A box of masks showing the original expiry date
Most of us have worn masks at dental school. We were used to them, although they were uncomfortable to wear for prolonged periods. We were only aware of paper-types and certainly unaware of the differences between various grades of masks/respirators/hoods which could be worn. Indeed, in Scotland until the outbreak of Covid-19, masks were not thought necessary as long as visors were worn.
At the start of the pandemic, face masks of all sorts became difficult to source. This was especially so in Scotland, with most supply companies reserving them for practices in other parts of the UK, where wearing masks had always been a requirement.
We have since learned a whole new vocabulary FRSM, FFP2, FFP3, N95Stealth, Full Face respirators, 3M 1863 and 3M 1863+ have become widespread terms in dental social media, where only ear loop or tied masks were only ever subjects of debate before.
3M 1863 facemask
The current arguments over out-of-date masks will no doubt rumble on for years and the legalities will no doubt be a bone of contention. It is pointless to go over this in detail here. However, the elephant in the room has not really been touched on (yet). That is 2 questions:
- Why the NHS had a stockpile of FFP3 masks, which are thought to have been ordered during the threat of previous pandemics which were not deployed in March and April when the country was told of a shortage and care homes, hospitals and dental practices were unable to find any?
- Why incoming new stocks were deployed rather than using up the older stock of masks? It is, after all, normal business practice to employ proper stock rotation; using oldest stock first (last in, first out) to avoid waste and expense.