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Truth or hyperbole: Will NHS dentistry be ‘gone for good' without radical action?

BDJ In Practice volume 37, page 44 (2024)Cite this article

On 19 December 2023, the Nuffield Trust published its report ‘Bold action or slow decay? The state of NHS dentistry and future policy actions'.1 It identified that NHS-funded dental services in England are in near-terminal decline: ‘nearly six million fewer courses of NHS dental treatment were provided last year than in the pre-pandemic year; funding in 2021/22 was over £500m lower in real terms than in 2014/15; and there are widespread problems in accessing a dentist', the report read.

It continued, stating that ‘even with extensive contract reform and the full use of new groups of staff, restoring universal access would cost billions each year', much of which would pay for care that people are currently getting privately. It calls for an urgent imperative to provide enough access for a basic core service for children, older people and those who cannot afford private care. This would mean ‘removing some of the rights to NHS services which people currently enjoy in theory - but usually go without in reality'.

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References

  1. Williams W, Fisher E, Edwards N. Bold action or slow decay? The state of NHS dentistry and future policy actions. Policy briefing, Nuffield Trust, 2023. Available at: www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/research/bold-action-or-slow-decay-the-state-of-nhs-dentistry-and-future-policy-actions (accessed January 2024).

  2. Tidman S. UK dentistry: a timeline of events 1920-2020 - Part 1: 1920-1946. Br Dent J 2023; 235: 273-277.

  3. Tidman, S. UK dentistry: a timeline of events 1920-2020 - Part 2: 1946-1993. Br Dent J 2023; 235: 335-343.

  4. Tidman, S. UK dentistry: a timeline of events 1920-2020 - Part 3: 1993-2020. Br Dent J 2023; 235: 411-419.

  5. Nuffield Trust. Press release: NHS dentistry: A cautionary tale of crisis and opportunity. Available online at: www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/nhs-dentistry-a-cautionary-tale-of-crisis-and-opportunity (accessed January 2024).

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  1. BDJ In Practice, London, United Kingdom

    David Westgarth

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  1. David Westgarth
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Correspondence to David Westgarth.

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Westgarth, D. Truth or hyperbole: Will NHS dentistry be ‘gone for good' without radical action?. BDJ In Pract 37, 44 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41404-024-2630-0

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