‘Crisis looming’ over access to NHS dentistry in East Sussex

There is a crisis looming over the lack of public access to NHS dentistry treatment in East Sussex, a health watchdog has warned.
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Healthwatch East Sussex said that if the crisis was not addressed, it would lead to increases in undiagnosed oral cancer, declining oral health for people on low incomes and increased demand on A&E.

An investigation by JPIMedia has revealed that, even before coronavirus, dentistry was facing unprecedented challenges on multiple fronts including issues with access, huge numbers of people going to A&E with dental problems and rocketing rates of mouth cancer.

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But the pandemic has made the situation substantially worse.

A crisis is looming, a watchdog has warned. Photo: ShutterstockA crisis is looming, a watchdog has warned. Photo: Shutterstock
A crisis is looming, a watchdog has warned. Photo: Shutterstock

Healthwatch East Sussex said it spoke to the NHS dental helpline on November 17 and was told that no dentists were accepting new NHS patients in Kent or Sussex at the moment, and that this was unlikely to change before Christmas.

They were advised that temporary DIY filling kits were available from pharmacies or supermarkets for cracks or holes in teeth.

The NHS dental helpline said it was offering telephone consultations in some circumstances, the watchdog said.

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A spokesman for Healthwatch East Sussex said: “There is a crisis looming over the lack of public access to NHS dentistry treatment in East Sussex.

“If not addressed, this will lead to increases in undiagnosed oral cancer, declining oral health for people on low incomes and increased demand on A&E.”

The spokesman said that part of the reason there was a particular problem accessing NHS treatment in Sussex is that it was a relatively affluent area, so dentists were encouraging more people to pay for treatment.

“The problem is that there are significant pockets of deprivation and increasing numbers of people on lower incomes due to the pandemic,” the spokesman said.

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Targets for NHS treatments are set nationally and are ‘currently very low’ at 20 per cent of pre pandemic levels, the spokesman said.

A survey by the British Dental Association of 12,000 members published last week shows that, on average, dentists are completing 33 per cent of treatments.

This suggests that dentists are prioritising and completing around 50 per cent of private treatments as a way of making up for lost income during the pandemic, the Healthwatch spokesman said.

The watchdog shared the story of a 62-year-old man in Eastbourne who has struggled to access an NHS dentist.

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He had not visited the dentist in a long time because of a bad experience, in which a broken drill got stuck in his tooth.

As a result, he had now lost a lot of teeth due to gum recession.

He said he ‘looked awful’ and said the situation was making him depressed, as it made him avoid socialising and he had difficulty eating.

He contacted nearly every dentist in Eastbourne but was told he could only be seen privately, at a cost of thousands of pounds, according to Healthwatch.

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NHS England also told him there were no dentists in the area taking on new patients.

The patient said: “This is a disgrace that in this country in 2020 I can’t get any dental treatment.

“Perhaps the NHS should pay for me to get private treatment if they can’t supply what they are supposed to do?

“In the end my health will just deteriorate and I’ll end up in hospital suffering from either severe depression or malnutrition and then perhaps someone will bother to take notice.”

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The NHS England contact centre told Healthwatch East Sussex that people should persevere in contacting dentist surgeries at this time, asking to be put on the waiting list for NHS patients where this is possible, the watchdog said.

They also suggested widening the geographical area searched and confirmed they were giving out contact details for surgeries 20 to 30 miles from people’s homes.

Eddie Crouch, chairman of the British Dental Association, said it was clear that dentistry was now grappling with an ‘existential crisis’.

“Access problems that were common pre-Covid are now the norm in every community,” he said. “Meanwhile, practices face a deeply uncertain future, as they try to balance tight restrictions, higher costs, and a collapse in patient numbers.”

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He called for a clear plan to keep services afloat and for real investment in prevention.

“We cannot risk a ‘new normal’ of care for the few and widening oral health inequalities,” he said.

A spokesperson for NHS England disputed the claim that people were struggling to get dental appointments, saying: “Nearly 25,000 dentists are offering NHS care – the highest number on record – and during the first wave of the pandemic, over 600 urgent dental centres were set up so patients could access the care they needed.

“Dental practices are open andare understandably prioritising urgent care alongside recalling patients to complete routine care.”

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Healthwatch East Sussex has launched a new campaign encouraging local people to ask questions about or share feedback on the health and care services they during the second lockdown – click here to find out more.

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