SPOTLIGHT: Why is it so hard to find an NHS dentist in Eastbourne? 

The number of courses of NHS dental treatment given to Eastbourne patients has halved since before the first lockdown. 

Many people new to the town are struggling to find dentists who will take NHS patients. 

The British Dental Association (BDA) says this is partly due to the closure of dentists in lockdown and limits on capacity in the pandemic. 

But it also blames an exodus of dentists from the NHS. 

This graph from the BDA shows that in February 2020, just before the first lockdown, 6,782 treatments were given in Eastbourne (blue line). In April 2022, the total was 3,254. 

Source: British Dental Association [Total FP17s = the total ‘consent to treatment’ forms signed] 

The professional body has warned of a crisis in dentistry, with nearly half of dentists in England reducing their commitment to the NHS since the pandemic. 

Official figures show that 1,000 dentists ditched their NHS contracts last year in England and Wales. 

NHS figures reveal that there were 53 dentists per 100,000 people in 2020/21, compared with 62 five years earlier in 2015/16 within East Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group.

The BDA says the picture in reality is worse than this. It says government data gives the same weight to a dentist providing a single NHS treatment in a year as one providing NHS-only care. 

It also found, in a survey of 2,200 dentists, that two thirds say they have unfilled vacancies. 

At South Cliff Dental Group’s surgery in Trinity Trees, Eastbourne, NHS patients are still being accepted but they join a long waiting list. 

Practice support manager Jade French said new patients would be likely to wait “a good few months” for any appointments. 

“We are trying to see as many people as we can but are still catching up after the pandemic,” she said. 

“It is hard because patients don’t understand how difficult it is. I completely understand if people are in pain but there is only a certain amount we can do.” 

The BDA says the current NHS dental contract, which started in 2006, puts government targets ahead of patient need, effectively setting a limit on the numbers of NHS treatments a dentist can do in a year.  

It says the system funds care for just over half the population and sets the same rewards for a dentist, whether they carry out one filling or ten.    

NHS England said in January it would provide up to 350,000 additional dental appointments with a £50 million funding injection. 

We have approached NHS England asking for an update. 

But the BDA argues that after a decade of cuts, NHS dentistry would require an additional £880m per year simply to restore resources to 2010 levels. 

In March 2021, the government asked NHS England to look at reforming the dental system. The NHS has published how it plans to reform the system, including better incentives for dentists to undertake preventative care and improve patient access to NHS care. 

This table shows NHS charges for basic treatments compared with the charges at a private dentist in Eastbourne we approached. The treatments may not compare exactly but it gives an approximate guide. 

NHS treatment is free for various groups including the under 18s, those pregnant or with a baby under one year old and for people receiving certain low-income benefits.

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:: Featured image: Atikah Akhtar on Unsplash

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