Action call after fall in the number of dentists
Dental experts have called for the Government to act after new figures show the number of dentists working in the NHS has fallen.
Data obtained by the British Dental Association (BDA) shows 23,577 dentists performed NHS work in the 2022/23 financial year - down from 24,272 the previous year.
The BDA say the Government
should now "drop any pretence” that NHS dentistry is on the road to recovery and deliver a “meaningful” rescue package.
It argues that the new data isatoddswithrepeatedclaims that recent reforms have boosted dentist numbers.
According to the BDA, dental practices are struggling to fill dentist vacancies, which means they face fines for not hitting their NHS contractual targets.
Shawn Charlwood, chairman of the BDA's general dental practice committee, added: "The Government needs to drop the spin, accept the facts and provide a rescue package to keep this service afloat.
"NHS dentistry is haemorrhaging talent, and further tweaks to a broken system will not stem the flow.”
He added: "The PM once called for this budget to be ring-fenced.
"We face an access crisis, and with hundreds of millions set to be pulled away funds must be put to work solving these problems.”
The BDA wants to see a new higher minimum Unit of Dental Activity (UDA) value, which it says could help stop dentists having to treat NHS patients at a loss.
A recent BDA survey of dentists in England showed half of dentists (50%) had reduced the proportion of NHS work they do since the start of the pandemic, by more than a quarter.