Although the Department of Health and Social Care said that it was rolling out the new appointments from April, it is feared this won’t be enough to fix the UK’s denistry dilemma
More than two million people need dental treatment but are unable to get an NHS appointment, it is today warned.
The British Dental Association (BDA) believes people will turn to “Victorian-era” solutions to dental problems in desperation. The government had promised 700,000 extra dental appointments but this will only cover a third of people who need urgent care, leading dentists understand.
A report by BDA highlights reports of people pulling out their own teeth and patients left needing emergency surgery due to untreated dental infections.
An NHS England letter, sent to local health leaders, states: “This calculation gives a total estimate of 2.2 million people each year (3.5% of the population) who are currently unable to get an NHS dentist appointment, and who have a treatment need. It is assumed that these are the people who would require urgent care appointments.”
Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Social Care said that it was rolling out the new appointments from April – a key part of Labour’s manifesto commitments on health.
The appointments will be targeted at so-called “dental deserts” – areas where patients particularly struggle to access NHS dentists.
Each local health body has been given a target of urgent appointments to roll out, based on estimated local levels of unmet need for urgent NHS care.
Shiv Pabary, chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, said: “So, it seems a new Government discovered the need for urgent care, but chose just to cover a third of it. This is austerity on stilts.
“Rather than eliminating DIY dentistry, the Treasury is ensuring we keep seeing horrors that belong in the Victorian era. Ministers have a moral responsibility to ensure no patient is ever left in this position.”
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It comes as a new poll by the dental arm of the Medical Protection Society, Dental Protection, found that almost two thirds (63%) of dental professionals are frequently “burnt out and exhausted”.
A survey of 1,600 Dental Protection members, including dentists, dental nurses, hygienists and therapists – also found that 50% say they feel under pressure to take on extra work.
Some dental workers who took part in the survey described working “excessive hours” to try to meet demand for NHS appointments.
Others talked about staff shortages, a “target-driven culture”, and financial concerns due to the current reimbursement rates paid by the Government for NHS treatment – which they say are not meeting operational costs, Dental Protection said.
Yvonne Shaw, from Dental Protection, said: “It is troubling to see that such a high proportion of dental professionals are burnt out and exhausted, and the degree to which their mental wellbeing is compromised.
“The Government is expected to set out a 10-year NHS strategy this year and a key plank must be providing a clear timetable for NHS (dental) contract reform.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “NHS dentistry is broken after years of neglect. We are committed to rebuilding it, and delivering an extra 700,000 urgent dentistry appointments is just a first step.
“We are also reforming the dental contract to encourage more dentists to offer NHS services and tackle regional disparities, and our ‘golden hello’ scheme to recruit dentists to areas in need has hundreds of posts advertised.”