A sugar tax should be introduced to make up for the critical shortfall in the budget for NHS dentistry if the government is serious about providing NHS dentistry for anyone who needs it, dentists heard today at the 2015 Conference of Local Dental Committees in London.
Addressing 300 dentists at the conference, the chair of the BDA's General Dental Practice Committee (GDPC), Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, said there is a huge mismatch between people’s demand for NHS treatment and dentists’ ability to deliver this care, when funding is limited to treating just over half of the population in England.
Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen said:
“The government is keen to promote preventive care, a laudable aim; however, dentistry seems to be the poor relation when it comes to the amount invested in treating current levels of disease, never mind the investment in prevention.
“Dentists want to treat more patients - and more patients want NHS care - but the profession's hands are tied by the fixed contracts allocated to them by the commissioners who buy dental care.
"The underfunded service only allows dentists to see 56 per cent of the population over a two year period so we need the sugar tax to increase this capacity so more people can be treated on the NHS.
“The widespread availability of cheap sugary foods and drinks is expanding the nation’s waistline and also rotting our teeth. It’s unacceptable that one in eight of our three year olds experience tooth decay, a preventable disease.
“A tax on sugar – the source of most tooth decay - would provide vital funding needed to treat disease now and invest in a prevention programme to ensure everyone benefits from good dental health.”
The GDPC Chair also reiterated his concerns about the Department of Health's unwillingness to let go of the discredited activity targets in the proposed remodelling of the dental contract that is underway.?