Dental CATS (Clinical Assessment and Treatment) Service

Dental CATS, an NHS oral surgery service for Greater Manchester

Dental CATS (Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service) brings together the Heywood Middleton and Rochdale Oral Surgery Service and the Bury Oral Surgery Service. The service was set up by the NHS in Greater Manchester so that patients in Bury and Rochdale can receive specialist oral surgery closer to home, reducing the amount of dental treatment that has to be carried out in hospital.

Referrals come from dentists working in the Greater Manchester area. The stated aim is to keep hospital appointments for patients who need them most, shorten waiting times and cut down on incorrect referrals.

Who the service treats

The service is open to anyone over 18 living in Bury, Rochdale and nearby local areas who needs specialist oral surgery treatment and is referred by a dentist. Patients with cancer, suspected cancer or any other life-threatening condition cannot be referred to Dental CATS and are treated in hospital instead.

Specialist oral surgery beyond routine dentistry

Dental CATS handles forms of specialist oral surgical treatment that require more specialist care than a regular dentist can provide. The procedures named by the service include:

• Removal of wisdom teeth
• Difficult surgical extractions
• Removal of buried broken roots

Routine work such as fillings and simple tooth removal remains with the patient's own dentist.

Sedation and charges

Treatment carried out under local anaesthetic is free of charge. When treatment is carried out under sedation, an NHS charge of £76.60 applies, collected by phone in advance of the appointment. The service publishes patient leaflets covering sedation, escort information for sedation and pre-extraction instructions and advice.

Assessment and treatment appointments

Whether treatment happens at the first appointment depends on what the referring dentist has requested. Some cases can be treated on the day, while in others the first appointment is a consultation. Patients referred for sedation always have a consultation first. The service states that patients should be seen within four weeks of referral, which it presents as quicker than the hospital route.

Where treatment takes place

Care is delivered in community locations rather than hospital: Langley Dental Practice in Middleton (postcode M24 5RU) and Market Place Dental Practice in Ramsbottom (postcode BL0 9HT). The clinical team named by the service comprises Dr Tariq Drabu, Dr Rofu Miah, Dr Yaser AlDaker, Dr Farida Chasma and Dr Timothy Kwaskowski.