Swab study [COVID-19]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Is Rapid SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing workable in the dental setting?
IRAS ID
301732
Contact name
Richard Holliday
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 30 days
Research summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the delivery of healthcare services, especially dentistry.
Capacity for patient care and workforce training remains substantially reduced due to need for additional infection control measures such as ‘fallow times’ (time with no-one in the dental chair of around 30 minutes in order to allow for air change) between patients and enhanced levels of PPE. These measures also limit how many patients can be seen in other settings such as GP practices and hospital clinics.
Establishing whether or not a patient has COVID-19 by testing them is currently impractical because current laboratory tests take too long, and self tests can be inaccurate. A recently developed rapid point-of-care testing system which gives as reliable a result as a conventional laboratory test, but with much quicker turnaround time may be a solution to increase capacity.
This study aims determine if it is possible to utilise a rapid SARS-CoV-2 PCR test in a primary dental care practice.
The study will be conducted in a single dental practice to understand if it is feasible to use this test in dental practices, and to collect initial data to help inform a definitive study in the future. The study will aim to use this testing system in a dental practice for 4 weeks and recruit around 100 patients.
Interviews will be conducted with staff members, patients who accepted the test and patients who declined the test.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/EE/0195
Date of REC Opinion
11 Aug 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion