Dentists Send Letter Warning Ministers About ‘Unfit’ Dental System
More than one hundred dentists have signed a letter to The Telegraph warning ministers that the NHS dental care system is “unfit for purpose.”
The letter is an accusation, which states that ministers are “hiding the rotten truth” about NHS dental care and the system has been let down by mismanagement over a prolonged period of time.
Dentists write that standards of oral health are not as high as they should be because dentists are unable to carry out the work they need to do because of “continuous limitations and compromises” and highlight the fact that tooth decay is the third most common cause of hospital admissions among children, despite the fact that it is easily prevented.
Dentists decided to write the letter in response to revelations about failures at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust, which were highlighted in the Francis Report; they believe further revelations and failings in the future are inevitable, due to the constraints health professionals are working under.
Yorkshire dentist, Dr Anthony Kilcoyne, who organised the letter, said that dentists feel extremely frustrated by the fact that they are under constant pressure to meet targets. He said the situation became much worse when the new contract was introduced by the Labour Government in 2006, as dentists were to be paid according to the quantity of treatments they provided and the focus was very much on quantity, rather than quality. He also warned that GPs were facing a similar situation.
In response to the letter, Dr Barry Cockcroft, England’s chief dental officer, said that access to NHS dental services has increased significantly over the last four years and added that there is “no credible evidence” to support the claims made in the letter.
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