Dentist Airs Frustration On National TV Following Open Letter To Teleraph
A dentist has aired his frustrations at the current dental system on national morning television, following the publication of an open letter to The Telegraph.
Dr Tony Kilcoyne, a private dentist, said that dentists were frustrated by the emphasis on numbers, rather than quality, which has been caused by the current dental contract. Dr Kilcoyne said that many patients are too busy trying to reach targets to be able to dedicate their time to patient care and added that patients are also suffering as a result of the system.
In an interview on Daybreak, Dr Kilcoyne said that the Government is purely interested in the “how many bodies you can get through that dental surgery”, while the quality of care should be the focus. Dr Kilcoyne said that it takes time for dentists to practise good dentistry and at the moment, time is a luxury, which many do not have as a result of these targets.
In a poll run by Daybreak, a staggering 95 per cent of dentists said that they believe patients are not receiving the best dental care as a result of the way the NHS dental system is run.
The televised interview comes shortly after an open letter calling for changes to the NHS system was published in the national press; the letter was supported by more than 100 family dentists and highlighted the “massive frustration” among dentists who feel that they are unable to do their job to the best of their ability as a result of guidelines and targets.
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