A task force is being set up to tackle Plymouth’s growing dental crisis, following a commitment from the new council administration.
There are currently over 21,000 people in the city waiting for an NHS dentist. This is an increase of nearly 120 per cent over the past five years.
One of the priorities of the new administration is to set up a cross-party, Dental Task Force, bringing together key stakeholders and NHS Leaders from across the city to discuss what can be done to improve dental provision in Plymouth. The three local MPs have also been invited to join.
Councillor Mary Aspinall, cabinet member for health and adult social care at Plymouth City Council, said, “It is shocking that there are no NHS dentists taking new patients in Plymouth. There are thousands of people who are not able to get an appointment.
“Many people simply can’t afford to pay huge sums for a private clinician, and why should they? This means that without regular dental care, they are at greater risk of tooth decay, gum disease or, in some cases, mouth cancers going undiagnosed. Why should people live in pain when there are local solutions to this issue?
“We are already seeing the impact of this on our children’s health. Over the past year, over 600 local children have, between them, had over 4,000 teeth removed. This is not acceptable, particularly as it is entirely preventable and ends up costing the health system approximately £ 1 million per year.
“Put simply, this cannot go on.”
There are a number of oral health improvement projects that are being delivered in Plymouth, including a supervised tooth-brushing scheme for children, a fluoride varnish scheme and a first dental steps programme.
At the same time, there is a significant amount of local NHS underspend for dental care, around £7 million across Devon as a whole each year. If this money isn’t spent, it is simply returned to NHS England.
The new task force will work with NHS partners across Devon to consider if this unspent money can be used to provide more services in the city and what more can be done to improve access to these services.
Mary added, “The time for posturing is over. We need action. We need to increase access to urgent and emergency dental care, we need to improve access to services for the most vulnerable children and adults and those with complex needs, and we need to expand current oral health improvement initiatives.
“We know that there is funding available to make some significant changes. We need decisive action to make sure that it is spent in the right way, making the biggest difference to those who most need it.”