NHS dentists suffer poor uptake

More than 200,000 Londoners may have never been to the dentist

The number of NHS dentists in London is well above the national average, but only half the city's population use them, a London Assembly report shows.

In London there are 52 NHS dentists per 100,000 people compared with a national average of 42 to every 100,000 people.

The study showed 51% of adults and about two-thirds of children went to an NHS dentist between March 2005-2007.

The Health and Public Services Committee recommended changes to the dental charge banding structure.

Wide variations

According to the report about 205,000 adults in London may never have visited a dentist.

Joanne McCartney, Chair of the Assembly's Health and Public Services Committee, said: "The capital has one of the lowest uptake levels in the country and this is a serious public health issue.

"Left untreated, poor oral health can lead to serious health consequences such as tooth loss and infection."

Although the report showed a good overall number of NHS dentists there were wide variations across the city.

In Barnet, Redbridge, Ealing and Haringey there are more than 40 NHS dentists accepting new fee-paying adult patients, but Sutton, Merton and Brent have none.

Reduced-cost treatment.

In 2006 the system was overhauled to improve access to NHS dentistry, but it is feared it may have had the opposite effect.

The report identified that the new charging scheme may discourage people from regularly going to a dentist and had significantly increased some of the costs of treatment.

It recommended the Department of Health revised the dental charge banding structure to encourage people to go to the dentist regularly.

Primary Care Trusts were advised to improve publicity about local dentistry services including charges and eligibility for free or reduced-cost treatment.