diverse group of patients. Special care patients are those aged 16 and over who have medical and behavioural complexities which challenge the provision of routine treatment. This includes patients with: severe learning disabilities, severe mental illness, dementia, multiple medical co-morbidities and physical disabilities.

Specialist areas include:             

  • Multi-disciplinary surgery.
  • Treatment under sedation and general anaesthesia for vulnerable patient groups.
  • Reducing barriers to dental care, such as through access to stretcher, wheelchair recliner, hoist and additional facilities where required.

We are one of only four units offering special care dentistry in London. We are an award-winning service, providing high quality clinical care using evidence based approaches and use close links with other medical and dental specialists to ensure equitable treatment plans suited to individual patient needs. 

We provide training opportunities at undergraduate, post graduate and specialty level, linked with Queen Mary’s University London.

Information for patients

We provide service for patients from the age of 16 at The Royal London Dental Hospital. Patients must be referred by a relevant medical, dental or social care professional in order to be considered for assessment – there is no ‘walk-in’ service available. We also provide care for inpatients upon request from other clinical teams.

Information for clinicians

E-referrals

Patients can also be referred by a relevant medical, dental or social care professional using the e-referral system.

Enquiries

Any clinical queries or correspondence regarding existing patients under our care can be sent via email to the dental enquiries team or by post to the address below:

The Royal London Dental Hospital
Turner Street
London
E1 1BB

To talk to a clinician about an individual patient in an emergency or for clinical queries, you can contact our clinic directly on 07852922391.