Decision Report 201701739

Summary

Ms C received treatment at a dental service run by the partnership and was unhappy that, for one instance of specific dental treatment, the partnership referred her treatment to the Practitioner Services Division (PSD) for approval. Ms C said that if she had been a patient at a high street dentist, she would not have needed the treatment referred.

We took independent advice from a dental adviser. We found that both high street dentists and the partnership's dental service were regulated in exactly the same way, including carrying out treatments in line with the Statement of Dental Remuneration (SDR). The SDR sets out the rules defining the types of filling, denture or other restoration, and what type of material can be used. It also defines the timing of treatment types and the costs of those treatments. Some types of material, or restoration, are not included in the SDR, and so require prior approval from PSD.

The treatment Ms C wanted was not included in the SDR and, therefore, the partnership had to apply to PSD for approval. This was not a policy of the parternship's making, but applies across Scotland. We concluded that the partnership acted reasonably in referring Ms C's treatment to PSD for approval, and we did not uphold her complaint.