According to a recent report from National Health Service dental activity, practically one million more people in England have had check-ups in comparison to the same period of time 5 years ago.
During the last 2 years, more than 29.1 million patients were seen and given a dental examination, this number is 967,000 more than the baseline figure in March 2006.
Chief Executive of the BDHF, British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter said, "The uncertainties surrounding the dental contract over the last decade created an overwhelming shortage of NHS dentists, to the point that there were simply not enough to go around."
"Thankfully, we now seem to be getting back on track. The public are no longer left with a choice between having to travel long distances to see an NHS Dentist, or go private. The availability of NHS dentists is improving."
"But whilst access to NHS dentistry has improved, I still feel more can be done to increase this further, for adults and especially for children. The new White Paper proposing a new dental contract based on registration will hopefully go a long way to improve access, but it should not be at the expense of a high quality NHS dental service. It will be very interesting to hear the results from the many pilot studies currently taking place throughout the UK as to whether this is the case or not."
Dr Carter added, "There is a definitive correlation between the number of patients seen and the Courses of Treatment. If more people go to the dentist on a regular basis then the likelihood is that the amount of dental work you will need will be decreased.
"Of course, regular dental visits are to go alongside a healthy oral health routine, brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and cutting the frequency of sugary foods and drinks. These are the messages we are trying to get out there during this year's National Smile Month."
Source: British Dental Health Foundation
No comments:
Post a Comment