Sussex MP welcomes NHS dentistry reforms

Patients are to benefit from improved access to dental care under changes announced by NHS England.
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Reforms to the dental contract – the first in 16 years – mean NHS dentists will be paid more for treating more complex cases, such as people who need three fillings or more.

Dental therapists will also be able to accept patients for NHS treatments, providing fillings, sealants, preventative care for adults and children, which will free up dentists’ time for urgent and complex cases.

Arundel and South Downs MP Andrew GriffithArundel and South Downs MP Andrew Griffith
Arundel and South Downs MP Andrew Griffith
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To make services more accessible for people, dentists must update the NHS website and directory of services so patients can easily find the availability of dentists in their local area.

The reforms will ensure that dentists, who are operating at full capacity for the first time in two years, will be able to recover dental services following the impact of the pandemic.

Arundel & South Downs MP Andrew Griffith welcomed the announcement and said: "The reforms to NHS dentistry is welcome news, especially to the many constituents who have written to me about the difficulties they have faced to access a local NHS dentist. This was an issue I raised on their behalf with NHS England.

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“In March I welcomed the announcement of £50million funding across England to support the delivery of 350,000 additional dental appointments but it only went part of the way to fixing the problem. I hope that those who need an NHS dentist will now find it easier to choose one which is near to where they live. I will continue to be a champion for rural services."