Working without a nurse

I am a dental hygienist, having qualified five years ago. I have worked in nine different practices as a hygienist: one practice since qualifying and others as a casual member of staff. I have been communicating with other hygienists on the internet across the country via Facebook.

On one of the sessions online, I wrote that I do not work with a nurse. I am given the assistance of a nurse to help when pocket charting is required or if I am struggling with aspiration. This is not on a regular basis though. I was struck by how many hygienists commented on me working without a nurse. Statements such as ‘you cannot give your patients 100% without a nurse’, ‘medico-legally you won't stand a chance if a complaint comes against you and you don't have a chaperone’, ‘wouldn't dream of working without one’ or ‘you shouldn't be working without one’ and so on.

From experience I have found working with a nurse, when essential, makes my role easier. After the string of messages I received regarding this, I felt the pressing need to find out how many general dental practices in the area I work, did provide a nurse for their hygienist. The areas I covered were Tunbridge Wells (23 practices), Tonbridge (6) and Sevenoaks (6).

I had responses from 28 practices. Only three of these practices supplied a nurse for assisting their hygienist (one in Tonbridge and two in Tunbridge Wells). One practice did not have a hygienist at all. In all of the other surgeries the hygienist worked alone. Seven practices did not participate. They either would not answer the phone (though multiple calls were made over a period of days) or they declined to answer my question on whether they supplied a nurse for their hygienist.