Brits Resorting To DIY Dental Treatments

Tue, 16 Oct 2007

People who can't get access to an NHS dentist in England are being forced to go without treatment or even resorting to pulling out their own teeth, a new survey has revealed.

The survey found that 20 per cent of the 5,212 patients polled had refused treatment because of high costs, while 6 per cent had treated themselves at some point.

Roughly a quarter stated they receive private treatment – mostly due to the lack of NHS dentists in their areas – while half of the patients, whether NHS or private, admitted to being confused about the new dental charges.

The survey, carried out by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health, also included the views of 750 dentists, of which 84 per cent said the new contract had failed to improve access to NHS services for patients .

One patient from Lancashire said they had been forced to remove 14 of their own teeth with pliers as they were unable to get professional treatment, with others adding that they had even used glue to fix broken crowns .

Sharon Grant, chairwoman of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health, commented: "These findings indicate that the NHS dental system is letting many patients down very badly. It appears many are being forced to go private because they don't want to lose their current trusted and respected dentist or because they just can't find a local NHS dentist ."

"Where NHS dental services are available, people are happy with the quality of treatment provided but many find the NHS fee system confusing and expensive, with some patients taking out loans to pay for treatment or more worryingly taking matters into their own hands," she added.

Susie Sanderson, chair of the British Dental Association's Executive Board, said: "The new contract has done nothing to improve access for patients and failed to allow dentists to deliver the kind of modern, preventive treatment they want to give."

However, a Department of Health spokesperson responded to the NHS criticism by claiming that there are currently 21,000 dentists in the UK that provide NHS services and that the survey reflected a very narrow view of NHS dentistry as a whole.
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