In March, the first oral health survey of five-year-olds published since lockdown showed there have been no improvements in decay levels and a widening gap between rich and poor. The British Dental Association has warned oral health inequality among the young is set to widen, with the lack of access disproportionately impact on lower income families.ĭata obtained by the professional body under Freedom of Information laws indicates over 15million appointments for children have been lost since lockdown, which is well over a year's worth of dentistry in normal times. 'It just shows this Conservative government has run our local health services into the ground.' 'But for far too many parents, getting an NHS dentist appointment for your child has become almost impossible. Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse, who commissioned the research, commented: 'We know that regular dentist appointments are crucial to prevent tooth decay among children.
It is also calling for additional resources for mobile dental clinics to visit schools and the removal of VAT on children's toothbrushes and toothpaste. The Liberal Democrats are calling for an emergency rescue plan for NHS dentistry including spending the estimated £400million of funding that went unspent in the last financial year to boost the number of appointments. We need a rescue plan now to ensure families across the country can get an NHS dentist appointment when they need one.' 'These figures must act as a wake-up call. Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: 'It is disgraceful that millions of children are going without the dental care they need, while others are waiting years in pain for treatment. The other longest waits were at Frimley Health (two years and 62 days), Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals (two years three days), University Hospitals Dorset (720 days) and Barts Health NHS trust (700 days). One child was waiting 945 days, or over two and a half years, for dental treatment at Sheffield Children's Hospital.
0 kommentar(er)
