Catherine Rutland, clinical director for Denplan, shares her insight into the challenges of 2023 and what Denplan will be doing to remedy them in 2024.
As the year comes to a close, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the dental sector environment over the last 12 months. It has been a year of challenges for the sector with growing attention from political stakeholders and in the media. We’ve seen:
- The Health and Social Care Committee’s inquiry into NHS dentistry. While there was nothing unexpected when the report was published, many of the things we’ve been lobbying for were included with the committee taking our recommendations into account.
- A sector still at crisis point. Nine out of 10 NHS dental practices are unable to offer appointments to new adult patients (Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, 2022).
- How good oral health continues to be a significant enabler of good overall health. Poor oral health impacts sleep, functionality and self-esteem. It also contributes to other health issues such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, 2022).
- The cost of living impacting people’s ability to take a preventative approach to their oral healthcare. Many people are being forced to cancel dental appointments because they can’t afford them. Only to pay later for emergency treatment.
- The importance of dentists in helping maintain the health of the nation. Six in 10 (59%) Brits say they see the same dentist more consistently than they see the same GP.
Looking forward
We look forward to 2024 with renewed energy to tackle the big challenges facing the UK’s health and care system. We are committed to keeping dentistry at the top of the agenda, engaging with government and parliamentary decision makers, and maintaining the relationships we have built this year.
Our priority will be to advocate for the role of mixed practice as a solution for providing oral healthcare. It is our ambition that we continue to support NHS dentists by advocating for a reformed dental contract that meets the individual needs of dentists and offers flexibility where necessary.
However, focus shouldn’t be on contract reform alone. More needs to be done to ensure there are enough practitioners to meet the rising demand for dental care. This year, we saw the long-anticipated publication of the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan. In 2024, Denplan will work closely with policymakers in charge of its implementation. It will support the continued professional development of dental teams as well as providing recommendations on how we can make better use of wider dental teams.
Championing mixed and private practice
Finally, we will continue to champion the role that mixed and private practice can have in supporting prevention. NHS dentists are often faced with the challenge of having to focus on routine treatment. However, if properly supported, dental practices can play an important frontline role in improving the nation’s health by noticing changes in a patient’s health and making referrals to other healthcare services where appropriate.
Our 2023 Oral Healthcare Report found that 28% of people have discussed other health problems with their dentist, and 15% were referred to another health practitioner following an appointment (Denplan, 2023).
While political and policy attention will be stretched across multiple priorities in 2024, we are focused on ensuring that dentistry remains at the top of the political agenda and that stated ambitions to support the sector by parties across the house, are maintained.
References
- Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (2022) Adult oral health: applying All Our Health. GOVUK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-oral-health-applying-all-our-health/adult-oral-health-applying-all-our-health#:~:text=Poor%20oral%20health%20can%20lead. (Accessed December 2023)
- Denplan (2023) Denplan’s 2023 Oral Healthcare Report Available at: https://www.denplan.co.uk/the-core/industry-and-company-news/oral-health-report-23 (Accessed December 2023)
Read the full Oral Healthcare Report here.
To hear more from Denplan, follow them on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.
