Families with disabled children are being let down by a lack of information about dental services, according to a new report from national charity Contact a Family.

The report, Open Wide?, found that the main information providers, such as primary care trusts and NHS Direct, were unable to give families correct information for the Community Dental Service. As a result, many were forced to track down the best treatment options for their child themselves. However, once families were able to access care, most were happy with the treatment their child received. The report found that 16% of parents had been unable to find a dentist to take their child as a regular NHS patient, 19% had problems finding an NHS dentist who was sympathetic to the needs of disabled children and 7% had to let their child go without treatment because they were unable to find an NHS dentist and could not afford to pay.

The survey highlighted for that many families with disabled children, accessing care at high street dental practices was simply not feasible, due to the requirement of specially adapted dental chairs and other equipment. Families seeking an NHS dentist to treat their disabled child therefore turned to the Salaried Primary Dental Care Service, which was experiencing increased vacancies in many areas leading to a patchy service for many disabled children.

Jill Harrison, Director of External Affairs for Contact a Family and author of the report, said, “Although the families we spoke to were largely satisfied with the treatment their child had received, many had experienced difficulty in finding out what services were available and where. There are also significant problems with funding of the Salaried Primary Dental Care Service, leading to severe recruitment and retention problems. Serious investment is urgently needed if it is not to be completely overwhelmed.”

The organisation also called for disability awareness training for all dental care professionals, and for special care dentistry to be elevated to specialist status with the General Dental Council in order to create a skilled workforce with a specialist training pathway. Contact a Family is a national organisation that provides support, advice and information for families with disabled children. For more information or a summary of the report visit www.cafamily.org.uk.