British Dental Association sets out “Six Point Manifesto” for Politicians this Election
On 8th June, residents of the UK will go to the polls to vote for who they wish to lead the country. Many issues have been the prime focus, but the British Dental Association have created a six point plan to ensure oral health is not left out of the agenda and avoid “political indifference” to dental care which could keep oral health problems being the lead cause of hospital admissions among children.
The six points are as follows:
- A national programme – in the vein of Change 4 Life, ensure that a national support programme is in place to tackle tooth decay amongst children, using proceeds and funds from the Soft Drink tax and underspends in local budgets to pay for this and ensure NHS dentistry is available for every child.
- Contracts – Deliver a contract system from the NHS that unlike previous contracts based around dental activity, rewards preventing problems before they occur and improve oral health for everyone.
- Funding – Ensure there is a fair and long term funding plan for NHS dental care to support providing quality care and reduce the reliance on money gained from NHS charges.
- Brexit – Ensure that dentists from EU countries are certain they can stay in the UK to ensure sustainability for all dentists in the UK.
- Sugar – Take firm action on the overabundance of sugar in our diets, with the Soft Drink tax being the beginning of action taken to reduce tooth decay and gum disease.
- Regulation – Fix a broken regulatory system that encourages a culture of “defensive dentistry” and puts patient care at risk.
Registration to vote ends at midnight tonight (22nd May), with the election taking place on 8th June
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