Welsh Government’s ‘access boost’

Under plans announced July 27, 2022, the Welsh Government is suggesting that moves to ensure healthier patients receive less frequent check-ups will enhance access. However, this ignores the fact that most dentists already extend the recall interval where they feel it will not harm patient wellbeing. NICE guidance, in place for 18 years, has advocated recall intervals from every three months to two years, and these guidelines are not changing.

BDA Wales has also stressed that a high proportion of patients across Wales will require more frequent appointments under this same guidance, given the high levels of unmet need in the nation’s most deprived communities. It has sought clarity on the methodology underpinning the claimed potential ‘boost’, suggesting the numbers have been designed to generate headlines, rather than reflecting public health data and patient need.