Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

NHS Dentistry and Oral Health Inequalities

25 November 2020 · 4 other contributors · 3,969 words

Opened by Judith Cummins Lab Bradford South

Responding minister: Jo Churchill

NHS

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Judith Cummins raised concerns about nhs dentistry and oral health inequalities in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Millions of people lack access to an NHS dentist, a problem worsened by the coronavirus pandemic.
  • British Dental Association estimates that 19 million appointments were lost between March and October.
  • Dental practices operate at less than half their pre-pandemic capacity due to fallow time requirements.

Key requests to Government

The Government should provide capital funding for new ventilation equipment and ensure that dental practices are not under impossible pressure with targets. Data on suspended or cancelled children's planned dental admissions since the start of the pandemic must be provided. Immediate financial support should be given to dentists, including a review of business rates and investment in preventive schemes like supervised tooth brushing.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Judith Cummins Lab Bradford South

Millions of people are without access to an NHS dentist, a situation that has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The British Dental Association estimates that between March and October 19 million appointments were lost. Many practices operate below half their pre-pandemic capacity due to fallow time requirements after treatments. Dentists in deprived communities face significant financial barriers to purchasing necessary ventilation equipment, increasing oral health inequalities further.

Other contributors (4)
  • Barry Gardiner Lab Brent West

    Cited Proverbs 25, verse 19 to highlight the current challenges in supporting dentistry and dental technicians. He questioned the Minister about dental technicians leaving their jobs due to lack of work, expressing concern over the potential loss of skills and the difficulty in meeting future demand.

  • Rachael Maskell Lab Co-op York Central

    Expressed concern about accessing NHS dentistry services in York, highlighting issues exacerbated by the pandemic such as access to personal protective equipment for oral health professionals. Asked if she could give way, indicating a desire to speak further during the debate.

  • Robbie Moore Con Keighley and Ilkley

    Addressed the issue of outreach programmes for dental health education among children in his constituency, questioning if more emphasis could be placed on this area by the Government.

  • Scott Mann

    Discussed similar challenges in Cornwall related to recruitment and retention of NHS dentists and proposed working together on a programme of work that addresses these issues.

Government Response

Jo Churchill

It is a pleasure to serve under the chairmanship of James Gray. I congratulate Judith Cummins on securing this debate and recognise her long-standing interest in improving access to dental care, particularly highlighting challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. The number of patients dentists could safely see each day drastically reduced due to aerosol-generating procedures, leading to the temporary suspension of non-urgent treatments. Urgent dental care centres were established across the country, with up to 635 in operation at one point. To address the high risk of infection from aerosols, Public Health England initially required rooms be rested for up to an hour after each procedure; this guidance has since been updated to allow NHS practices to resume services provided they have appropriate PPE and infection prevention measures in place. Around 81% of NHS dentists have signed up to access the portal for PPE, with over 50 million items dispensed. The minister acknowledges challenges in the private sector and aims to mitigate widening oral health inequalities. She notes that more than 6,000 NHS practices should now offer face-to-face care but prioritise vulnerable groups. Discussions are ongoing to establish ways to reduce room resting times and increase provision safely. The minister also mentions working on key initiatives to reduce inequalities for children, the elderly, and the frail, including flexible commissioning models that allow dentists to be remunerated for outreach activities in schools and care homes.

▸ Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy