Access to dentistry

Healthwatch Leicester and Healthwatch Leicestershire undertook research on access to dentistry.  They carried out a review of dental practices websites, a survey of people’s experience of accessing dental services and interviews with a care home about access for residents to dentistry.  167 people responded to the survey.

The website review found that not all practices had a website or that the information was not always clear and up to date. They found from speaking to some practices there were long waiting times to be able to register as a new NHS patient with them, with one wait being 10 months.

Over three in five people who took part in the survey were registered with an NHS dentist

Of those that were not registered, half said that they could not find an NHS dentist and 44% said that the cost of treatment was too high for them to register with a dentist.

People were generally happy with the care that they had received when they saw the dentist, whether this was for a routine appointment or an emergency appointment. However, there were again some comments about access to emergency appointments being easier if they were willing to pay for their treatment privately.

 Information about dental charges was not always available on practice websites including information on eligibility for free NHS dental care. Over half of the people who responded to the survey said that they had to pay for their treatment. Around a third were asked to pay upfront for their treatment. There were some comments made about the cost of treatment, particularly for those that had chosen to go for private treatment because they could not access NHS dental care, with some unable to have the treatment that they needed because it was not affordable or who had put themselves into debt to pay for it.

The report contains 7 recommendations.