The RCSEd Faculty of Dental Surgery responds to the Labour Party’s plan for NHS dentistry

The Faculty of Dental Surgery (FDS) at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) says it is encouraged by the outline plan for NHS dentistry proposed by the Labour Party, should they form the next Westminster government.

The party proposed the following changes and actions:

• An extra 700,000 urgent dental appointments and the reform of the NHS dental contract
• Incentives for new dentists to work in areas with the greatest need, so that those who need an appointment will be able to get one
• The introduction of supervised toothbrushing in schools for 3–5-year-olds, targeted at the areas with the highest childhood tooth decay
• A shift in focus towards prevention, so that in the long term, everyone who needs NHS dentistry can access it.

The FDS has shared that it believes that changing the focus of care to prevention and starting the journey of prevention through a supervised toothbrushing programme for young children are positive steps forward, but it has concerns as to whether teachers have the capacity to undertake this. The faculty has long been concerned by the issue of lack of access to NHS dental care across the UK such that the indication of 700,000 urgent dental appointments is most welcome.

It is of the opinion that this, however, “needs to be backed up with ongoing care for the adult population and include provision for dental care for the ageing population.”

The FDS also notes the incentives for 'new' dentists to work in areas of greatest need, although it further notes that no provision has been made to stem the loss of access to NHS dentistry in such locations. “Whilst we acknowledge this is a start, the commitment to NHS dentistry across the UK by Westminster and the devolved nations needs to be stepped up significantly.”

The recent King's Fund report on the health of the NHS showed that dentistry is a significantly poorer sector in comparison to other parts of the NHS, with double the number of people being forced to skip dental compared to medical care in the UK, whether for financial reasons or lack of access. The FDS at RCSEd says “The 'safety net' is worryingly threadbare, with the burdens of financing dental care falling particularly heavily on people with lower incomes. This is having a substantial impact leading to patients forgoing the dental care they need.”

Efforts to resource the NHS dental service throughout the UK urgently need to be redoubled to address the consequences of underfunding over many years. The Faculty of Dentistry at RCSEd would encourage all parties in the next Westminster elections to make access to dental care a top NHS priority.