NHS Dental Patients In The Midlands Down by 141,000 Since 2006

Thu, 23 Apr 2009

Over 141,000 people from the Midlands have pulled out of NHS dental care since the introduction of the controversial new dental contract, latest figures have revealed.

According to statistics from the Department of Health, NHS dentists throughout Birmingham saw patient numbers drop by 66,000 in the 18 months following the introduction of the contract in April 2006.

The considerable drop in NHS dental patients along with soaring tooth extractions have raised concerns that the region will return to the days of dentures .

Councillor Deirdre Alden, chairwoman of Birmingham’s health scrutiny committee, said: "This sounds like we are stocking up problems for the future."

"Our parents’ generation had dentures and since then greater care has been taken over teeth, but we will see a return to those old days."

Eddie Crouch, secretary of Birmingham Local Dental Committee, said complex treatments to save rotten teeth had dropped but tooth extractions had increased, with queues at Birmingham Dental Hospital at their worst.

"This contract has taken us back a generation," said Mr Crouch. "Dental Hospital bookings are the worst they have ever been.

He added that the new contract has too many simplifications, with 400 types of treatment split into four price bands.

Mr Crouch said 10 per cent of Birmingham dentists had left the NHS when the new contract came into force as they were unhappy with the way they were paid.

But Ros Hamburger, dental boss for the region, said there were still a large number of NHS dentists taking on new patients in the city and some were being forced to return to the NHS due to the impact of the economic downturn.
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