NHS dentistry is rotting. Will the plan to fix it work?

---

Here’s a summary of the key points from the text you provided:

– The percentage of people using private dentistry increased sharply from 22% in 2023.
– Access to complex dental care on the NHS has become much harder in England over the past decade.
– Routine NHS examinations fell by 6%.
– The number of root canal procedures dropped by 49%.
– Many NHS dentists avoid root canal treatments because the current contract system pays poorly for the time and complexity required.
– Patients sometimes must choose between removing a tooth on the NHS or paying privately to save it with specialist root canal work.
– The NHS dental contract system (introduced in 2006) pays dentists via “Units of Dental Activity” (UDAs), a points system not based on individual treatments or time.
– This can result in dentists receiving equal pay for very different workloads.
– The British Dental Association (BDA) and dentists criticize the system as unfair and unfit for purpose.
– Government spending on NHS dentistry in England has declined after inflation is factored in, despite population growth and increased needs.
– The Labour government plans to:
– Increase spending by £350 million yearly by reinvesting funds from underperforming contracts.
– Recruit more overseas dentists and expand dental school places.
– Modify the UDA system to add payments for complex and preventative treatments.
– Require dental practices to set aside 8% of their NHS contract for emergency care to improve urgent access.
– Some practitioners, like those at St Pauls dental surgery in Bristol, are skeptical, fearing changes are “piecemeal” and might reduce routine and preventive care availability.
– Other UK nations have different systems:
– Scotland and Northern Ireland pay dentists per individual treatment.
– Wales is scrapping the UDA system, introducing patient charges for non-exempt individuals and paying dentists hourly.
– Private dentistry is booming but expensive, and some, like Connor from Sheffield, face high fees or must seek treatment abroad.
– The UK competition watchdog has launched a review into private dentistry to ensure it serves consumers well.

If you want, I can also help with specific questions, analysis, or creating infographics based on this content

Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More

---