Local directors of public health have warned that the cost-of-living crisis and a shortage of NHS dentists in rural areas will lead to more people requiring emergency dental treatment in the future.
An analysis of data by the Local Government Association (LGA) has revealed that no local authority area in the country has more than one dentist per 1000 of the population who provides NHS treatment.
Collected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the data also revealed that the top 10 council areas for shortages mainly have higher than average levels of deprivation or higher than average proportion of residents in rural areas.
The LGA’s analysis also found that there are wide variations in the availability of NHS dentists, with the City of Westminster having over six times the number of NHS dentists per 1000 of population compared with Ashfield, the area with the lowest number in the country.
Dentists are commissioned by NHS England to provide treatment although it is the responsibility of councils to run programmes to promote good oral health.
However, councils’ public health grant, which provides funding for this service, has been reduced by 24% in real terms per capita since 2015/16, equivalent to a total reduction of £1bn.
The LGA urged the Government to commit to long term public health funding increases to help councils promote good oral health.
The association also called on the Government to reform the dental contract and ensure the £762m clawback taken by the Treasury over the last 10 years from dental practices who miss contractual targets is reinvested into subsidised dental treatments.
Cllr David Fothergill, chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board said: ‘This stark new analysis shows a shortage in affordable dental treatments for communities all over the country. In particular, it is concerning that it is rural areas as well as those living with the highest levels of deprivation that are more likely to miss out on NHS dental provision.
‘As we continue to feel the effect of the cost of living crisis, a lack of NHS dentists could risk people choosing to forgo routine dental treatments or even resort to DIY dentistry, risking more costly emergency dental treatments being needed further down the line.
‘The Government should reform the contract it has with dental surgeries as well as develop a workforce strategy to ensure we can have affordable dental treatments for communities across the country.
‘Councils also need a real terms increase in their public health grant so they can provide vital oral health improvement programmes to prevent longer term health problems.’
British Dental Association chair Eddie Crouch said: ‘The Government must be more ambitious in its plans to reform NHS dentistry. To save this service we need real commitment - root and branch reform and adequate funding.
‘A broken contract is forcing dentists out of the NHS every day it remains in force. Tinkering at the margins will do nothing to help the patients who need us most.’
