Government report shows "crisis of access in NHS dentistry"

The Health and Social Care Committee has released a groundbreaking report calling for fundamental changes in NHS dentistry, prompted by distressing stories of people unable to access dental care. It also says: 

"A lack of public awareness about NHS dental services and how practices operate is contributing to access issues."

As a result of this lack of access the report states:

• Many people are living in pain due to lack of access.
• Lack of access is leading to more people presenting to A&E and GPs, but they already have enough on their plate.
• It is important not only to think about medium and long-term solutions, but to focus on how to help people who can’t access an NHS dentist right now and are having to live with the consequences. In the short term, solutions include making greater use of mobile surgeries.
• As a result of not being able to access an NHS dentist, some people have teeth crumbling in their mouth and are in severe physical and mental pain, and begging for morphine.
• Not being able to access a dentist also makes people feel self-conscious about their teeth and this can affect work and social interactions, and those of other family members. It affects how people feel as they walk down the street and whether they want to talk to other people. In one instance, wearing a mask during the pandemic was seen as a positive thing because it made the person less worried about their teeth and what other people would think.
• Being unable to see a dentist at routine intervals can have implications for wider oral, physical health, mental health and social wellbeing—”a healthy mouth is a healthy body”.
• The consequences of not being able to get an appointment to see a dentist are potentially severe. In one case, the consequences involved an emergency hospital stay of nearly three weeks for a lung problem related to gum disease. This in turn had severe knock-on impacts on caring responsibilities and family life, including the mental health of family members. There is a financial cost to the NHS to these kinds of consequences as well.
• Lack of access is impacting on the wider resources and places further pressure on the NHS, for example with patients developing conditions like diabetes, sepsis, oral cancer etc as a result of lack of routine care and treatment.

Healthwatch England provided crucial oral evidence to the Committee, shedding light on the challenges people face in accessing and affording an NHS dentist. Your experiences and struggles were heard, and action is now imperative!

Not just one, but nearly 30 Local Healthwatch services, including Healthwatch Darlington, contributed valuable insights on the local challenges faced by individuals in securing dental care. Together, we make a powerful voice for change.