GPs not given the time or training to spot dental neglect

A study published in the British Dental Journal discovered that 96% of GPs in the Isle of Wight who responded to the survey have never received any formal dental training, and some respondents believed that dental health wasn’t important.

‘Tooth decay can be a tell-tale sign of abuse or neglect, and many children are falling through the cracks in a siloed health service,’ BDA’s chair of General Dental Practice, Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, said ‘GPs bear an enormous burden and it cannot fall to them to “multitask”, when Government is failing to deal with the problem. Tooth decay is the number one reason for child hospital admissions, but dentists are not seeing those at most risk early enough to make a difference. Poverty, neglect or ignorance can be huge barriers to good oral health, and we desperately need joined-up policymaking to tackle them.’