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Access crisis has a body count – please share your feedback

With ongoing access issues fuelling oral health problems we are calling on dentists UK-wide to share their feedback on what they are seeing at the chairside.

It only takes 5 minutes to share your feedback.

This weekend the Daily Mirror reported a surge in deaths from dental sepsis - the result of ongoing access problems.

One clinician in the North of England reportedly described their local hospital as “like a battlefield” given the volume of dental sepsis cases.

Another dentist working in secondary care in the north of England, speaking anonymously observed: “We’re now seeing patients dying from toothache. We’ve never witnessed this before, and there have been multiple cases. One patient came into A&E, was intubated immediately, but died of dental infection without ever regaining consciousness.”

"Ultimately these are the result of access problems in primary care. It’s clear to me these infections will claim more lives. The powers that be should never have allowed dentistry to get into this state.”

We have been overwhelmed by feedback from members on the growing problems among patients presenting late, often with more serious conditions that could have been captured early.

“This crisis is hitting every corner of our health service,” says Eddie Crouch.

“It’s the patients piling into emergency rooms and GP surgeries. It’s the oral cancers caught too late, and the simple problems that end up as life threatening infections.

“Official indifference to NHS dentistry has a body count. What more will it take for this Government to wake up?”

So please, tell us what you are seeing.


Share your story

Your frontline experience is a powerful weapon which we can use to fight for a fair deal for you and the patients you treat.
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