Welsh dentists call for greater equality
Dentists in Wales have urged the government to introduce measures to improve standards of oral health and increase access to dental services in poorer areas of the country.
The British Dental Association in Wales said that the gap between richer and poorer areas of the country was getting bigger and people from deprived areas are being let down by the government. They also said that the ageing population was contributing to a larger gap between wealthy and deprived areas.
Dentists are calling for urgent action from the Welsh Assembly government after a survey revealed that standards of oral health in Wales were lower than those in Northern Ireland and England. The Adult Dental Health Survey, which is carried out once every ten years revealed that rates of decay and gum disease were higher in Wales than in both Northern Ireland and England.
Stuart Geddes, director of the BDA in Wales, said that there was a clear gap between affluent and deprived areas and an obvious link between poverty and oral health. The BDA has launched a manifesto for Wales, which calls for the government to act urgently to improve access to dental services and create a more level playing field. The manifesto also criticises health boards for failing to encourage newly qualified dentists to stay and work in Wales and highlights inconsistencies between the seven health boards in Wales.
The BDA manifesto also warned the government of a problem highlighted by a recent BDA survey; according to the survey, 50 percent of dentists over the age of 50 are planning to retire in the next three years, meaning that in years to come there will be a shortage of dentists working in Wales.
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