Children's NHS dentistry 'slipping backwards'

NHS dental care for children is free

A dentist has warned modern treatment is "slipping backwards", as new data reveals thousands of children have been unable to get an NHS appointment.

John Watt, a Somerset dentist, says children are coming in with "rotting teeth and serious infections" due to a lack of investment in the dental sector.

The House of Commons Library research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, shows 64,350 children in Somerset were not seen by an NHS dentist in the past year. The Lib Dems want to see an NHS dentistry emergency rescue plan, including utilising unspent funding and removing VAT on children's toothbrushes.

The NHS says it is "prioritising children’s dental health through preventative programmes".

Mr Watt says "you don't get paid fairly for how much work you do" under the current contract terms, causing many dentists to go private

The NHS recommends under-18s have a dental check-up at least once a year because their teeth can decay faster. NHS dental care for children is free.

Despite this advice, Mr Watt says: "Patients are coming close to the point where they could contract sepsis, or are struggling to breathe.

"Essentially, if it was left untreated they would probably die. As a first world country, we shouldn't be having these problems in this day and age.

"We're definitely getting to the point where we're slipping backwards in how modern our dentistry is, especially in rural areas such as Somerset."

Mrs Wyatt's nine-year-old son is still covered by the NHS Dental Plan, but she now has to pay for her eldest son's treatments

Hayley Wyatt, from Taunton, says her dental surgery recently switched to private due to financial pressures, leaving her to pay for her 12-year-old son's appointments.

"I totally understand there are major issues within our NHS, but I think the amount of money [private practices] are charging is extortionate," she said.

"My main concern is that children are going to suffer. They can't make that choice to sort their oral hygiene out, they can't decide to go to the dentist themselves.

"Their parents have to take them and their parents have to pay. There are going to be people who can't afford to do that, and that's where we're going to see some major issues."

MP Sarah Dyke says dental and NHS contracts need reform because "the system is broken"

According to the British Dental Association (BDA), government spending on dental practices in England has been cut by more than a third over the past decade.

Dentists are now demanding properly funded NHS dentistry, an end to the NHS contracts in which dentists say delivering care to some patients often ends up costing them more than they receive for providing it - which is why many choose to go private - and a reshuffling of the system, with prevention at its heart.

Suffering 'in agony'

Liberal Democrat MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, Sarah Dyke, says: "The NHS used to be the envy of the world.

"People are suffering in dental agony. The new government must make fixing local health services like dentistry here in Somerset a top priority."

A spokesperson for the NHS said: "Like many regions, Somerset faces significant challenges in delivering NHS dental services, including funding constraints, workforce shortages, and dissatisfaction with the current dental contract.

"While we work to address these issues, we are prioritising children’s dental health through preventative programmes."

They said these initiatives included supervised toothbrushing in primary schools and comprehensive oral health education for new parents via health visitors.

The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.