Sykes says that none of his friends in his graduating class in dentistry still works in the NHS. “My friends have gone private, retired or teach – any pathway to avoid NHS dentistry.”
Shiv Pabary, chair of the British Dental Association’s General Dental Practice Committee, says the situation is “the direct result of choices made by successive governments”. He warns that unless ministers “fix and fund NHS dentistry”, more dentists could choose to reduce their NHS work or leave the service altogether.
Overall dentist practice numbers have risen in England over the last decade.
“This is not a shortage of dentistry but a shortage of NHS dentistry,” says Dayan. “Practices will need to be incentivised back into NHS work in the places where the NHS footprint has thinned most.”
While most parts of England recorded declines in practices offering NHS dental care, the reductions were smallest in North West London, the Black Country and North East London.
North East London was the only area to see any increase during the period, recording one additional practice offering NHS treatment compared with a decade ago.
Every other region of England saw the number of NHS dental practices fall.
Looking at the number of practices doing NHS work is not the same as looking at exactly how much health service capacity there is – practices can vary in size. But if you look at other measures such as the amount of treatment being done, the numbers are still down, although not as steep as the fall in practice numbers.
The government says that it is changing the dental contract and training more dentists in the areas most in need. The government says it will also make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period of at least three years.
Campaign group 38 degrees calls the current dental crisis “shameful”, with people being “forced to pay money they can’t afford or suffer with the pain, shame, and further complications that come from being denied vital NHS healthcare”.