The National Audit Office has criticized the government’s dental recovery plan, stating that it is failing to address the deepening crisis in NHS dental care. Patient groups have expressed concern over the lack of access to treatment and the impact on public health. The plan, which aimed to provide an extra 1.5 million treatments in England this year, has fallen short due to a decrease in the number of dentists doing NHS work and the limited number of people receiving help. The promised new mobile dental vans and incentives for dentists to work in shortage areas have not been delivered as expected.
The NAO report highlights that the plan is not on track to deliver the additional courses of treatment, and even if it did, the NHS would still be offering significantly fewer treatments compared to pre-pandemic levels. There are growing concerns about “dental deserts” where NHS care is unavailable, leading to patients attempting DIY dentistry due to lack of access and affordability issues. The patient premium and increased payments to dentists have not shown the expected results in terms of new patient appointments and additional treatments.
The Patients Association and Oral Health Foundation have voiced their dismay over the state of NHS dentistry, with calls for urgent government intervention. Labour ministers are working on their own plan to improve access to dental care, including introducing supervised tooth-brushing for young children. The government has pledged to take steps to rebuild dentistry and improve access to NHS dental care through additional urgent appointments and reforms to the dental contract.
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