Dental care is a necessity, not an afterthought

Dentistry has always been something of a ‘Cinderella sector’ in healthcare discussions: often talked about, but rarely given its due priority.

Even now, with NHS nurse and ambulance strikes dominating the headlines, the accompanying (and equally severe) crisis in UK dentistry has received only marginal coverage in comparison. This is a serious blind spot, especially given that the effects of poor oral health tend to stretch far beyond the mouth.

Indeed, the role of the mouth as ‘the gateway to the body’ is widely recognised in clinical practice. Our teeth and gums can give us an insight into whole-body health issues. And it is a two-way street: wider health problems manifest in the mouth, whilst poor oral health has a knock-on effect in the wider body.