Dental crisis still high on the agenda for Liz

2.51.37pm GMT Fri 29th Feb 2008

Liz discusses state of NHS dentistry with dentist Dave Evans

Liz Leffman's campaign to urge Hampshire Primary Care Trust to review its dental provision has picked up further momentum following news that more than 11 million British adults have not seen a dentist in the last two years.

Liz, Prospective Liberal Democrat MP for Meon Valley, has been pressing for action on the poor state of dentistry in the area since February 2007, when a survey found 84 per cent of people questioned in Meon Valley had lost their NHS dental provision in the past 10 years - and 55 per cent of these had tried unsuccessfully to find a new NHS dentist.

Now, market research shows that more than half the adult population have missing teeth, eight million patients admit they have not had recommended dental work in the last five years due to cost and half the adult population do not have access to an NHS dentist.

Liz said: "It has been broken promise after broken promise from this Labour Government over dentistry. We heard no end of the much trumpeted 2006 reforms to dental contracts, yet they have caused havoc; finding an NHS dentist has become so rare that some people have forgotten what a dentist is!

"We now have a scenario where people that are lucky enough to find a NHS dentist can't afford to pay. As a result, people are ignoring their poor dental health until they reach crisis point.

"We need an urgent review into why the reforms two years ago have done so little to improve access, which should come to the conclusion that we need to give Primary Care Trusts the flexibility to employ NHS dentists, as well as contracting with private practices, to increase the number of dentists available, and scrap check-up charges to put the emphasis back onto preventative care."