THE government’s upcoming spending review will either “sink or save” NHS dentistry, the British Dental Association (BDA) warned today.

An analysis by the group found that a decade of austerity funding has left practices effectively subsidising NHS care with private work worth around £332 million annually.

A new NHS patient exam loses a typical practice £7.69 and a denture £42.60, it said.

The association criticised the last government’s strategy of replacing investment with patient charges and said industry leaders fear Labour may do the same.

The BDA said the Treasury wants to see existing budgets spent before committing new funds.

But it warned unsustainable funding levels are fuelling these underspends, as practices cannot fill vacancies because they cannot offer competitive pay and often fail to break even on some treatments.

After a public accounts committee meeting on the effectiveness of the government’s plans to fix NHS dentistry yesterday, the BDA said the Treasury “appeared to be guiding each of the witnesses” from NHS England and Department of Health. 

It added that while officials spoke of commissioning “additional activity,” they sidestepped talk of new investment.

BDA general dental practice committee chairman Shiv Pabary said: “The people that could give NHS dentistry a future didn’t give evidence today, but their Treasury talking points were there for all to hear. 

“Until the accountants step aside, health ministers and their most senior officials will not have the headroom to save this service.”

He added: “The coming spending review will either sink or save NHS dentistry.”

A Toothless in England spokesperson said: “Over a long period of time, we have seen a pattern of successive UK governments purposefully controlling NHS dentistry’s decline. 

“NHS dental practices have closed as a result of the failed NHS dental contract and a real-terms cut in funding for NHS dentistry. 

“HM Treasury needs to stop prevaricating and release the monies needed to fully fund NHS dentistry.” 

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This government inherited a situation where NHS dentistry is broken after years of neglect. We are committed to rebuilding it, but it will take time.

“We are starting with an extra 700,000 urgent dentistry appointments to help those who need it most – with new NHS planning guidance instructing trusts to start working up plans to deliver them as soon as possible.

“We will also reform the dental contract to encourage more dentists to offer NHS services to patients and introduce supervised tooth brushing for three-to-five year-olds in the most deprived communities.”