As the one-year anniversary of the UK's first lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic passes, the Dental Defence Union (DDU) has analysed the top five reasons for patients to raise complaints about pandemic dental practice.

The top five reasons for complaints were:

1. Treatment availability - delays caused by the closing of practices and the limitations on patient numbers after practices reopened

2. Dissatisfaction with treatment - allegations of poor treatment outcomes and delayed diagnosis due to the pandemic

3. Fees and refund requests - patients requesting a refund or compensation for treatment delays or incomplete treatment

4. Communication issues - patients who felt they had not been properly informed about delays, cancellations and arrangements for urgent care during lockdown.

5. COVID-secure measures - issues such as infection control, PPE and the use of face masks.

The DDU supported dental practitioners with over 500 advisory and complaint cases between the start of lockdown in March to the end of 2020. In the majority of cases, members wanted advice on an aspect of patient care in order to pre-empt problems. Just 9% of cases were about complaints, and of these treatment availability was the most common reason for a patient to be dissatisfied.

However, the DDU says it anticipates that complaint numbers are likely to increase because of delays in treatment caused by the pandemic.