Comment: Sign up to an NHS dentist to beat decay

10:22am Monday 1st December 2008

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When the new NHS dental contract was introduced, large numbers of dentists left the NHS and focused on private patients.

This led to a shortage of services not just in Sussex but across the country.

Images of long queues of people lining the street when an NHS dentist opened for the first time tend to stick in the mind.

It left people with the overwhelming impression there were no NHS dentists available and you would either have to wait months to see one unless you were able to pay.

However, over the past couple of years, the picture has been steadily changing and each primary care trust in Sussex has dentists on its books which are accepting new NHS patients.

That is fine for people in Brighton and Hove, but it is not the same for West Sussex and large parts of East Sussex, which have isolated and rural areas.

Primary care trusts in both counties say the situation is improving and have made it a high priority, ensuring that each year more services are being commissioned to try and plug the gaps.

The message is there are services out there and if people want to look after their oral health, they need to act now.

Nothing is perfect. There are still areas of Sussex where patients are struggling to see a dentist.

The complexities of the dental contract mean some dentists are having to turn patients away because they have fulfilled their quota of patients for the year and will not get paid for any extra work.

The worry is rather than pay privately or travel abroad to places like Bulgaria for cheaper treatment, many may not bother seeing a dentist, something that will create problems in the future.

The British Dental Association warns going abroad for treatment, while financially appealing, does not account for the possibility and cost of any complications or follow-up care.

There is particular concern for children, especially those who are allowed to drink too many acidic and sugary foods.

Brushing your teeth might seem a simple process but surprisingly not many children, or adults, actually do it properly.

This, combined with no checkups, inevitably leads to cavities, fillings, gum infections and, in worst case scenarios, teeth becoming so badly decayed, they need to be extracted.

Dealing with problems at an early stage is a lot less traumatic and a lot less expensive in the long term.

Prevention is always going to be better than cure. So how to do it?

Ask a child if they want some chocolate or a carrot stick or a glass of milk or lemonade and the sweet option will prevail almost every time.

Nobody is unrealistic enough to expect children not to have any sweets at all but moderation is the key – as is brushing teeth.

Parents might think their child can do their teeth on their own but health bosses suggest those under the age of eight are supervised.

In a lot of cases the front teeth are done properly but the hard to reach back ones are often neglected.

Getting the method right from a very young age will help avoid problems in the future.

Health managers are also taking a closer look at more deprived areas to try and urge people to take advantage of the dental services available and get young children into good dental habits. Research in Brighton and Hove has shown children aged five from schools in deprived areas are one-and-a-half times more likely to have decay than children from other areas.

A similar study among 15-year-olds in the city found 72% of children in schools in deprived areas had decayed teeth compared with 55% in more affluent areas.

For adults who have allowed their teeth to deteriorate, there are NHS dentists who can help and having regular check-ups will stop things becoming worse.

But the other main focus is children.

If you get them to see a dentist regularly from a very young age, regulate the sweets and fizzy drinks and make sure they know how to brush their teeth, then that ticking dental time bomb need never ignite.

Anyone who wants NHS dental care in Brighton should call 0300 1000899. For information on NHS dentists accepting new patients in East Sussex, call 0844 4772545. For West Sussex call 0300 1000899.