At Business Questions on the 20th April, Wera Hobhouse, the Lib Dem MP for Bath, put to the Government that their dentistry reforms have done absolutely nothing to adequately increase capacity.

The British Dental Association says that the Government has never attempted to collect data on the workload of NHS dentists or how much time they spend on private and NHS patients. Bath’s MP asked the Government to explain why they are not collecting this important data properly in the middle of an NHS dentistry crisis.

The Liberal Democrats have revealed the extent of the crisis. There has been a sharp increase in the number of ‘dental deserts’. Six in ten areas have seen a rise in the number of people per dentist since 2019. Some areas have over 3,000 people per NHS dentist leaving people struggling to get an appointment. 

This lack of capacity in the system is having a real effect on patient outcomes and quality of care. The latest figures show that fewer than one in two children saw an NHS dentist in the last year, while just over one third of adults saw an NHS dentist in the last two years.

A poll commissioned by the Liberal Democrats last year revealed a staggering one in five (21%) people who failed to get an NHS dentist appointment in the past year turned to DIY dentistry.

In response to the MP for Bath’s question, the Leader of the House said that the Government was continuing to try and address the crisis but gave no explanation as to why vital data was not being collected which would show the further extent of the issues. She only said the Health Secretary was collecting more data and using it in a way that had not been done previously.

Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, commented: 

“A complete neglect of the NHS by the Government has hobbled dentistry capacity. Many cannot get timely dentist appointments and it is causing immense difficulties in people's lives. 

“I have heard from numerous distraught constituents who, despite all their efforts, are simply unable to access affordable dentistry for themselves or their family members. Dentists who had been committed to delivering their services under the NHS are being forced out because their situation is untenable.

“No one should be having to resort to desperate measures like DIY dentistry because the Government has failed to encourage more dentists to take on NHS patients. This whole shambles is a disgrace.

“What is worse is that Ministers do not even seem interested in solving this crisis. They will not even collect the appropriate data so that they know the extent of the problems. 

“The Government needs to get a grip, stop tinkering around the edges, and institute wholesale and effective reform in the dental system to get people the care they deserve.” Mrs Hobhouse told the Leader of the House, Penny Mordaunt, that the Government’s “boasting” about its dentistry reforms is completely unfounded. She outlined that the Government’s claim that 500 new dentists are practising in the NHS is masking how ineffective the reforms are. Currently, over 500 dentists are doing just one NHS check-up a year.