In response

Mark Spencer, NHS Alliance co-chair, and GP at Mount View Practice in Fleetwood, commented:

“NHS Alliance agrees the NHS dental health system is unfit for purpose. Dentistry needs to be much more a part of the multidisciplinary primary care landscape, and also needs to have a larger role in out of hospital urgent care. If we are truly serious about improving out of hospital care then there must be increased funding for all primary care providers, including dentistry, to create an integrated care service.

“As with many health inequalities, tooth decay is generally more common in deprived areas. One factor undoubtedly revolves around parenting and poor diet, but also there is a lack of access to dental care. This is a major problem facing many people, but especially those in deprived areas. It is important we prioritise development and extra resource for areas of greatest deprivation, and NHS Alliance will continue to work with disadvantaged communities in 2016, sharing best practice and celebrating good leadership from across primary care.