Letter HE - Dentistry

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 9th Apr 2004

Dear Editor,

You are quite right to highlight the disgraceful situation that now exists with National Health dentistry. The only NH dentist in Devon with vacancies is in Barnstaple and there are large swathes of South Devon where no NH dentists practice let alone have vacancies. In Kingsbridge, for example the one remaining NH dentist has just left and his successor has told all patients that they now have to be treated privately.

The upshot of all this is that people will not visit the dentist because they cannot afford to. Dental health will show a marked decline, resulting in expensive emergency treatment at a NH dental hospital when serious problems occur. For years we have been encouraged to visit the dentist for regular check ups on the basis that prevention is better than cure. Unless we have a proper network of NH dentists all this will go by the board and treatment will only be available for those who can afford it. This is not acceptable in the 21st. century. The government must wake up to this rapidly escalating problem and ensure that conditions are such that dentists can continue to work in the public service.

Yours sincerely,

Mike Treleaven