The number of active NHS dentists in England is at its lowest level in a decade, official figures show, as pressure mounts for urgent reform.
According to official data seen by the BDA, just 23,577 dentists performed NHS dental work in 2022/23. This is down by 695 on the previous year, and more than 1,100 when compared to pre-pandemic numbers.
The crash brings figures to levels not seen since 2012.
‘The government needs to drop the spin, accept the facts, and provide a rescue package to keep this service afloat,’ said the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee chair, Shawn Charlwood.
‘We face an access crisis, and with hundreds of millions [of pounds] set to be pulled away, funds must be put to work solving these problems.’
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Better funding
The figures put pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over his claims about the state of dentistry. Sunak has repeatedly said that 500 extra dentists were recorded as providing NHS services in the 2021-22 financial year.
As a result, the BDA is calling for ‘real reform’ and a ‘properly funded service’, adding that the government needs to bring a degree of sustainability to the dental budget.
The association estimates that funds returned by practices not hitting their contractual targets will likely exceed £400m this year, equivalent to more than 10% of the total NHS budget.
This comes as new research highlights that 6.5 million children in England were not seen by an NHS dentist in at least one year.
Widening inequalities
As a result, the British Dental Association (BDA) has warned that this lack of access will widen the UK’s oral health gap. This is because it will disproportionately impact lower income, higher needs families.
The first oral health survey of five year olds since lockdown took place in March this year. It showed that decay levels had not improved and highlighted widening inequalities.
The survey showed that just under one quarter (23.7%) of five year olds in England had experience of obvious dental decay. This is a marginal increase from the previous survey in 2019, where figures stood at 23.4%.
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