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5m could lose dental care

The British Dental Association has warned patients who have not visited their dentist since September 1996 they risk being struck off next month.

A change in the law this September reduced the automatic removal period introduced in 1990 from two years to 15 months.

Although 30 million people are registered as NHS dental patients, the total has decreased by 800,000 in two years.

The Dental Association warns it could fall farther due to the Government's endorsement of the cut in the time period, introduced under the previous Conservative adminstration.

Patients who are automatically removed from dentists' books would have to wait for treatment.

The Government should save £20m through the change. It pays dentists £5 a year for all patients, whether or not they are seen.

The Chairman of the BDA's general dental services committee, Dr Anthony Kravitz, said: "We are extremely concerned that patient care will suffer because of changes to Government regulation, which have now turned out to be unnecessary.

"Many NHS dental practices are working to full capacity. This means that patients who fall off a dentist's list may find it difficult to re-register as an NHS patient."

He added: "If patients have not visited their dentist since September 1996, we urge them to do so now."

Provided patients re-register before December 31 they should not be dropped by their dentists.

The Health Minister, Alan Milburn, said Labour is putting more money into the dental service than before.

"The Government is committed to ensuring that patients get NHS dentistry in all parts of the country," he said. "Now of course we recognise there are a few places where it is difficult to get access and that's why we've made £900m available during the course of this year precisely to plug those gaps."

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