The BDA has warned that with the ageing population and a surge in long-term chronic conditions, the dental workforce in England faces a sustainability crisis.
According to the professional body, a workforce survey indicates nearly a third (29 per cent) of community dentists in England are contemplating retirement within the next five years.
Giten Dabhi, chair of the BDA’s England Community Dental Services Committee, said, “Community dentists care for the nation’s most vulnerable patients, but demand is vastly outstripping supply.
“Undervalued and overstretched, a shrinking workforce is struggling to meet the pressures placed upon it. For too long the mantra has been ‘do more with less’, and the government has a moral duty to turn the page.
“We still have an opportunity to future proof this service. But we simply cannot go on as we are.”
The BDA has set out to celebrate the unique contribution of these dentists, offering a vision for community dentistry with an ambition to prove the vital and often poorly understood service in the future.
The association said transparency is needed over workforce numbers and service waiting times, stating there must be a real investment into these services.