Dentists in Caen: why such a hassle to make an appointment?
By Maxence Gorregues
Published on
Philippe and Alice are in “dental escheat” as the professionals say. One is removed and settled at Caen (Calvados) in 2019; the other, from Bouches-du-Rhône, has been working in the Calvados city since 2017. Like many other inhabitants of the agglomeration and more broadly of Normandy, they are faced with the same problem: find a dentist.
“They don’t smoke new patients anymore”
“I asked my son if his dentist, who is based in the north of Caen, could include me in his patient base, but it was no,” regrets Philippe, who after several weeks of research finally managed to make an appointment. in a dental practice based in Épron. And surprise: “the waiting period is only six weeks”. Alice contacted another practice nearby, in La Bijude, but “they no longer smoke new patients”. Why such a hassle?
There is a shortage of 800 dentists in Normandy
Several factors seem to explain this tension in terms of dental care in the agglomeration of Caen. “There is first of all the offer which is limited, concedes François Corbeau, president of the council of the order of dental surgeons of Normandy. In the region, we have 41 dentists per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 63 nationally. “The density is established at 51 in the agglomeration of Caen, still below the French average. About 800 professionals would be missing in Normandy to reach the national average.
Among the causes that can explain this medical desertification, the order points to the lack of training centers in Normandy. Young people who pass their medical examination in Caen and who are moving towards studies as a parent dentist in Rennes. Their Rouen counterparts go to Lille, Paris or Reims. And it is easy to understand that after five years there, they are not retreating to Normandy, or else to a small extent. Hence the need to create training in Caen. It will see the light of day in September 2022.
For two years now, another factor has disrupted patient care: Covid-19. “With such tension, several colleagues retired a little earlier than expected, not to mention the two-month period during the first confinement, during which the cabinets had to remain closed. This period has caused us to fall considerably behind. Only dental emergencies, “for really complicated cases”, were taken care of, with only five practices open in Calvados in the spring of 2020.
Lockdown didn’t help
People who needed small care during confinement had to wait. In some cases, their oral health deteriorated significantly, and “the care that had to be put in the face turned out to be more important, requiring more appointments”.
Also, the coronavirus has imposed new hygiene rules. Dentists are the only health professionals, with their ENT colleagues, to work with patients who do not have a mask. When they use a dental drill, the projections are numerous, facilitating the spread of Covid-19 in the air. “We therefore have to spend more time disinfecting, and also airing the room, between 10 and 15 minutes between each patient, still currently. In his case, although he has extended his working days by 45 minutes, he treats an average of 12 patients a day, compared to 15 before the Covid.
Waiting lists of… 100 patients
The deadlines therefore continue to lengthen. Currently, François Corbeau does not register an appointment before the end of July. » With the August holidays, we will soon arrive on September. Among his colleagues in the agglomeration, this is already the case with many professionals. The deadlines are sometimes even longer for check-up appointments, such as for the visit of 6-year-old children. “I made an appointment last August for my daughter, and she will see the dentist in… May,” assures a father in Épron. “It’s unheard of for me in 31 years of activity”, confides François Corbeau.
Several professionals say they have a waiting list of at least 100 patients. “And when, following a death or a move to another region, places become free, we tend to take care of our already existing patient base in order to reduce waiting times”, confides a professional north of Caen. The setting up of training for around fifty dentists per year in Calvados seems to be the only reason for hope. But we will have to wait a few more years.
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