Demand for an NHS dentist stands at 2.2 million – but new urgent appointments will only cover one third of it, according to dental experts.
In an annex to a message sent by NHS England to NHS contract holders following the commissioning rollout of 700,000 urgent appointments, officials state ‘this calculation gives a total estimate of 2.2m 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’.
The British Dental Association (BDA) points out that this would mean the new urgent dental appointments would only cover one third of demand – with 1.5 million people left untreated.
Last week, health minister Stephen Kinnock announced the emergency appointment roll out, a move that marks a commitment to a pledge made in the Labour manifesto last summer.
The extra appointments will be available from April and have been targeted at ‘dental deserts’ – areas where patients particularly struggle to access NHS dentists. This includes parts of the east of England, such as Norfolk and Waveney, where statistics show there are 31 NHS dentists respectively for every 100,000 people – significantly below the national average.
The BDA says it is not surprised that officials committed to a ‘relatively modest’ level of delivery. It adds that treasury pressure had already seen pledges of new money from the ‘non-dom’ squeeze dropped in October – with the 700,000 appointments paid for by recycling underspends in the dental budget, further fuelled by ongoing recruitment and retention problems.
‘Victorian era’ dentistry
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 Victorian era.
‘Ministers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have a moral responsibility to ensure no patient is ever left in this position.’
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