NHS facing dentist crisis as 45pc consider going private

NEARLY half of dentists intend to go private, polling shows, amid warnings that millions of patients could be left unable to secure help from the NHS.

The British Dental Association (BDA) said that the alarming trends suggest “this is how NHS dentistry will die” – with a growing number already severing ties with the health service.

It follows warnings of “dental deserts” in some parts of the country, with patients struggling to find dentists taking new NHS patients in Somerset.

The survey of 2,200 high street dentists found 45 per cent think they are likely to go “fully private” within 12 months – up from 11 per cent now.

Research found that almost half of those polled have scaled back their NHS commitments since the start of the pandemic – with three quarters intending to do so in the next year.

The BDA said around 3,000 high street dentists had walked away from NHS work entirely since the start of the pandemic. The organisation said that for every dentist who stopped all NHS work, another 10 reduced the time they devoted to NHS cases, making it harder and harder for patients to get an appointment.

The BDA said NHS dentistry was underfunded, with an extra £880million a year needed simply to restore resources to 2010 levels.

Dentists said the current contract, introduced in 2006, limited the amount of NHS work dentists could do, because it did not properly cover the costs of treatment. The targets mean that a dentist can receive the same reward for carrying out one filling as ten, they said.

The professional body, which is calling for “radical and urgent” action from the Government, said the current system put targets ahead of patient needs.

Shawn Charlwood, chairman of the British Dental Association’s General Dental Practice Committee, said: “Overstretched and underfunded, thousands of dentists have already left the NHS, but many more have begun severing their ties. This is how NHS dentistry will die, a lingering decline that unchecked will leave millions of patients with no options.”

The number of high street dentists has fallen from 24,684 to 21,554 since March 2020, NHS England statistics show. MPS on the health and social care committee are due to examine issues in the sector at a meeting today.

Maria Caulfield, minister for patient safety and primary care, said: “We have given the NHS £50million to fund up to 350,000 extra dental appointments and we are growing the workforce so people can get the oral care they need.”