NHS Wales: True scale of dentistry crisis unclear - MSs

The true scale of the dentistry crisis in Wales is unknown, according to a cross-party Senedd report.

There are concerns too many people in Wales are still unable access an NHS dentist.

The Senedd's Health and Social Care Committee found a lack of clarity on the number of patients waiting for check-ups or treatment.

A family from Carmarthenshire went four years without seeing a dentist after their local NHS practice closed.

Rhian Davies said the family of four was unable to register with the replacement options they were given, including one practice 18 miles away, and eventually paid for private treatment.

"The option given were all at least 14 miles away but you still couldn't get an answer on the phone," she said.

"It felt wrong that my son could not get an appointment and it was very stressful.

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"In the end we felt we had no other option than to go private if we wanted to look after our teeth.

"That cost £60 to register, £33 every month, and treatment last month for two of us cost £450. How many can afford that unexpected cost for something that is normally free?"

Rhian Davies' son Iestyn was could not get a dentist appointment for more than four years

Salema Jones, 34, of Cwmbran, said it took a year for her to find a dentist for her children, aged six and two.

"It was a nightmare. I was sent a list of hundreds of NHS dentists and I had to ring every single one - and I didn't find one," she said.

"A friend happened to know one, but it's nowhere near where I live, which can be a bit of a nightmare to fit all of us in when you're working.

"I was lucky but it should be much easier and children should be able to get one straight away."

'Three-tier system'

The Committee's Chair, Russell George MS, said radical reform of the system is urgently needed to address the backlog of patients needing dental care.

"Many people talk of a two-tier system, where those who can afford to pay for private treatment do so.

"But are we in fact in danger of creating a three-tier system? Where those who can't register with an NHS dentist but can't afford to pay privately are left with no access, and can only rely on emergency dental service.

"The cost of living crisis is likely to make this problem worse, and result in more inequalities in how people access dental care."

The report also found there were long standing issues prior to the Covid-19 pandemic impacting access to NHS dentistry.

The committee is calling on the Welsh government to look at funding, consider a centralised waiting list across Wales, with health boards to implement their own interim central waiting lists by the end of this year.

Last month the British Dental Association (BDA) sent an open letter to the Welsh government warning new contracts will force practices from the NHS.

Dr Russell Gidney of the BDA said the Welsh government's response has been "wholly inadequate"

Health Minister Eluned Morgan claimed an extra £2m a year would help secure 112,000 appointments for new patients this year, but the BDA claims this is to the detriment of those already registered at practices.

Chairman of the BDA's Welsh General Dental Practice Committee, Russell Gidney, said: "While there's uncertainty on the scale of the backlogs, what is clear is the Welsh government's response has been woefully inadequate.

"Ministers have dressed up the rationing of care as an access boost. Taking away services from hundreds of thousands of existing patients to provide for new ones is not progress. It's just stretching an inadequate budget and hoping for the best.

"What we are yet to see is genuine reform underpinned by sustainable investment. Practices are leaving the NHS simply to remain viable, and without change many patients will be left with no options."

Welsh Liberal Democrats said the Welsh government had left those unable to pay for private treatment "languishing on waiting lists" and called for spend on dentistry per head to match similar levels as Scotland or Northern Ireland.

But in response the Welsh government reiterated claims its system was working.

It added that it will consider the recommendations made by the committee and respond "in due course".