Dental health inequalities for patients with Asian and black ethnic backgrounds

The General Dental Council (GDC) has released a new report after commissioning independent research examining the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the general public on their dental care. The online survey was conducted using a nationally representative sample of 2389 individuals across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland between October and November 2021. It focused on the public’s health-seeking choices about their oral health during the pandemic, particularly under lockdown conditions, and how they plan to use services and seek dental care moving forwards.

Many individuals surveyed reported attempts at seeing a dentist during the pandemic, but struggled to get an appointment. 22% of patients surveyed had attempted but been unable to get a dental appointment since August 2020, and a further 17% of patients had an appointment postponed or cancelled entirely within the last year. Of the respondents, fewer people with Asian (10%) or black (11%) ethnic backgrounds reported having an appointment pending compared to those of White British ethnicity (10%). These key findings highlighted health inequalities and how these were perpetuated throughout the pandemic, highlighting existing unmet needs amongst people with Asian or black ethnic backgrounds.

By October 2021, just under half of patient had returned to a dental practice since the lifting of lockdown restrictions, meaning an approximate 50% of those surveyed had attended a dentist’s appointment in 18 months or longer.

“The pandemic has had a devastating impact on both patients and the dental profession. It supercharges a crisis we’ve faced for a generation. The real question now is what this government is willing to do about it.
‘Practices are struggling to meet demand, while every day dejected NHS dentists are calling it quits. Deep inequalities are set to widen unless Minister commit to fix this forgotten corner of our health service” – Eddie Crouch, British Dental Association (BDA) Chair.

These reports have highlighted the impact the pandemic has had on oral health, and how this continues to cause problems for the general public. A “lag period”, in which those unable to be seen during the pandemic are beginning to be seen, and any worsened oral health may require more significant intervention, more appointments, and more resources than if services had remained available. These findings will help to inform future provision of remote dental care in instances where face-to-face consultations may not be advisable or possible, improved monitoring and maintenance care, and better-informed guidelines around vulnerable individuals who may need prioritisation in order to prevent significant health effects as we continue to recover from the worst of the pandemic.