‘Successive governments and NHS dentistry leaders have collectively failed the public,’ an open letter to Wes Streeting on NHS dentistry has said.
Signed by Mark Jones, founder of dental campaign group Toothless in England, the letter lays out the group’s expectations for the new government regarding NHS dentistry.
It congratulates health secretary Wes Streeting on forming the new government, but calls for him to declare a ‘dental emergency’. It says: ‘The deplorable state of NHS dentistry and what it has meant for patients left in agony has come to dominate political and public discourse.’
The letter emphasises that the public will expect ‘new energy and political will’ to address growing oral health inequalities. It expresses enthusiastic support for Labour’s Dentistry Rescue Plan, which promises 700,000 urgent appointments and a supervised toothbrushing scheme. However it also suggests these measures ‘do not go far enough or quickly enough’.
Mark Jones names several key oral health issues within the letter, including:
- Access to basic NHS oral care and restorative dentistry
- Untreated dental pain, sepsis and mouth cancer
- Childhood hospital admissions for tooth extractions
- Availability of free dental care during pregnancy.
He also highlights the negative health and wellbeing impact of these problems, as well as the economic impact of lost productivity.
Labour’s plans to tackle the dental crisis
In its manifesto, the Labour Party pledged to enforce a new Dentistry Rescue Plan, stating that getting an NHS dentist is becoming ‘a lottery’ in the UK.
The plan involves:
- Fill the gap of appointments with an extra 700,000 urgent and emergency dental appointments a year
- Flood dental deserts with new dentistry graduates, with golden hellos of £20,000 for those who spend at least three years working in underserved areas
- Supervised toothbrushing for three to five year olds, to prevent children forced to hospital to have their rotting teeth pulled out
- Reform of the dental contract, to rebuild NHS dentistry and make sure everyone who needs a dentist can get one.
The party says that the plan is fully funded by closing further non-dom tax loopholes and investment in reducing tax avoidance.
What is a state of dental emergency?
According to the letter, declaring a dental emergency would instruct all dental practices to provide access to emergency treatment. They would also have to provide a priority pathway for referrals from hospital departments such as cardiology and oncology. This would limit delays in situations where hospital consultants require patients to have a dental check-up before treatment.
Under a dental emergency, integrated care boards would also have to procure mobile dental clinics to target vulnerable patients and underserved communities.
Toothless in England said that Wes Streeting had agreed to a follow-up meeting with the group. It described itself as a ‘willing and active partner’, suggesting that continued dialogue with the government was key for progress on NHS dentistry.
Founded three years ago, Toothless in England is a grassroots campaign run by members of the public. The organisation describes itself as ‘independent minded and pioneer in promoting practical and implementable solutions to fulfil the public’s oral health demands in the 21st century.’
The letter concludes with a warning against losing focus on the oral health issues described. It says: ‘Parliament is about to go on a summer break, with no debates, votes or committee sessions scheduled. Will you now offer patients who are in unnecessary pain and despair a break?’
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