Over 52,000 urgent dental appointments are being made available for Londoners as the Government rolls out 700,000 extra slots nationwide in an effort to address the UK’s dentistry crisis.
Thousands of patients across the capital will gain access to emergency dental care as part of a nationwide initiative aimed at pulling NHS dentistry back from what has been described as a “Dickensian state of affairs.”
NHS dentistry ‘on its knees’
Health Secretary Wes Streeting recently told the Commons that NHS dentistry is “on death’s door” and pledged to resolve the crisis “as fast as we can.”
However, leading figures within the dental profession have criticised the Government’s response, arguing that ministers should have taken action last summer. The British Dental Association (BDA) has pointed out that the additional appointments amount to just two extra slots per month for each NHS dentist—far from what is required to tackle the severe backlog.
Figures from the BDA suggest that as many as 13 million people in England—equivalent to one in four adults—are unable to access NHS dental care. In London alone, one in five patients has been unable to secure an appointment over the past two years, according to last year’s GP patient survey.
Patients resorting to DIY dentistry
Health Minister Stephen Kinnock has described harrowing cases of patients resorting to pulling out their own teeth due to a lack of available care.
“One dentist was telling me about a man he knows who had to remove two of his own teeth with a pair of pliers,” Mr Kinnock revealed. “It’s excruciating to think of the pain that must have caused, and the heartbreaking situation you have to be in to be forced to do DIY dentistry.”
He added: “No civilised society should be seeing the level of unmet need for NHS dentistry that we are currently facing.”
The lack of NHS appointments has also led to a shocking rise in child hospital admissions for tooth extractions. “The biggest cause of hospital admissions among five-to-nine-year-olds is the need to have rotten teeth removed. That is frankly a Dickensian state of affairs, and it’s shameful,” Mr Kinnock said.
‘A big step in the right direction’
The minister insisted that tackling the crisis is a top priority for the Government, Prime Minister, and Health Secretary.
“The rollout of these 52,000 extra urgent dental appointments for Londoners is a big step in the right direction,” he said.
Patients experiencing severe pain, infections, or broken teeth will be prioritised, and additional appointments will begin from April. The initiative is particularly focused on so-called “dental deserts,” areas where NHS dentistry has become almost non-existent.
To access the appointments, patients are advised to contact their NHS practice or call NHS 111 if they do not have a regular dentist.
Addressing the root of the problem
The Government is also pushing forward with its commitment to introduce supervised tooth-brushing programmes in primary schools across deprived areas of England.
Mr Kinnock said: “We are in a crazy situation where demand for NHS dentistry is through the roof, yet in recent years, there has been an underspend on NHS dental contracts.”
He added that new measures, including financial incentives, are being introduced to recruit and retain NHS dentists in hard-to-reach areas. This includes a £20,000 “golden hello” for dentists who agree to work in regions struggling with staff shortages.
Calls for more action
Despite the Government’s announcement, industry experts remain sceptical.
Jason Wong, Chief Dental Officer for England, acknowledged that “too many people experience difficulties in accessing NHS dental services” and that more must be done to improve access.
More Read
Meanwhile, Shiv Pabary, chairman of the BDA’s general dental practice committee, described the initiative as “progress,” but argued that it does not go far enough.
“The Government could have fired the starting gun on commissioning urgent care last summer,” he said. “These extra appointments will only translate into about two additional slots per NHS dentist per month. Ministers must now confront the failed contract that has left millions with no options.”
The Government’s announcement also comes in the wake of alarming new data, which revealed that in some areas, up to 60% of children have decayed teeth by the age of five. The statistics also highlighted stark regional disparities, with children in deprived areas far more likely to suffer from dental decay compared to those in wealthier regions.
The road ahead
While the announcement of additional appointments has been welcomed as a step in the right direction, experts agree that a long-term solution is needed to overhaul the NHS dentistry system and ensure fair access to care.
As the Government works to rebuild NHS dentistry, patients across London and the wider UK will be watching closely to see whether these measures mark the beginning of real change—or merely a temporary fix to an ongoing crisis.
