Mirror’s Dentists for All campaign has been praised in the House of Commons debate as an MP blamed a ‘conspiracy of silence’ around the crisis in getting an NHS dentist
MPs have told how their constituents are having their lives blighted by oral health problems because they cannot get an NHS dentist. A debate in the House of Commons heard about children suffering agonising toothache and a woman in her 40s losing half her teeth.
Labour backbench MP Melanie Onn MP was granted a Parliamentary debate on the crisis and paid tribute to the Mirror ’s Dentists for All campaign. Ms Onn said: “Currently one in three people in deprived areas experience tooth decay. This is a shocking statistic that simply must be addressed. Over 260,000 people have signed a petition led by the British Dental Association, the Women’s Institute and the Daily Mirror calling on the Government to urgently deliver on their promise to reform NHS dentistry. This demand could not be more urgent.
“Catherine, one of many constituents who have written to me with issues around dental provision locally, had been with her dentist for over a decade. During the pandemic a simple missed appointment, that was cancelled by the surgery itself, saw her removed from her regular appointments. She has since been unable to join other practices and told that waiting lists will take two years.
“In the meantime she has suffered devastating deterioration to her oral health, losing all of her back teeth, suffering an infected crown, bridge and facing the real fear of losing her top teeth too. Catherine is only in her 40s. She was quoted £14,000 privately for treatment. She simply cannot afford that. She has had to endure constant pain that no-one should have to bear.”
Currently the NHS budget for England is only enough for around half of the population to get treated. The “flawed” NHS payment contract sees dentists make a loss on some procedures and has caused an exodus to the private sector. Contract reform is a key demand of the Mirror campaign which is putting pressure on the Treasury to fully fund the service after over a decade of real terms cuts under the Tories.
Chris Webb, Labour MP for Blackpool South, told the Commons: “Anyone who has had tooth ache knows the unbearable agony in those moments. There’s nothing worse. But imagine watching your four-year-old child suffer that same pain, and imagine that they can’t be helped. This was the reality of my constituent Louise, a single mum.
“Louise got in touch with me at breaking point to watch her son suffer through constant distress, crying in agony, unable to sleep, refusing to eat. When she managed to see an emergency dentist she was told he would need between four and eight teeth extracted but the wait time for the procedure was up to two years. Louise was left with no choice but to manage her son’s pain with Calpol. That’s not healthcare. It’s abandonment.”
The £3 billion NHS dentistry budget for England is only enough to treat around half of the population. Some 13 million people are living with an “unmet need” for dental care according to official data. Recent polling suggested that among those who could not get an NHS dental appointment, 26% performed DIY dentistry such as yanking out their own teeth and 19% went abroad for treatment.
Lizzi Collinge, the Labour MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, said: “We don’t have to look far to see the root of the problem. I speak, dentists have been telling us for years that the NHS dental contract is not fit for purpose. The contract creates perverse incentives that’s also discouraged from treating the patients who need them the most.”
Dr Andrew Murrison, Conservative MP for South West Wiltshire, said: “There’s been a conspiracy of silence all these years over NHS dentistry. What the Government has to get to grips with is whether it intends that dentistry should continue to be a universal part of our NHS or not, and whether it’s going to be exempted from the universality that has characterised the provision of health care services in this country since 1948.
“What I am recommending to the minister is that we are each honest with the public because at the moment we have this pretence around NHS dentistry that says ‘of course you have the right to have your teeth fixed at no cost to you’. In reality, in most parts of the country, mine included, that is a complete fiction.”
Lack of funding and the outdated payment system means most dental practices are no longer accepting new adult patients. The incoming Labour government had promised to reform the dental contract but negotiations have been held up by the Treasury which has been reluctant to commit to a substantial funding boost.
Responding on behalf of the Government, health minister Karin Smyth said: “Let’s be clear there are no perfect pay models and careful consideration is being given to any changes to the complex dental system so that we deliver genuine improvements for patients and the profession.
“It is an immense challenge. There are no quick fixes and no easy answers, but people across the country deserve better access and we’re determined to make that happen. Rescuing NHS dentistry will not happen overnight. It will take time, investment and reform, but improving access to NHS digital is key to our mission to get the NHS back on its feet and fit for the future.”