Yorkshire & Lincolnshire

The aim of the 2006 NHS dental contract was to reduce waiting time for patients, get more people to the dentist and simplify the charges.

Nevertheless, many believe that rather than getting better, the new contract made the situation worse.

Dentists complain about being on a treadmill, and rushing through patients to hit targets.

Many signed the contract reluctantly, others simply left, and went private instead.

Nations gnashers face decay

NHS dentists scarce

Millions have been spent improving NHS dentistry, but there remains a patchwork picture across the North.

In many places it is now easier to see an NHS dentist. But there are still problems.

The East Riding of Yorkshire has England’s worst record for numbers of NHS dentists.

The town also has an emergency dental access centre which complements the three NHS practices.

The Primary Care Trust says it provides dental care to over 3,000 patients.

The East Riding PCT says that for 2008/09 NHS East Riding of Yorkshire has commissioned £840,000 of services to target new patients in the Goole area who are unable to access NHS dental care.

This represents a 32% increase on the previous year.

Desperate measures

Valerie Holsworth is a wife, mother and grandma.

Valerie Holdsworth: removed her own teeth

She was suffering from chronic gum disease and was unable to pay for treatment to tackle it.

Her case hit the headlines in 2005 after her toothache became too much to bear, and she took things into her own hands and pulled the teeth out herself.

Valerie lives in Scarborough - a town where, in 2004, hundreds queued round the block when news spread of an NHS dentist opening his books.

The story shocked the nation.

Official response

North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust says that the situation in the Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale locality is much improved.

Director of Commissioning and Service Development, Jane Marshall says:

"In the past seven months, 2,022 people have been allocated an NHS dentist.

"This leaves a total of 757 patients awaiting a NHS dentist in this locality.

"In the Scarborough area there are 187 and we will allocate these an NHS dentist as soon as we can."

She says the Trust has always provided emergency dental services for all patients including people who are not registered with an NHS dentist.

And that it’s working very had to ensure that services which meet the needs of local people are available throughout North Yorkshire.

And she says it's essential that people do contact the Trust if they need a dentist.

"If we know you are there then we can assign a dentist to you so please do call us if you need one."

Private practice

For 37 years John Renshaw treated NHS patients in Scarborough.

He quit the NHS and treats private patients only.

John Renshaw believes NHS contracts need a rethink

John says the NHS contract has forced dentists to protect their businesses at the expense of patients, and that people with severe problems are just not taken on... He believes the system needs a rethink.

The Department of Health says that an NHS dentist who refuses to accept patients based on the cost of the treatment they need, would be in breach of their contract.

And if a patient believes this has happened to them then they can report the dentist to the local Primary Care Trust.

Chief Dental Officer, Barry Cockroft says the new system has created improvements:

"Last year (2007) we saw an increase in the number of dentists working in the NHS and from next year there will be significantly more dental graduates coming out of dental schools.

"There's also been an increase in dental companies as well as individual dentists wanting to provide more NHS dental services, which certainly was not happening under the old system."

But while the Department of Health says progress has been made in many areas it acknowledges that there is more to be done.