Somerset dentist says NHS children’s dentistry is slipping backwards

A dentist has warned that modern treatment is “sliding backwards” as new data reveals thousands of children have been unable to get NHS appointments.

John Watt, a dentist in Somerset, says children are coming in with “rotten teeth and serious infections” because of a lack of investment in the dental sector.

The House of Commons Library research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, shows that 64,350 children in Somerset did not see an NHS dentist in the past year. The Lib Dems want to see an emergency plan for NHS dentistry, incl utilization of unallocated funding and abolition of VAT on children’s toothbrushes.

The NHS says it “prioritises children’s dental health through preventative programmes”.

The NHS recommends that people under the age of 18 have a dental check-up at least once a year because their teeth can wear down more quickly. NHS dental care for children is free.

Despite this advice, Mr Watt says: ‘Patients are getting to the point where they could get sepsis or have trouble breathing.

“Essentially, if left untreated, they would probably die. As a first world country, we should not be facing these problems in our day and age.

“We are definitely getting to the point where we are slipping backwards in terms of how modern our dentistry is, especially in rural areas like Somerset.”

Hayley Wyatt, from Taunton, says her dental practice recently switched to private due to financial pressures, leaving her to pay for her 12-year-old son’s appointments.

“I completely understand that there are important issues in our NHS, but I think the amount of money [private practices] The charges are extortionate,” he said.

“My main concern is that children will suffer. They can’t make that choice to take care of their oral hygiene, they can’t decide to go to the dentist on their own.

“Their parents have to take them and their parents have to pay. There are going to be people who can’t afford to do that, and that’s where we’re going to see some major issues.”

According to the British Dental Association (BDA), public spending on dentistry in England has fallen by more than a third over the past decade.

Dentists are now calling for properly funded NHS dentistry, an end to NHS contracts, which dentists say provide care to some patients often costs them more than they receive to provide it – so many they choose to proceed to private individuals – and a rearrangement of the system, with prevention at its core.

Lib Dem MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, Sarah Dyke, says: “The NHS used to be the envy of the world.

“People are suffering from dental anxiety. The new government must make fixing local health services like dentistry here in Somerset a top priority.”

An NHS spokesman said: “Like many areas, Somerset faces significant challenges in the provision of NHS dental services, including funding constraints, workforce shortages and dissatisfaction with the current dental contract.

“While we work to address these issues, we prioritize children’s dental health through preventive programs.”

They said these initiatives included supervised brushing in primary schools and comprehensive oral health education for new parents through health visitors.

The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.