Ministers urged to ‘level up’ NHS dentistry

New polling from the patient champion shows 41 per cent of adults are struggling to access care, with nearly half (49 per cent) saying that patient charge levels are unfair given the mounting cost of living. Data show the shortage of appointments is hitting those on low incomes the hardest, with the most affluent patients six times more likely to be able to pay for private care than their least affluent counterparts.

Around 3,000 dentists have left the NHS since the onset of the pandemic, an exodus fuelled by the discredited contract NHS dentists work to. Healthwatch has stressed a new system must be in place before formal responsibility for dental services passes to the 42 new Integrated Care Systems in April 2023, following the passage of the Health and Care Act.