Health Minister Stephen Kinnock has announced that the government and NHS will provide 700,000 additional urgent dental appointments across England. This initiative aims to improve access to emergency dental care for many individuals.
Dr. Nigel Carter, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation, remarked on this development: "This is an encouraging step towards improving access to NHS dentistry and will make a real difference for patients in urgent need." However, he also noted that it does not fully address the existing crisis in NHS dentistry. "We need a long-term strategy that prioritises prevention and ensures everyone can get the dental care they need before problems become emergencies."
NHS England has directed integrated care boards (ICB) nationwide to establish thousands of urgent appointments over the coming year. Despite efforts, access to NHS dentistry remains inconsistent, with statistics from the GP Patient Survey 2024 indicating that about one in four patients who sought an NHS dentist in the past two years were unsuccessful.
Previous initiatives have not resolved the crisis. The new patient premium introduced as part of the 2024 dental recovery plan cost £88 million but did not yield significant results for patients. Consequently, this program is being discontinued after data showed a 3% decrease in new patients accessing NHS dentists since its inception.
The government plans to roll out these urgent appointments starting April, focusing on areas known as "dental deserts," where accessing NHS dentists is particularly challenging. Regions like Norfolk and Waveney have only 31 NHS dentists per 100,000 people, which falls below the national average.
These additional appointments target patients likely experiencing pain or requiring immediate treatment due to infections or necessary repairs.
Jason Wong, Chief Dental Officer for England stated: "Dentists are working hard to help as many patients as possible but too many people experience difficulties in accessing NHS dental services." He emphasized ongoing efforts with local systems to prioritize access improvements by providing these extra urgent appointments and incentivizing dentists to work in underserved areas.
Following years of neglect and ineffective interventions within the NHS dental sector, current actions aim at creating a sustainable future. A National Audit Office report highlighted ongoing challenges with access remaining below pre-pandemic levels and unmet targets set by previous administrations' recovery plans.
Children's oral health issues persist with tooth decay leading hospital admissions among children aged 5-9 years old; over one-fifth show signs of decay according OHID data published last week revealing stark regional inequalities tied largely economic factors—for instance almost one-third (32%) Merseyside children compared just over thirteen percent Gloucestershire counterparts exhibit such symptoms.
