According to a BBC investigation, teachers have asked charities to take on the responsibility of providing dental care for schoolchildren in response to a BBC investigation that found teachers have asked for the government to speed up the reform of NHS dentistry.
Due to the lack of NHS care, teachers at Trinity Academy Grammar in Calderdale turned to their local authority, which arranged for the charity Dentaid to assess and treat their pupils.
The children in this group have had no access to dental care since the pandemic began, which adversely impacts their health. There have already been 80 children treated by the charity for decayed and cracked teeth, as well as abscesses, during a two-week stay.
It is estimated that over 40 million NHS appointments have been lost in England alone since lockdown began – equivalent to a year’s worth of dentistry in normal circumstances – including 12,5 million children’s appointments.
Dentists warn that the ongoing disruptions to public health programmes and dental services mean that oral health inequalities are likely to widen, requiring patients to undergo more extensive, time-consuming and expensive services.
Among young children, tooth decay has long been the leading cause of hospitalisation.
British Dental Association Chair Eddie Crouch said:
“We salute these volunteers, but this isn’t the Victorian era. A wealthy 21st century nation shouldn’t be relying on charities to provide basic healthcare to our children.
“Schools can see how crucial access to dentistry is, with children struggling to eat, sleep and study. Ministers really need to learn lessons from these teachers about the importance of oral health.
“NHS dentistry is on its last legs. Overstretched, underfunded and facing an unprecedented backlog many dentists have reached the end of their tether. One-off visits to playgrounds risk becoming the new normal unless the government steps up.”
From 1 April 2022 NHS dentists in England are now working to an imposed target of 95% of pre-COVID activity, effectively amounting to a return to ‘business as usual’ while dental teams continue to be subject to pandemic restrictions. Nearly 1000 dentists left the NHS in England last year, a trend now set to go into overdrive given current pressures.
The BDA has called on the Government to recognise the urgency, set a date for breaking from the current failed system, and provide the necessary resources to underpin the rebuild and reform of the service.
