A campaign group founded in Suffolk to fight for greater NHS dental provision has welcomed a damning new report which has called for "urgent and fundamental reform" to dentistry.
The Health and Social Care Committee's examination of NHS dentistry found evidence of pain and distress that is "totally unacceptable in the 21st century" and is now calling on the Government to ensure everyone who needs an NHS dentist is able to access one.
It is also calling for a dental workforce survey to be commissioned, as well as a patient information campaign to improve awareness of how NHS dentistry works.
Mark Jones, Founder of Toothless in England, which started in Suffolk in 2021, said: "The report's findings show how far oral health care provision has fallen.
"We broadly welcome the report’s recommendations. However, the Westminster government has the option to disregard and persist in burying its head in the sand, just like all of its predecessors since the committee issued comparable recommendations 15 years ago.
"There is no time soon enough to put these suggestions into practise. Universal access to an NHS dentist must be restored and quickly too.”
The report cited a YouGov poll of 2,104 people across the UK in March 2023, which found 10 per cent of people admitted to attempting "DIY dentistry", 20 per cent of which said they did so because they could not find an NHS dentist.
The survey also found 22 per cent of people were not registered with a dentist, and 23 per cent of this group said it is because they cannot afford treatment.
The committee received written evidence from more than 30 Healthwatch groups and hosted a roundtable in June, attended by Mr Jones, which heard accounts of tooth extractions and isolation caused by poor oral health.
The report found those affected most were from deprived areas, ethnic minorities and homeless people.
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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