Time To Fill The Gaps In NHS Dentistry

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 16 Jun 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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Which? is challenging the belief that it's impossible to get an appointment with an NHS dentist as its new research shows that nine out of 10 people* who have tried in the last two years were, in fact, able to get one.

Nevertheless, the consumer champion says it is unacceptable that 3 million people in England** tried but were unable to get an NHS appointment in the last two years. A further 4.5 million people*** have stopped trying to find an NHS dentist, having had problems in the past. Which? wants the Government to make filling the remaining gaps in NHS access an urgent priority.

Since the NHS doesn't know where these gaps are, Which? has developed an online dentist finder to help and is calling on consumers who have had problems getting an appointment to try again. Anyone who still can't find an NHS dentist after using the dentist finder can tell Which? so that it can pinpoint areas where access is still a problem.

Helen McCallum, Which? Director of Policy and Communications, says:

"The common belief is that NHS dentists are as rare as hens' teeth, but it's not nearly as difficult to find one as most people think.

"We hope our online dentist finder will help the NHS to pinpoint the trouble spots so that not only can they help the millions of people without a dentist, but so we can start to clear up the misconception that NHS dentists are almost impossible to find. If we can identify the problem Trusts, there will be no excuse for the Government not to act, clear up these few areas and, crucially, the perception that if you're lucky enough to find an NHS dentist, you should hold on for dear life!"

As well as solving remaining access problems, Which? wants greater clarity on what dental services are available on the NHS, steps to improve the public's trust in dental services and more education about oral health.

Notes

* Which? conducted a quantitative survey of 2,631 adults aged 16+ in England using a general public online access panel between 19th January and 4th February 2009. (A total of 3,053 were interviewed, including the other 3 nations). In our survey, 68 per cent of people had tried to make an appointment with an NHS dentist in the past 2 years. Of these, 88 per cent were successful.

** In our survey, 8% of the sample had tried to get an NHS dental appointment in the past two years but were unsuccessful. The 3 million figure is a simple estimate that multiplies the number of adults aged 16+ in England (from ONS 2007 mid-population estimates) by the percentage from the survey: 41 million x 8%. A 95% confidence interval on this calculation gives a value between 2.8 million and 3.6 million, with a mid point of 3.2 million (rounded to 3 million).

***7% of our sample had gone private the last time they went to the dentist in the past two years with one of their reasons being that they couldn't find an NHS dentist to take them on but had not tried to get an NHS appointment in the past two years. A further 4% had had not been to the dentist at all in the past two years with one of their reasons being that they couldn't get an NHS appointment or couldn't find an NHS dentist in their area, but had also not tried to get an NHS appointment in the past two years. These two groups combined make up 11% of the sample. Using the same calculation as above gives a value between 4 and 5 million, with a mid point of 4.5 million.

The Government recently initiated an independent review of NHS dentistry in England, which is being led by Professor Jimmy Steele of the University of Newcastle. In its submission to the Review, Which? set out the following changes it wants the Government to deliver:

- Finding an NHS dentist, in a convenient location, becomes easy for everybody
- It is made clear what dental services people have a right to receive on the NHS and what the prices are
- The quality of every dentist's work is checked regularly
- National targets for dental check up attendance are set and met
- Advice is provided to help people take better care of their teeth

Source
WHICH