Health in Wales Skip navigation | About this website | Contact | Site Map | Document Search | A-Z | Accessibility | Listen to this page | Cymraeg See also Abertawe Bro Morgannwg Health Board Community Dental Service - Service Specification (DOC, 3 MB) 07/05/14 External links Community Dental Service in Wales - Data sets You are here >> Home > Our Services > Find an NHS Dentist > Community Dental Services Home Health Topics Our Services Contact Us Directory Get involved Hospital Visiting Times Initiatives Strategies GP Out of Hours Services Find an NHS Dentist What dental treatment is available on the NHS? NHS dental charges Help with dental costs How to make a complaint about an NHS dentist How to complain about a private dentist Community Dental Services The Development of Special Care Dentistry in Wales South East Wales - Special Care Dentistry South West Wales MCN in Special Care Dentistry North Wales and Powys Special Care Dentistry - Managed Clinical Network Local Oral Health Plans Designed to Smile Public Accountability Delivering Local Health Care Stroke Services Improvement Unscheduled Care Improvement Unscheduled Care Conditions Unscheduled Care Audit Unscheduled Care Data Evidence Base Unscheduled Care Guidance Research and Resources Statistics and Data NHS Wales - About Us News archive Events Community Dental Services Community Dental Services (CDS) provide treatment for people who may not otherwise seek or receive dental care, such as people with learning disabilities, elderly housebound people, people with mental or physical health problems or other disabling conditions which prevent them from visiting a dentist in the high street. The CDS performs an essential role and aims to deliver comprehensive services by: Providing a full range of treatment for those who have experienced difficulty in getting treatment through general dental services Supporting oral health promotion programmes and initiatives such as Designed to Smile Undertaking national and local dental health surveys to monitor the oral health of all age groups Participating in the oral health screening of school children and other priority groups Which patient groups is the service for? The CDS provides dental care for vulnerable people of all ages including: Children and adults with learning disabilities Patients who are medically compromised People who have mental health problems Children and adults with physical disabilities Children and adults with dental anxiety People with complex social problems and who can’t obtain dental care People who can’t receive dental care due to geographical isolation People who are unable to leave their homes to seek care People in rehabilitation and secure units Where does the CDS provide dental treatment? The CDS provides clinical services: At fixed clinics in the community In mobile dental units Via domiciliary dental care Domiciliary care reaches out to help people who because of disability cannot be expected to travel to a dentist to receive treatment. The CDS may provide domiciliary dental care in patients own homes, nursing and residential care homes, rehabilitation units and elderly long stay hospitals. How can you access Community Dental Services? The CDS does not usually accept self-referrals from patients directly. The CDS accepts referrals from a wide range of health care professionals including General Dental Practitioners, medical practitioners, hospital staff, health visitors, social workers and carers of disabled people. All referrals for treatment are screened to ensure they are appropriate for the service. You should contact your health professional to request a referral. What sort of facilities will you find? Most CDS clinics are well-equipped to provide a wide range of dental treatments. Some will be staffed and equipped to provide special care dentistry for vulnerable people. Clinics may offer ceiling mounted hoists and good access for disabled people. Some provide wheelchair tilting platforms to allow patients who cannot leave their wheelchair to be treated comfortably and safely. Satellite clinics often provide care for less disabled people and play an important role in bringing services closer to more isolated communities. CDS clinicians in some parts of Wales visit young offender institutions to provide regular dental care for residents in secure units CDS Clinical Services in the Health Boards You can find more information on local services on the Health Board web pages below: Swansea Bay University Health Board - Community Dental Services Aneurin Bevan Health Board - Dentistry Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board - Dental Services Cardiff and Vale University Health Board - Community Dental Services Cwm Taf Health Board - Keir Hardie Community Dental Services Hywel Dda Health Board - Dental Services Site Policies Accessibility Privacy Statement Terms of use Freedom of Information Links Policy Other NHS Sites NHS 111 Wales NHS England NHS Scotland NHS Northern Ireland