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| Britain | |
| NHS Dentistry: Pull Out Yer Own Bloody Teeth | |
| 2007-10-18 | |
| Falling numbers of NHS dentists are forcing many patients to go without treatment or even try pulling out their own teeth, a study has revealed. Almost a fifth (19%) of those questioned said they had missed out on dental work because of the cost. The research found 6% had even resorted to treating themselves because they could not find a dentist.
Roger from London told the Your Stories section of the Sky News website that he combines visits to the dentist with holidays in Egypt. "I was quoted over £2,000 for a bridge by a dentist in the UK. I had two weeks in a five-star hotel all inclusive. "Two visits to the dentist my bridge fixed in. Went diving and came home with change from £1,300." Health Minister Ben Bradshaw told Sky News it was a myth that everyone used to be able to get free dental treatment on the NHS. "At its very highest it was 60% in this country, now it's 56%. We have always paid for dental care, even on the NHS," he said. He said people in urgent need should always be able to get NHS treatment but it would only be free for some people, like children, those on benefits and pregnant women. Mr Bradshaw said the Labour Government had increased the number of NHS dentists and brought down the maximum cost of complex treatment. "There are now 4,000 more than there were in 1997, we are moving in the right direction, but there are still problems and I am very sorry about that." Almost three fifths (58%) of dentists blamed new contracts brought in by the Government last year. Four out of 10 (41%) felt they had an "excessive" workload with 29% saying they had problems recruiting or retaining dentists. More than 5,200 patients and 750 dentitsts were interviewed as part of the Dentistry Watch survey carried out by the PPI Forums. | |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #2 The cost of dentistry isn't that high, especially relative to other areas of health costs. I'm guessing that if most of these people gave up cigarettes and pints for a couple of months they could get at least minimal functional work done. My sister's neighbor has rotting teeth, tells everyone he "can't afford" the dentist, but he owns three ATV's and a boat. I suspect that a huge chunk of those who claim they "can't afford" at least minimal maintenance and fillings are like him and could afford to do so if they cut back a few creature comforts. I also suspect that there are very, very few people who are poor enough that having routine dental care will cause them to starve yet not so poor that they don't qualify for Medicaid dentistry. It's more about priorities than truly being unaffordable. Put up the sympathy meter graphic, please. |
| Posted by: no mo uro 2007-10-18 18:47 |
| #1 For more fun on this subject, here's a delightful column by Richard Littlejohn: Link |
| Posted by: mrp 2007-10-18 13:22 |