BDA blames NHS dentistry access issues on government policy

The British Dental Association (BDA) has issued new research highlighting the growing problem of accessibility in NHS dentistry.

According to the organisation's analysis, around GBP 35 per head was being set aside by the government to cover dental care for every adult and child in England in 2006, but this has fallen by GBP 7.50 per head in real terms in the last decade.

This is because government policy has not kept pace with inflation or population growth of nearly five million during this time, with revenue drawn from patient charges rising by 80 percent, meaning patients are being asked to pay more to compensate for funding cuts.

As such, the BDA is urging the government to deliver on successive manifesto commitments to reform the NHS funding system, which has been criticised for its target-led structure and the limitations it places on the number of patients dentists are able to treat. 

Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, the BDA's chair of general dental practice, said: "The government is dragging its heels over reform of a system that funds care for barely half the population, and families across England are now paying the price."

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