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Dentists pulling out teeth instead of operating

21/08/2008

New figures suggest dentists are increasingly pulling out patients' teeth instead of operating on them.

Also, in the two years since a new NHS contract, 1.1 million fewer people were treated on the health service compared to previous years.

Figures from the NHS Information Centre seen today show that in England the number of treatments that included dentures increased from 38 per cent to 48 per cent from 2003/04 to 2007/08, while the number of extractions grew 7 per cent to 8 per cent.

During that time, meanwhile, the number of crowns actually fell from 48 per cent to 35 per cent and fillings from 28 per cent to 26 per cent.

While the number of people being seen by NHS dentists fell by over a million, the number of actual dentists increased by 655, a rise of 3.2 per cent.

The cost of the dentistry to the NHS rose by £56 million to £531 million last year, an increase of 12 per cent.

Tim Straughan, chief executive of the NHS Information Centre said: "These reports show the most comprehensive picture of NHS dentistry to date under the new contractual arrangements.

"As a qualified dentist myself, it is interesting to see how a typical course of dental treatment is changing."

Shadow Conservative health minister Mike Penning picked up the fact that a large number of people had lost their dentist.

"Ministers need to stop dithering, admit that their new dental contract has been a complete failure, and take action to make good their pledge to give everyone access to an NHS dentist," he said.