NHS dentists are “very weak” and “not fit for purpose”, England’s chief medical officer has warned.
Professor Sir Chris Whitty has told MPs that a lack of NHS dentistry access for children will set them up for “lifelong poor dental health”.
Speaking at the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament, Sir Chris said: “The NHS dental system is very weak and has got weaker over time.
“I think we would all say this is a problem, particularly for those who find it difficult to get dental services when they need them in states of emergency.
“So I think everyone should agree that the NHS dentistry is in a much weaker state than most other areas of the NHS.”
Sir Chris added: “The last time I think most people in the country would consider that NHS dentistry was operating as they would anticipate it should do was probably in the early 1990s and the changes since then have all tended to either do nothing or make things worse.”
Sir Chris, who is also the interim permanent secretary at the Department for Health and Social Care, stressed that early prevention “is absolutely critical”.
However, he added the “very sad reality” was the opposite.
The professor also warned that a “common procedure” among children in hospital is the “destruction of teeth” due to tooth decay – which sets them up “for lifelong poor dental health”.
Data shows as many as six in 10 children have rotting teeth by the age of five – with stark differences between the poorer regions of England, and the more affluent.
For example, the number of five-year-olds with poor dental hygiene was on the rise in London, the North East and the South West.
Sir Chris, and other NHS leaders, criticised the NHS ‘recovery plan’ put in place by the previous Conservative government for failing to deliver new dentists or more appointments.
Read more on Sky News:
Children among 28 injured in Munich ‘suspected attack’
Brothers deny assaulting police at airport
Ryanair scrapping several European routes
Follow our channel and never miss an update.
The Dental Recovery Plan was first introduced by Conservative health ministers in February 2024 – an attempt to tackle England’s NHS dentistry crisis. It promised to introduce 1.5 million new treatments for patients.
But when asked if the plan was on track, Sir Chris said: “The very short answer is no.”
The committee also heard that while the number of dentists has risen, the number providing discounted NHS care has decreased.
