05 October 2023 , 16:00
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An extra 700,000 emergency dental appointments will be funded as part of Labour plans to "rescue NHS dentistry".
Labour leader Keir Starmer unveiled the plan to prevent more "horror stories of DIY dentistry" alongside introducing supervised toothbrushing in schools. The NHS dental contract will be reformed and dentists will be incentivised to work in poorer areas where there is greatest need.
In his first policy announcement ahead of the party's annual conference in Liverpool, Mr Starmer said: "People are finding it impossible to get an NHS dentist when they need one, with appalling consequences. Horror stories of DIY dentistry are too frequent. My Labour government will not stand for millions of people being denied basic healthcare.
“To rescue dentistry from the immediate crisis, we will provide 700,000 more appointments a year to those in the most urgent need, recruit more dentists to areas with the most severe shortages, and protect children’s teeth."
The plan centres on 700,000 more urgent appointments such as fillings and root canal being funded by Government. New analysis of patient survey data suggests that 4.75 million people were denied an appointment with an NHS dentist in the past two years.
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Figures show millions were either told no appointments were available or that the practice they contacted was not taking on new patients. It comes amid a series of stories about patients in pain who yank out their own teeth with pliers or string.
Labour also plans to reform the hated NHS dental contract which dentists say provides perverse incentives, so that the most high-needs patients are least welcome. Dentists can be paid the same for doing one filling as they are for five, meaning they can make a loss on those needing lots of treatment.
Mr Starmer added: "My mission-led government will always do more than fix the basics. We will reform the dental contract to rebuild the service in the long-run, so NHS dentistry is there for all who need it.”
Labour's plan will cost £111million a year, which Labour said would come from abolishing the non-dom tax status.
Shawn Charlwood, general dental chair of the British Dental Association, said: “We’re seeing patients in pain reach for pliers because of choices made in Westminster. These access problems are not inevitable, and giving dentists the time and the resources will make a real difference. Labour has recognised the scale of this crisis. NHS dentistry is hanging by a thread and every party has a moral responsibility to set out a plan.”
It comes after a damning report by the Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee, published in July, which indicated more people were pulling out their own teeth at home as they could not access NHS services. The review included a YouGov poll of 2,104 people across the UK conducted in March 2023, in which 10% admitted to attempting "DIY dentistry".
Experts have called for urgent change to NHS dentistry after figures revealed the number of patients being seen remained well below pre-pandemic levels.