A NEW report on the state of NHS dentistry has highlighted a "shocking failure" to get a grip on an essential healthcare service, a York MP said today.
Rachael Maskell was speaking out after the publication of the Health and Social Care Committee’s examination of NHS dentistry.
The damning report found that people in the UK have been forced to pull out their own teeth at home because they can not access or afford an NHS dentist.
The report said there was evidence of pain and distress that is “totally unacceptable in the 21st century”.
The document cites a YouGov poll that found 10 per cent of people admitted to attempting “DIY dentistry”. More than half of the group carried it out in the last year and 20 per cent said they did so because they could not find an NHS dentist.
York Central MP Ms Maskell, who is vice chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, said the Government had failed to tackle the growing problems in NHS dentistry.
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She said: "Not only did Government and NHS England not have an understanding of the availability of NHS dentists to provide care, but they have totally failed to act, when I and many MPs have been raising significant concerns for a long period of time.
"The inquiry which took evidence from the profession, patients, and Government, demonstrated that much could be done to rectify the situation, not least by the powerful evidence provided by the then Chief Dental Office, who was clearly being ignored by the Health Secretary.
"I have therefore called a dentistry summit for August 4, 2023, to institute a plan for dental provision in York. It is unacceptable that this situation continues, as constituents suffer poor oral health, or are forced to pay extortionate amounts for private dentistry, which many cannot afford."
Ms Maskell added: "Dentists are calling for the ‘mouth to be put back into the body’ of the NHS, but as we unveiled, serious contract reform is needed to give dentists the opportunity to focus on prevention and to give them freedom to treat people according to need. The dental contract fails to do this and needs to be scrapped."
An NHS spokesperson said: “While the number of dental appointments available for NHS patients is steadily increasing and the GP Patient Survey found seven out of 10 patients had a good overall experience of dental services, the NHS has already started to address some of these recommendations through initial contract changes last year.
“These significant reforms will continue to further support dental teams to carry out even more treatments and address the inevitable backlogs that built up during the pandemic, while record numbers of dentists, dental therapists and hygienists will be trained as part of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.”
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