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MINISTERS are “passively” watching dentistry patients suffer, campaigners warned today after official figures showed one in eight people in England do not have a dentist.
The Office for National Statistics Insight Survey also found that only 52.8 per cent have an NHS dentist.
Labour vowed to enforce a new “dentistry rescue plan” in its manifesto, pledging an extra 700,000 urgent and emergency dental appointments annually and to reform the dental contract to incentivise graduate dentists to practise in the NHS.
Toothless in England's campaign co-ordinator Mark Jones said today that while MPs have frequently claimed that their constituency is going through a dental crisis, “why are not these same lawmakers calling on the government to declare a dental emergency?
“Are they merely trying to hide something from us, or do they genuinely care?
“Patients are still in excruciating pain and the country’s health is declining while this government continues to vacillate.
“It’s time for the government to take action instead of passively observing adult patients and young children suffer.”
A Department for Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: “NHS dentistry is broken after years of neglect and has failed patients and staff for too long.
“We are aware of deeply disturbing accounts of desperate patients being forced to take matters into their own hands because they were unable to get an appointment.
“This government is committed to rebuilding dentistry, but it will take time.
“We will start with an extra 700,000 urgent dentistry appointments to help those who need it most, and reform the dental contract to encourage more dentists to offer NHS services to patients.”
