Decay in NHS Dentistry

The state of the nation's mouths has come under the spotlight again this month as many prominent dentistry specialists highlighted failings in the NHS in an open letter to the Telegraph Newspaper.

Headed by Prosthodontics Specialist, Dr Anthony Kilcoyne, the letter was signed by dozens more dentists who supported its damning claims that 'The NHS dentistry service in England is unfit for purpose'.

When Public Health Data figures were published in September 2013, figures showed a high level of improvement in the UK according to Dentistry.co.uk. The open letter published recently in the Telegraph is clearly a backlash by dental experts who question these findings based on their own professional experiences.

According to official data, 'Between 2008 and 2012 the numbers of five year old children who were decay free increased by approximately 10% and access to NHS dentistry has increased by over 1.2mllion since 2010'.  

In stark contrast to the report, the letter penned by Dr Kilcoyne shockingly states that 'Nearly half of all adults walk around with deep gum problems in their mouths'.  The author also notes that rotten teeth is the third most common reason for children occupying a hospital bed.

Fearing a disaster in NHS dentistry, dental professionals backing the open letter are concerned we may see a mis-management scandal on the scale of the Mid-Staffordshire hospital case and were keen to speak out to raise awareness with the public.

If you would like to discuss any of the points raised above or would simply like to discuss matters with an experienced dental solicitor please call our team on 0161 720 7200, email us via enq@rosslegal.co.uk or complete the form on the right and we'll call you back.

Ross Legal

Dental Solicitors

Salford, Manchester, National

Tel; 0161 720 7200