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Scores of patients are being forced to pay for private dental treatment because of a continuing lack of NHS dentists, a large survey suggests.

Almost a fifth of NHS patients have gone without treatment because of cost. Others are even resorting to extracting their own teeth after the largest shake-up of NHS dentistry in 50 years. According to the Government’s own estimate, more than 2 million people who wish to access NHS dental care are unable to do so. In April last year, ministers introduced a new dental contract, which aimed to increase access and simplify charges.

But the Dentistry Watch survey conducted by Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Forums throughout England suggests that a majority of dentists believe that the quality of patient care has declined since the changes and that huge problems remain in finding dentists who will accept NHS patients. For example, when a new dental practice opened in Portsmouth in April hundreds of people queued around the block to register.

Between July and September this year 5,212 patients and 750 dentists were asked for their views: 78 per cent of private dental patients reported abandoning the NHS because either their dentist stopped treating NHS patients, or because they could not find another one who would.

Of those patients not using NHS dental services, 35 per cent said it was because they could not find an NHS dentist close to their homes. Only 15 per cent claimed it was because they believed they could get better treatment. Six per cent of patients said they had treated themselves, including extracting their own teeth, because they were unable to get treatment.

The arrangements under the new contract have been criticised by dentists as a crude, target-driven system, which does not encourage them to treat complicated cases or take on new patients.

Of the dentists surveyed, 45 per cent said that they were not accepting any more NHS patients and 58 per cent said that the quality of care patients have received since the introduction of the new dental contracts has got worse.

Nearly three quarters said they were aware of patients declining treatment because of the cost. However, 93 per cent of patients receiving NHS treatment said they were were happy with the treatment provided.

Sharon Grant, Chair of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health, which organised the survey, said: “These findings indicate that the NHS dental system is letting many patients down very badly.

“It appears many are being forced to go private because they don’t want to lose their current trusted and respected dentist or because they just can’t find a local NHS dentist. This is an uncomfortable read for all of us, and poses serious questions to politicians.”

Commenting on the findings, the British Dental Association said that the survey highlighted the “serious concerns” about the impact of reforms to NHS dentistry in England.

Susie Sanderson, chairman of the association’s executive board, added: “The new contract has done nothing to improve access for patients and failed to allow dentists to deliver the kind of modern, preventive treatment they want to give.”

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