The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) dental service is facing an unprecedented crisis, causing thousands of people to live with constant oral pain and even dare not smile.
As the penetration rate of NHS dentistry continues to decline, more and more patients are in a dilemma of having no doctor to seek and being unable to afford private treatment.
In the “Dentistry for All” campaign, the Mirror, the British Dental Association and the petition platform 38 Degrees launched a petition that has received more than 260,000 signatures.
These signatories not only called on the government to save the NHS dental system, but also wrote to local MPs to tell their own personal experiences – some people barely survived on painkillers, some had to extract their own teeth, and some fell into despair because of the treatment costs of up to ￡14,000.
Sally Brudenell from North Dorset said she suffered from toothache for a long time but could not find a dentist. She wrote: “I have taken good care of my teeth for many years, but I am ashamed to smile because I can’t see a dentist.”
Lizzie Savage from Durham, a disabled former NHS nurse, wrote: “I have been pulling my own teeth for the past eight years. Eating has become a great challenge. I am just an ordinary nurse, not a professional dentist.”
Monica Finlay, 68, also told of her plight of not being able to afford private treatment and having only one loose tooth left. She said: “Dental treatment is almost impossible for working people nowadays. They can neither see NHS doctors nor afford private fees.”
Marquita Church, a 65-year-old mother from Cornwall, said that she and many low-income people over the age of 65 are losing all their teeth without any hope of getting dentures or other help.
Data shows that the NHS dental budget has remained at about ￡3 billion for 15 years, which is equivalent to a reduction of ￡1 billion in actual investment after taking inflation into account. This resource crunch has directly led to unmet dental needs for about 13 million people.
The latest poll shows that among those who cannot make an appointment with an NHS dentist, 26% will choose to deal with their dental problems themselves, and 19% will go abroad for treatment.
Letters from the public reveal great despair and anger. Jack Nkala from Cambridge described the area as a “dental desert” and he can only chew on one side of his jaw.
Sandra Keeling, a 78-year-old widow from Lancashire, said: “I had to pay ￡124 in advance for an appointment, which is a heavy burden on my tight budget.”
Some people can no longer afford the treatment costs. For example, David Beauchamp from Derbyshire spent ￡320 on dental treatment in Matlock, and now needs ￡1,750 for further treatment. He wrote: “I can only endure the pain or take the risk of extracting the tooth myself.” Julian Hughes, 65, is also a caregiver. He said: “I really can’t afford the ￡300 extraction fee. I don’t know what else to do.”
Not only are patients complaining, but dental clinics are also under tremendous pressure. A manager of a dental clinic in Durham said: “We receive 10 to 20 calls for help every day, but we can no longer accept new patients.”
He pointed out that some patients cannot start cancer treatment because they cannot obtain dental certificates; children’s dental health is deteriorating; and even patients with severe swelling can only go to the emergency room for help.
Many dental nurses and former medical staff also expressed their grief and anger. Jacqueline Keeley from Derbyshire, who has been practicing for 15 years and is now in her 70s, said: “I never thought that one day NHS dentistry would disappear.”
Roland Randall lost his teeth due to taking steroids. He was told that the cost of treatment was as high as ￡14,000. He wrote: “We must take action, otherwise more people will fall into the same predicament as me.”
The current situation of dentistry in the UK can no longer be ignored. Under the call of the whole people, people expect real reform – to ensure that everyone, regardless of age, occupation or income, can get basic oral health care.