A 'broken' NHS system is being blamed for the situation, because it has become financially unfeasible for dentists to treat NHS patients, according to dental bosses in the county.

The number of dentists completing NHS work between 2020 and 2021 fell by 6% in the last year and 10% over the last five years – or 40 dentists.

Dental experts say the contracts between dentists and the NHS are a leading cause of the decline in dentists treating NHS patients, partly because they haven’t been changed in 15 years.

Dr Jonathan Mynors-Wallis, Chairman for the Local Dental Committee, which represents Dorset dentists working within the NHS, and President of the Wessex region of the British Dental Association, said: “The system has been broken for many years and Covid has highlighted the problems that have always been there.

“There has been a gradual move away from NHS dentistry as dentists look for ways to improve patient care and move away from targets which have become increasingly difficult to meet.

“The NHS contract that dentists have been working under for the last 15 years pays the same money for a patient that requires one filling as a patient that requires 10, this means that if a dentist takes on patients with high needs, then the practice loses money. The funding should reflect the treatment needs of the patients.”

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The British Dental Association (BDA) share the same sentiments surrounding contracts.

Shawn Charlwood of the BDA warned significant numbers of dentists were planning on leaving the NHS. He said: “NHS dentistry is hanging by a thread, because without NHS dentists, there will be no NHS dentistry.

"Years of failed contracts and underfunding have meant a growing number of dentists no longer see the NHS as a place to build a career. The pandemic has upped the ante, and we are now facing down an exodus.

Dr Mynors-Wallis warns of a bleak outcome if something isn’t done. He said: “If no new investment is made there will be a gradual exodus from NHS dentistry to the private sector, which will make it increasingly difficult to find an NHS dentist.

“I feel that patients should have access to high quality NHS care, but this needs to be funded.

“The investment that has just been announced for NHS dentistry is welcome, but it is only for the next two months, and it is difficult to mobilise staff and dentists in such a short period of time especially as they have been working under very difficult conditions for the last two years.

“Hopefully the government will come up with long term funding which will allow dental practices to expand and provide the care that is required.”

Data from NHS England and NHS Wales shows more than 2,500 dentists – up to 8% of the workforce – stopped treating NHS patients last year.

The fewer NHS dentists there are, the harder it is for people to get dental treatment on the NHS.

Healthwatch England told the BBC that two-year waits for routine check-ups were not unheard of, and sources have told the BBC of painful conditions still untreated after a year.

Though adults still have to pay for NHS dental treatment, the costs are much lower than the private sector. A root canal would cost £65 on the NHS, but a private provider could charge up to £970.

Fewer NHS dentists also puts a strain on those dentists who still treat NHS patients, increasing their workload and stress levels, and reducing the amount of time it is viable to spend with individual patients and on preventative care.

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