Casualty fills gaps in NHS dentistry

CASUALTY departments are being forced to deal with emergency dental patients who fail to get treated by an NHS dentist, it has been claimed.

The lack of NHS dentistry is costing Oldham health chiefs almost £60,000 a year in emergency hospital treatment, according to the Conservatives.

Official figures show 100 dental patients from across Oldham were admitted to hospital for emergency treatment in 2007/8. The party estimated the cost to the taxpayer was £59,560.

Shauna Dixon, director of clinical leadership for NHS Oldham, said: “We continue to strive to increase access to dental treatment for everyone who needs it.

“Since 2006, new practices have opened in Moorside and Springhead and a practice in Failsworth has expanded. These new practices mean an additional 10,000 people a year can be seen by a dentist. A further six dentists will be starting work in Oldham in the next 12 months.”

Across England, 22,000 people had to be admitted to hospital in 2007/8 for emergency dental treatment, up 1 per cent on the previous year.

The Tories said the emergency admissions cost the NHS about £13 million a year.

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: “For years many people have been unable to see an NHS dentist and almost a million have lost access to a dentist since Labour’s new contract in 2006.”

The Department of Health insisted NHS dentistry was improving but accepted “gaps remain” in provision.

Health minister Ann Keen said: “While we want to see emergency admissions kept to a minimum, these figures should be put into perspective. Data shows an increase of just 257 patients in a year admitted to hospital, compared to the 36 million courses of treatment that dentists delivered in the same year (2007/8), an increase of 937,000 courses of treatment over the previous year."