Lives will be lost if dentists stay shut, says Duchess’s friend
DEATHS linked to mouth cancer will rise due to the Government’s ongoing refusal to let dentists reopen, one of the country’s biggest oral health firms warned last night.
Sam Waley-Cohen, a former Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning jockey who launched Portman Dental Care 11 years ago, told The Sunday Telegraph the current closures were inexplicable.
Hygiene standards are already higher than many hospitals and many dentists would have been safe to have remained open throughout Covid-19 crisis, he suggested.
Mr Waley-Cohen, 38, a close friend of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge whose £300million business has more than 100 practices across the UK, is now predicting a wider healthcare crisis caused by up to 10million missed appointments
“The risks are threefold,” he said. “One of the things dentists do is diagnose mouth cancer – that’s a big risk. The second risk is as you get mouth infections, the pain and discomfort stops you from being able to eat, so nutrition declines, it has a very close relationship with other healthcare problems. The third is children’s oral care, which is really important to establish when they’re young.” Oral cancer rates were already on the increase prior to the pandemic.
Cancer Research UK’s most recent analysis suggests rates have increased by more than
60 per cent in the UK over the last 24 years.
NHS England held meetings with dental leaders this week, but gave no assurances on a timeline for reopening. Martin Woodrow, chief executive of the British Dental Association, said “nothing’s really changed” for the industry even as lockdown measures began to ease this week.
An NHS spokesman said: “As soon as Public Health England and the (chief medical officer) advise it is appropriate, routine dentistry will be able to restart. In the meantime 500 urgent dental care hubs are available across the country for those who need their care.”
‘One thing dentists do is diagnose mouth cancer. Another is as you get mouth infections, nutrition declines. Children’s oral care is also vital’