The NHS 111 line has seen a 64 per cent spike in people calling for dental treatment since the Covid-19 pandemic as fewer people are able to access a dentist on the NHS
Desperate patients resorting to calling 111 for dental care have increased by almost two thirds amid a crisis in access to NHS dentists.
Some 4.7 million people called the NHS 111 line from 2019 onwards regarding dental care, with average calls per day increasing 3,327 in 2023/2024 compared with 2,024 in 2020/21, at the height of the pandemic. The analysis by the Association of Dental Groups (ADG), which represents firms which run some dental practices, comes as the Mirror is campaigning for the right to a NHS “Dentist for All”.
The British Dental Association has highlighted a flawed payment contract and claims government now directly funds only enough to provide half the population with NHS dental care. Neil Carmichael, chair of the ADG and former MP, said: “Dentists are not entering the workforce at anywhere near a high enough rate, nor staying put once qualified.
“There are too few places at UK dental schools, preventing the growth of home-grown talent, while unnecessary bureaucracy prevents hundreds of high-quality dental experts from practising here. Meanwhile dental contracts are so unappealing that experienced dentists are choosing to retire early, reduce their NHS commitments, or reduce their working hours.”
A collapse in the number of dentists doing NHS work means most are no longer taking on new adult patients. In Devon the waiting list is three years. Recent NHS data for England found half of children are not getting an annual check up to tackle problems before they become serious. This rises to only one in three adults. One in four kids aged five are suffering with dental decay.
Labour had promised to renegotiate the NHS contract which pays dentists the same amount for three fillings as 20 and was branded “not fit for purpose” by the Health Select Committee. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ’s recovery plan earlier this year effectively kicked meaningful contract reform into the long grass until after the General Election.
The overall NHS dentistry budget for England has remained at around £3 billion for a decade but has seen a £1 billion real terms cut over this period due to inflation. It has become increasingly made up of the contribution from patient charges which have gone up by 45% in the last decade.
Mr Carmichael added: “Our recommendations are centred around increasing the numbers of dentists working in order to provide better access for patients. Just 100,000 more dentists will create 750,000 more appointments, massively improving access for so many patients in dire need, and reducing pressure on NHS services elsewhere. We stand ready to support the new Government in putting patients first.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Rebuilding NHS dentistry is a priority for this government. We will start with an extra 700,000 urgent dentistry appointments to help those who need it most, and reform the dental contract to encourage more dentists to offer NHS services to patients. Prevention is better than cure, so we will also introduce supervised tooth brushing for three to five-year-olds.”
The Mirror’s online petition on the 38 Degrees platform, launched in partnership with the British Dental Association and calling for an NHS dentist for all, has now hit 223,000 signatures.
Click HERE to sign the petition.