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Community Special Care Dentistry

What we do

We provide special care dental treatment for people who live in Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham, Croydon, Richmond, Kingston, Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth.

We see people at 20 community-based health centres and sites in South London, including our Mobile Dental Unit.

Our service provides a full range of dental treatment and oral healthcare for patients for whom treatment by a general dental practice is unsuitable. This includes people who have:

  • a physical disability
  • a complex medical condition
  • a learning disability
  • a severe mental health condition
  • severe anxiety or phobia.

We also provide a service for plus-size (bariatric) patients, and those who need a home visit or who are homeless.

In addition, we direct referrals for patients requiring special care dental treatment in a hospital to appropriate South London hospitals. If you have been referred for hospital-based care at King’s College Hospital, please see our Special care dentistry – hospital based service page for more information.

What to expect at your first appointment

Your appointment letter will tell you where to go for your first appointment. At this appointment we will assess you and you may have x-rays. We will discuss the results with you and decide what treatment you need. You may need to come to another appointment for treatment.

Preparing for your appointment

Assessment appointment

Please bring the following to your first appointment, where we will assess what you need:

  • Your appointment letter.
  • A list of any medicines you are taking.
  • The details of any doctors or other healthcare professionals caring for you.
  • Cash, cheque book or payment card to pay for treatment; exemption certificate or proof of exemption if you are eligible for free NHS dental treatment.
  • A list of questions you want to ask.

Treatment appointment

If you choose to have your treatment under intravenous sedation, watch our 2-minute film about how to prepare for this and what to expect. Also read the ‘IV Sedation’ leaflet (below) for more details:

Contact Details

  • Main Reception: +44 (0)20 3299 3480
  • Cancel/change an outpatient appointment: +44 (0)20 3299 3480
  • Questions about your treatment: +44 (0)20 3299 3480

Patient information leaflets

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Community special care dentistry808 KB

Conditions we treat

For full information about the conditions we treat, please refer to the ‘Guidance Notes for Special Care Dentistry Referrals’ pdf below.

You should follow the guidelines carefully and then ensure that you complete all the required sections on the ‘Special Care Dentistry Referral Form’ below.

Please note that we also:

What is required before referring a patient

Radiographs/photos, if appropriate.

Booking a patient at King’s

Routine Referrals

Referrals must be made using the referral form below, accompanied by radiographs/photos where appropriate. Electronic referrals are preferred. Either:

  • email [email protected] via an NHS Mail account
  • or post the referral to: Community Special Care Dental Referrals, Coldharbour Works, 245a Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8RR

Emergency Referrals

We do not provide emergency care.

If the referral is urgent, please ensure that the reason that urgent care is required is clearly stated on the referral form.

For suspected cancer, use the urgent suspected cancer referral pathway.

Other Queries

Any queries about the referral process should be directed to the central team on 020 3299 3480 (9am-5pm, Monday to Friday) prior to submission of the referral form.

Referral forms

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Dental Referral Form – Special Care Dentistry118 KB
Guidance notes for Special Care Dentistry Referrals364 KB

Key Clinical Staff

Name Role
Mrs Brinthi Dias Lead Clinician
Dr Rob Hale Clinical Director, Head of Department and Consultant in Special Care Dentistry
Dr Malihe Moeinian Specialist in Paediatric Dentistry
Dr Graham O'Brien Lead Clinician
Mrs Emma Ray-Chaudhuri Specialist in Paediatric Dentistry
Dr Fereshteh TaleiFaz Lead Clinician